Anker’s new feature-rich earbuds come in two versions, both with screens on the case, but don’t let the exterior distract you, because the exciting news is under the hood and on your phone.

Anker launches Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max headphones
The earbuds are the same, but some features are different, including a touchscreen on the Max.
Also a new app, a tailor-made chipset for the buds

Anker’s Soundcore has just announced two new pairs of headphones, which are its first products made with its new “Thus” audio chipset. This little component promises to allow its speakers and headphones to benefit from better active noise cancellation, improved on-device audio AI, more precise voice controls and, perhaps most useful, better power efficiency.

Anker also revealed VibeOS, which, despite its title, is not an operating system, but rather the name of its new and improved app, which you’ll use to control your audio gadgets.

VibeOS comes with a huge range of features, and if Anker does it, its devices could be feature-rich gems. Top new choices include an EQ listening test, audio source restoration, sleep management, audio transcription creation, and real-time environmental adaptation of your music.

Free up time for Liberty

The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earphone next to its case and the Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max.

(Image credit: Future)

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and the Liberty 5 Pro Max are Anker’s biggest new products, both equipped with the Thus chip. They follow the “normal” Soundcore Liberty 5, released a year before, but when you read their history you’ll understand why these aren’t the Liberty 6.

In a press conference, Anker did not describe the audio specifications of the Liberty 5 Pro series, but they will likely be similar, if not better, to the original with 9.2mm dynamic driver.

Anker sold the earbuds for their features: They come with eight microphones for better call quality and noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, and an AI voice recording feature for note-taking.

The main appeal of these earbuds – and the distinction between them – is the charging case. Both earbuds get a case with a touchscreen, with the Pro getting a small band and the Pro Max’s case carrying a large screen.

This touchscreen can be used to monitor the battery, change ANC modes, and activate various features. From the sounds of things, it can also be used to enable the aforementioned features, such as setting up the voice recorder to record a meeting.

You can also point to the touchscreen cases for pricing: the Liberty 5 Pro costs £149.99 (around $200, AU$300, exact worldwide pricing TBC) while the Liberty 5 Pro Max costs £199.99 (around $280, AU$400, again worldwide pricing TBC).

So they’re significantly more expensive than the original buds at $129 / £99 / AU$169. We now have the Liberty 5 Pro series to test, to see if it justifies this cost… watch this space.