ANKER’s audio sub-brand soundcore has launched the Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max earbuds as part of its new lineup which features the new in-house “Thus” processor specialized in AI processing to improve noise isolation and ANC performance.
soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Series
The headlining feature of soundcore’s new Liberty 5 Pro series is the aforementioned AI processor, which uses Compute-In-Memory (CIM) architecture to boost AI (matrix) compute power by 150x over conventional designs found in the previous generation. In other words, it’s got plenty more computational power to tackle the complicated art of noise isolation in calls and ANC (8 MEMS microphones plus 2 bone conduction sensors helps in that regard, too).
As a matter of fact, soundcore announced that the Liberty 5 Pro series has received a Guinness World Records certification last month for the “Highest speech quality score (G-MOS) for TWS earbuds (objective test).” On top of that, the earbuds were also tested under the ETSI TS 103 106 speech quality standard, where the company claims both achieve “excellent voice clarity and good noise suppression against several global flagship competitors in simulated noisy environments.” The ANC is claimed to be twice as strong compared to last-gen, and just edging out the leading competitor in its claims.
In addition, the earbuds support on-device voice controls that do not rely on external servers or continuous internet connectivity. The benefits are two-fold, soundcore says – along with the privacy benefits of relying exclusively on onboard processing, this is also faster latency-wise so you don’t have to wait for a second or two to let the earbuds talk to the server (and vice versa) to get a response.
The higher-end Liberty 5 Pro Max model introduces additional productivity-focused features including AI Note Taker functionality, which can record, transcribe and summarize meetings, lectures and interviews in real time. The feature supports syncing across iOS, Android, PC and Mac devices through the soundcore app. On top of that, the model also includes a 1.78-inch AMOLED touchscreen on its charging case that provides access to voice recording functions, ANC controls, earbud settings and wallpaper customization (the standard Pro model still features a screen, albeit smaller).
For audio playback, the Liberty 5 Pro series uses multiple AI models to “optimize sound output in real time to deliver richer vocals, deeper bass, enhanced detail, and a more immersive listening experience across music, movies, gaming, and calls.” We suppose having a dedicated EQ (which you can find in the soundcore app) is still better than letting AI do the guesswork if you’re particularly picky about how songs should sound like.
The soundcore Liberty 5 Pro (available in Midnight Black, Pearl White, Rose Gold, Pearl Blue option) is priced at RM699, while the Liberty 5 Pro Max (in Midnight Black and Titanium Gold colors) is priced at RM899 in Malaysia; both models are now available through Anker Innovations’ retail store at IOI City Mall.
Pokdepinion: Wonder how good its ANC would be?
