The world of Bluetooth headphones gets a little bit larger every day, and right now, two of the best options are the Anker Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro and the Liberty 2 Pro. While companies like Apple and Samsung may dominate the mainstream market for wireless earbuds, countless smaller brands are also competing in this niche. Some entries are pretty forgettable, others are just fine, and there are some which are truly outstanding. If you can look beyond the AirPods and Galaxy Buds of the world, it's pretty impressive how much competition is out there.
One company that's proven a formidable player in this space is Anker. Anker is most widely known for its charging and battery accessories, but under its Soundcore brand, it's also become a top name for audio gear. In regards to Anker's true wireless earbud offerings, two of the best options right now are the Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro and Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro. Both pairs deliver quality listening experiences for their respective prices, but which one is the better overall buy? Let's take a closer look.
Design-wise, the Liberty 3 Pro and Liberty 2 Pro are quite similar. Both earbud options form a tight in-ear seal, come with wingtips to make that fit as secure as possible, and have a compact charging case with USB-C and Qi wireless charging support. That said, there are a couple of advantages that come with Anker's newer earbuds. Compared to the Liberty 2 Pro, the Liberty 3 Pro are 30 percent smaller and are better at reducing pressure during prolonged listening sessions (Anker credits this to the "air pressure relief structure" in its redesigned wingtips). The Liberty 3 Pro also come in more colors to choose from, including Fog Gray, Midnight Black, Frost White, and Dusk Purple. The Liberty 2 Pro, by comparison, are only available in Black and White.
Why The Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro Are A Better Buy
The advantages of the Liberty 3 Pro become even more apparent in the audio department. To their credit, the Liberty 2 Pro sound very good given their price and age. The 11mm drivers deliver nicely balanced audio and Anker's Astria architecture "completely eliminates interference while producing harmonized treble and bass." The listening experience of the Liberty 2 Pro is very good, but with the Liberty 3 Pro, Anker touts a couple of noteworthy upgrades. Anker says it's improved the dual driver setup for the Liberty 3 Pro — allowing the earbuds to deliver a "wide soundstage [that] is detailed and spacious, bass has a deep punch, mids are luscious, and treble sparkles." Even more important, the Liberty 3 Pro support LDAC files. LDAC is a much higher-quality audio format and is capable of delivering richer, more detailed music. The Liberty 3 Pro also work just fine with AAC and SBC like the Liberty 2 Pro, but the addition of LDAC really helps to set them apart.
Further contributing to the upgraded listening experience is active noise-canceling on the Liberty 3 Pro. Using a system called 'HearID ANC,' the Liberty 3 Pro analyze the wearer's ears and then create a noise-canceling profile tailored specifically for them. Users can also manually set the ANC performance to one of three tiers (Low Noise, Medium Noise, or High Noise), in addition to the Fully Transparent mode to easily hear their surrounding environment. None of this is available on the Liberty 2 Pro. Other advantages of the Liberty 3 Pro include two additional microphones and better noise reduction for improved phone calls, faster charging, and multipoint connection support.
Then, of course, there's the price. The Liberty 3 Pro retail for $169, the Liberty 2 Pro cost $149, and both are frequently on sale (at the time of publication, the Liberty 3 Pro are down to $149 and the Liberty 2 Pro are available for just $99). In most situations, it's probably worth going with the Liberty 3 Pro. They'll be more comfortable after hours of use, charge a bit faster, sound nicer, and have fully-fledged ANC and transparency modes — things completely absent on the Liberty 2 Pro. Budget-minded shoppers who don't care about those things may want to still consider the Liberty 2 Pro if they're heavily discounted, but for folks who can afford to step up to the Liberty 3 Pro, that's the best route to take.
Source: Anker