Anker’s new feature-packed earphones come in two variants, both with screens on the cover – but don’t be distracted by the outside, because the exciting news is under the hood and on your phone

Anker launches Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max earphones
The earphones are the same, but some of the features are different, including a touch screen on the Max
Also new app, custom chipset for the buds

Anker’s Soundcore has just announced two new pairs of earphones, which are its first products made with their new ‘Thus’ audio chipset. This little component promises to enable its speakers and headphones to enjoy better active noise cancellation, improved audio AI on the device, more accurate voice control and, perhaps most usefully, better power efficiency.

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

VibeOS is set to have a huge range of features, and if Anker delivers, its devices could be feature-packed gems. Top new choices include an EQ listening test, audio source recovery, sleep management, audio transcription creation, and real-time environment matching for your music.

Free up some time for Freedom

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

(Image credit: Future)

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are the bigger new releases from Anker, both carrying the Thus chip. They follow the ‘normal’ Soundcore Liberty 5, released a year before, but when you read about them you will understand why they are not Liberty 6.

At a press briefing, Anker didn’t detail the audio specs for the Liberty 5 Pro series, but they’ll likely be similar or better than the 9.2mm dynamic driver-toting original.

Anker sold the buds on their features: they’re set to have eight microphones for improved call quality and noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos spatial audio with head tracking, and an AI voice recorder function for taking notes.

The main feature of these earphones – and the difference between them – is the charging case. Both buds get a case with a touchscreen, with the Pro getting a small strip and the Pro Max’s case with a large display.

This touchscreen can be used to monitor the battery, change ANC modes and toggle a variety of functions. By the sounds of things, it can also be used to switch between the aforementioned functions, perhaps like configuring the voice recorder to record a meeting.

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

So they are noticeably more expensive than the original buds at $129 / £99 / AU$169. We have the Liberty 5 Pro series for testing now, to see if they justify that price… see here.