The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite are decent headphones for everyday casual use, and their truly wireless design is great for sports. They block out ambient noise well and will be suitable for commuting. Unfortunately, they have very high latency, so you’ll notice a delay when playing video content. Also, they have a very short battery life, which is disappointing. On the upside, their audio reproduction is decent and should satisfy most users. They also have an excellent wireless range and their small, breathable, and portable design is great for physical activity.
Our Verdict
Decent for mixed usage. The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite have decent audio reproduction and most people will be satisfied with them. They also have good noise isolation performance, which makes them suitable for commuting or at the office. Their truly wireless in-ear design is very stable and breathable for sports. Unfortunately, they have very high latency and you’ll notice a delay when watching TV or when gaming.
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Good isolation performance.
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Decent sound reproduction.
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Excellent wireless range.
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Short battery life.
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Very high latency.
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In-ear fit might not be as comfortable for everyone.
Decent for neutral listening. Their audio reproduction is good for in-ears. They have consistent, powerful and punchy bass, a well-balanced mid-range and great treble. However, their bass is ever so slightly thumpy, which some may like. Their mid-range is a bit recessed, slightly pushing back vocals and leads to the back of the mix, and their treble is a bit uneven in higher frequencies, but not everyone will hear this the same way. Unfortunately, you don’t have access to an in-app EQ to customize their sound to your liking.
Decent for commuting. Their small design is very easy to carry around and the buds create a nice seal inside your ears to block a good amount of ambient noise. Unfortunately, their 2-hour battery life is pretty short, and you won’t be able to use them during long flights or rides. On top of that, you might feel ear soreness when wearing them for a while since their fit isn’t the most comfortable.
Great for sports. Their truly wireless design is very portable and easy to carry around, they don't trap much heat inside your ears, and they fit fairly securely in your ears. While they weren’t specifically designed as sports headphones, they are a great option for this use case. They are also rated IPX5 for water resistance, which is good.
Decent for the office. The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite block a good amount of ambient chatter and they barely leak so you’ll be able to raise your volume without bothering colleagues surrounding you. Unfortunately, the in-ear fit might not be the most comfortable to wear during long periods of time, but since they also have a very short battery, you’ll have to take breaks to recharge them anyway. They also don’t support multi-device pairing, which would have been convenient at the office, and their microphone is mediocre and won’t be ideal for calls in a moderately noisy environment.
Bad for gaming. These truly wireless headphones have too many latency issues to be suitable for gaming. They also have a mediocre integrated microphone and can’t be customized like gaming headsets. Their in-ear fit won’t be great for long gaming sessions as you’ll feel ear soreness quickly, and their 2-hour battery life isn’t long enough.
- 7.0 Mixed Usage
- 7.0 Neutral Sound
- 7.4 Commute/Travel
- 8.0 Sports/Fitness
- 6.6 Office
- 5.1 Wireless Gaming
- 5.1 Wired Gaming
- 6.6 Phone Calls
- Updated Mar 18, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Mar 13, 2019: Review published.
- Updated Mar 11, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Mar 11, 2019: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 09, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Feb 27, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite are decent mixed usage truly wireless earbuds that set themselves apart with their overall good performance for their affordable price, like most Anker products we’ve reviewed so far. Unfortunately, Anker products don’t have any customization options and the Liberty Lite have poor battery life and very high latency. If you are looking for similarly designed headphones, we suggest looking at our recommendations for the best true wireless earbuds. See also our recommendations for the best wireless earbuds under $100 and the best budget wireless headphones.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air Truly Wireless are slightly better truly wireless headphones than the Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless. The Liberty Air have a more comfortable fit, and their audio reproduction is also flatter and more neutral. The Liberty Air also have a longer battery life and a power-saving feature. On the other hand, their glossy and plastic build gives them a cheaper feel than the Liberty Lite. The Liberty Lite also have physical buttons, but you need to push the headphones deeper in your ear to register commands, which doesn’t happen with the touch-sensitive control scheme of the Liberty Air.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless are more versatile headphones than the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless due to their closed-back design. The Anker isolate more ambient noise, which makes them a better option during commuting. Also, their audio reproduction is noticeably better, and their wireless range is excellent. On the other hand, the Apple are better-built headphones and feel sturdier. They also have one of the highest total battery life for truly wireless in-ears and are very comfortable to wear during long listening sessions. The Apple also have noticeably less latency, which is good when watching videos.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless might be the better option for most people over the Jabra Elite 65t Truly Wireless. The Anker have a slightly more neutral sound profile and offer better value than the Jabra. However, with the Jabra, you also have access to an in-app EQ, you get a longer battery life, and you can control the volume directly on the earbuds. If you’re looking for headphones only for your workouts and don’t need long battery life, the Anker are the better, more affordable option. However, if you like EQ’ing your sound and want to switch between your office computer and phone, get the Jabra.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless and the TREBLAB X5 Truly Wireless have very similar audio reproduction, and if you don’t mind the bulky design of the TREBLAB, they might be a better option than the Ankers due to their better battery life and volume control. However, while they feel more comfortable, their build quality feels flimsy and plasticky when compared to the denser Anker. The Anker headphones are also Bluetooth 5.0 compatible if you have a 5.0 source.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless and the Anker Zolo Liberty+ Truly Wireless are practically the same truly wireless headphones, but the SoundCore will be more suited for sports thanks to their better fit and stability. Both have a pretty short battery life, but the Zolo last a bit longer, on top of having an app with a few features. On the other hand, the Zolo are bulkier, but their case holds more additional charges. Overall, these headphones are very similar.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless are better-sounding headphones than the Raycon E100 Truly Wireless. The Anker have a more neutral sound, while the Raycon have a V-shaped profile, with overemphasized bass and treble. However, the Anker battery life is horrible, with only about two hours of continuous playback. The Anker also have more latency than the Raycon.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless are slightly better-performing headphones than the EarFun Free Truly Wireless. Their isolation performance is great and they feel better built than the EarFun. They're also slightly more stable thanks to the stability fin sleeve options and they have a more neutral sound. On the other hand, the EarFun are slightly more comfortable due to their design and they offer more battery life.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless are better performing truly wireless headphones than the TOZO T10 Truly Wireless. The Anker are more comfortable and have a much better-balanced and accurate sound profile. On the other hand, the TOZO have better active features, like wireless charging for the case, slightly longer battery, and an IPX8 rating, though we don't currently test for this.
The Mpow M30 Truly Wireless and the Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite Truly Wireless are two decent pairs of headphones. If volume control is a must for you, go with the Mpow. They're also more comfortable and have a longer battery life, although they still only offer around 4 hours of continuous playback time. On the other side, the Anker have an impressively accurate sound profile and offer marginally better noise isolation performance.
Test Results
The Liberty Lite have an ordinary style for truly wireless earbuds. The buds are small and dense, and don’t protrude too much out of the ears. They are also angled so they fit nicely inside your ears. They come in a low-profile, all-black design. Overall, the plastic used for the earbud housing doesn’t look cheap, which is nice considering their affordable price tag for truly wireless earbuds.
The Liberty Lite aren't the most comfortable in-ears we’ve reviewed. The housing of the earbud can apply a bit of pressure, especially if you have smaller ears. They enter your ear canal deeply, even if they have an angled design. You get a few tip and fin options to help you find the most comfortable fit, but the in-ear design won’t be for everyone. On the upside, the buds are fairly lightweight, but won’t be as comfortable as the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air.
The control scheme of the Liberty Lite is fairly simple and straightforward. Each earbud has only one button. You get common functionalities such as play/pause and call management with a single press. You can skip tracks by holding down the buttons and trigger your device’s voice assistant by double tapping either earbud as well. Unfortunately, you can’t control the volume, and by pushing the buttons you also push the earbuds deeper in your ear, which can be painful, especially on multi-press commands. If you're looking for very small earbuds that still offer volume control, check out the Mpow M30 Truly Wireless.
Like most in-ear headphones, the Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite don’t trap too much heat inside your ear and allow airflow. They're a good option for sports since they won’t make you sweat more than usual.
Truly wireless headphones are always very portable thanks to their small design. You can easily fit the buds inside pockets or a small bag, and they come with an elongated case, which isn’t too bulky and will also fit in pockets.
The Anker Liberty Lite’s case is good. The overall build feels a bit plasticky and flimsy; however, it will protect the headphones against scratches and small impacts. The headphones are held in place thanks to magnets, but significant impacts might make them pop out. On the upside, you have LED indicators that let you know how many charges are left in the case.
The Anker Liberty Lite are well-built truly wireless in-ears, which is great considering their affordable price point. The plastic used doesn’t feel flimsy and the buds seem dense enough to survive a few accidental drops without suffering too much damage. They have a similar design as the SoundPeats TrueFree and their build quality feels about the same. The Liberty Lite are also rated IPX5 for sweat and water resistance, but we don’t test this internally.
The Liberty Lite are stable enough for you to wear during your run and workout without having them pop out of your ears. They have small stability fins that help keep them in place during physical activity, and they come with a few tip and fin size options for you to find the best possible fit. Their truly wireless design also eliminates a cable and the risk of yanking the headphones out of your ears.
- Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite headphones
- 3 fin size options
- 4 tip size options
- Charging case
- Micro-USB charging cable
- Manuals
The frequency response consistency is excellent. If the user can achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, then they should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones.
The bass performance of the SoundCore Liberty Lite is great. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 10Hz, which is excellent for bass-heavy genres like EDM and hip-hop. The whole range is flat and even, and the slight overemphasis should barely be noticeable. Low-bass is slightly overemphasized by about 3dB. This will add a bit of excess thump to the bass, which some people may like. Mid-bass is well balanced and the slight overemphasis in high-bass will add a bit of boominess but will be barely noticeable.
The mid-range of the Liberty Lite is great. The response throughout the range is flat and even, but slightly underemphasized. Vocals and lead instruments will be accurate and detailed, while the 3dB dip in mid-mid will slightly nudge them to the back of the mix.
The treble range is also great. It is well-balanced and high frequencies sound fairly accurate. However, there is a bit of unevenness between 5kHz and 10kHz. Sibilants (S and T sounds) in this range might lack detail from 5kHz to 7kHz, while frequencies from 8kHz to 10kHz may be overly sharp and piercing. However, not everyone will hear this the same way.
The imaging is great. Their weighted group delay is at 0.84, which is okay. The GD graph shows that the group delay response in the mid and treble range is below the audibility threshold, suggesting a transparent mid and treble range. However, the group delay is over the threshold between 30Hz and 110Hz, resulting in a bit of a slow and loose bass in that region, but most people won't notice it.
On the upside, the L/R drivers of our test unit were well-matched in amplitude, frequency, and phase response, which ensures accurate placement and localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects) in the stereo image. It should be noted that these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.
The soundstage of the SoundCore Liberty Lite is poor. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because they have a closed-back design, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless or the Bose SoundSport Free Truly Wireless.
Their noise isolation performance is good. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sit, they achieved about 10dB of isolation which is okay. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they reduce outside noise by over 23dB, which is very good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp S and T sounds and fan noises like A/C systems, they isolate by more than 48dB, which is excellent. They will be a decent option for commuting, especially when playing audio content.
The leakage performance of the Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite is excellent. The significant portion of the leakage is concentrated in a narrow band in the treble range. This results in a leakage that is very thin sounding. The overall level of the leakage is very quiet too. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at around 23dB SPL and peaks at 34dB SPL, which is way below the noise floor of most offices.
The integrated mic has average recording quality for Bluetooth microphones. The LFE of 289Hz results in recorded/transmitted speech that is relatively thin. The HFE of about 3.5kHz is poor and suggests speech that is muffled and lacks detail. Overall, the intelligibility of speech on this microphone will still be decent in quiet environments, though.
The SoundCore Liberty Lite's integrated mic has mediocre noise-handling. In our SpNR test, it achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 10dB, indicating it is best-suited for quiet environments and will struggle to separate speech from ambient noise in moderately loud and loud situations.
The battery life of the Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite is disappointing. We measured just above 2 hours of continuous playback on one charge, which isn’t very long. You also get about 3 extra charges thanks to the case, but they take about 1 hour to charge fully. They also don’t have any power saving features, so if you forget to turn them off or to put them back in the case, they will probably be dead when you pick them back up. For similar headphones with a slightly better battery life and more charges in the case, take a look at the Anker Zolo Liberty+, the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79 Truly Wireless, or the EarFun Free, which also charge via USB-C.
Anker doesn’t have an app, which means you don’t have any EQ or control options for these headphones.
These headphones are only Bluetooth compatible, but they support version 5.0, so you might get better results in overall performance and connection stability if your source supports it as well. Unfortunately, they can’t connect to two devices simultaneously and they don’t support NFC for quicker and easier pairing.
Their latency is too high for watching video content and gaming. When using them, you will notice a delay between the audio and video, which some may find frustrating. However, some apps and devices offer some sort of compensation, so you might not notice it as heavily, but it will still be there.
These truly wireless headphones can’t be used wired.
The Anker SoundCore Liberty Lite come with a case that acts as a charging dock but doesn’t have any inputs. The case holds 3 additional charges and has an LED indicator to show you the amount left.