The Liberty Air 2 Pro costs $129 and boasts multi-mode active noise canceling. It comes in a choice of four colors, and Anker claims it will last up to seven hours on a charge. Meanwhile, competitors like the AirPods Pro retail for $249, while Google’s Pixel Buds cost $179. “We wanted to tackle a new challenge—noise,” Anker Innovation CEO Steven Yang told a news conference at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show to announce the new earbuds. “We live in a loud world. Active noise canceling has become a must-have feature for headphones.”
Sleek and Colorful
The Liberty Air 2 Pro is a slick-looking set of earbuds. It’s slightly chunkier than Apple’s AirPods, but still slim enough to be something you’d want to put in your ears. It comes in a choice of Onyx Black, Titanium White, Sapphire Blue, and Crystal Pink, unlike the AirPods, which come in any color you want as long as it’s white. The most exciting feature of the Liberty Air 2 Pro is the ability to change between three noise cancellation modes, including Transport mode, to block out low-frequency noises from airplanes, trains, or city buses. There’s also Outdoor mode, which uses a less powerful ANC setting, but wider bandwidth, to block out street noise. Lastly. there’s Indoor mode, which primarily reduces mid-range frequencies to help block out voices commonly found in an office or café. The Liberty Air 2 Pro also features Transparency mode with two different settings. Mode 1 is for total transparency, which helps enhance all ambient sounds. This setting is intended for runners and bicyclists that need to hear noises around them on a city street safely. The second transparency mode focuses on vocals to enhance voices in the immediate vicinity, while simultaneously reducing background noise. This mode is ideal for users waiting for a flight or a bus, but who still need to hear announcements from a P.A. speaker or flight attendant. The review site Soundguys reviewed the previous version, the Liberty 2 Pros, and had mostly good things to say, though your mileage may vary for this current version. The reviewers got a half-hour more than the claimed eight hours of battery life on the earlier version, which we hope means we’ll see the same kind of performance from the Liberty Air 2 Pros.
Sound Quality is Great, Reviewer Says
The sound quality of the Liberty 2 Pros was excellent, according to reviewer Adam Molina. “They have a very consumer-friendly sound, meaning that lower notes are more heavily emphasized than notes in the mids or highs,” he wrote. David Carnoy wrote in a review at c|net that the previous version was a little harsh on the treble in some conditions but said, “This is a warmer headphone, with plump, punchy bass and good detail without overemphasizing the treble,” about the Liberty Air 2 Pros. For making voice or video calls, the new earbuds have six microphones and a noise reduction system. Additionally, they have a Sidetone feature that wasn’t available in the Liberty 2 Pros which allows you to hear your own voice when you’re speaking, which can help prevent speaking too loudly during calls. With its choice of colors and different noise-canceling settings, the Air 2 Pros are all about customization. Anker didn’t fall down in the software department either when setting these earbuds the way you would like. The Soundcore app also allows you to take control of the EQ and provides 22 preset profiles. The earbuds also come with nine sets of silicone ear tips, ranging in size to ensure a proper fit. I’d love to get a pair of Apple’s AirPods Pro, but I’ve been holding back because of the price. I tend to lose things, and at more than $200, the iconic white buds seem just a little too pricey for something that could slip out of my pocket. But Anker’s latest seems like a great deal for a decent pair of active noise-canceling earbuds at a reasonable price. Want more? See all our coverage of CES 2021 right here. Update 01/15/21: A previous version of this post referred to Liberty Air 2 Pro incorrectly. This has been corrected.
