The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC have been the value king of the wireless earbuds market since launch, and the 2026 firmware updates have only made them better. After a month of daily use, here's our honest assessment of whether they hold up against earbuds costing twice as much.

Noise Cancellation

This is the headline feature. The Liberty 4 NC use adaptive ANC that continuously samples your environment and adjusts cancellation strength up to -50dB. In practice, they remove most of a commute — train rumble, HVAC hum, and office chatter drop dramatically. They're not quite on AirPods Pro or Sony XM5 level, but they're shockingly close for the price.

Sound Quality

Soundcore's signature is a warm, bass-forward tuning, and these deliver. The 11mm drivers produce punchy lows with decent detail, and the companion app's 22-band EQ lets you tune them to taste. Spatial audio works with a head-tracking mode, though it's more a novelty than a daily driver.

LDAC support means Android users get near-lossless audio quality — a feature you usually pay premium prices for.

Battery & Comfort

Battery life is excellent: 8 hours per charge with ANC on (10 without), and 50 hours total with the case. The case charges via USB-C and supports wireless charging. They're also IPX4 water-resistant, so workouts are fine.

Comfort is subjective but strong — the oval ear tips fit securely, and at 5g per bud they're light enough for multi-hour sessions. Call quality is good, with each bud using 6 microphones and an AI algorithm that reduces wind noise.

The Verdict

The Soundcore Liberty 4 NC deliver roughly 90% of the flagship experience — strong ANC, great sound, long battery — at a fraction of the price. They lack the seamless Apple/Android ecosystem integration of premium buds and the absolute best-in-class ANC, but for most people, they're the smartest money you can spend on earbuds in 2026.

Best for: commuters, gym-goers, Android users, and anyone who wants ANC without paying flagship prices. Skip if: you're all-in on the Apple ecosystem (AirPods integrate better) or need best-in-class call quality.