Before the official launch of the second generation of Apple AirPods Pro, it was rumored that new functions such as heart rate monitoring would be added, so that the headset can also become one of the health tracking devices. Of course everyone knows today that it didn’t happen, but Soundcore, a subsidiary of the battery manufacturer Anker, took the lead to make this idea come true. At the same time, they also made their latest Liberty 4 true wireless earphones equipped with many very similar functions and designs, for everyone to compare. A more playful option for official accessories.
Appearance design, wearing feeling
The concept of Soundcore Liberty 4 is the same as other true wireless earphones that pay homage to AirPods Pro in the market. It uses white as the main color of the body, and in order to avoid suspicion, the small pole is separated from the earphone cavity, and the shape is a thicker cone. Shape and unique glossy veneer, but the shadow already has an 87% likeness. What is more advanced than other opponents is that Soundcore adds push gestures to it, allowing users to control playback and switch ANC modes by pinching the small lever.
The more thoughtful thing is the charging portable box. You can see the whole picture of the earphones when you push the cover open, and the white LED will light up. Although it does not have the UV disinfection function like LG, it is still a cool design. The box supports USB-C and Qi wireless charging specifications. After the earphones are fully charged, they can be used for 9 hours. Even the portable box has a total of 28 hours. The number is not surprising. I thought Anker would have some magical battery technology that could be released.
Going back to the headphone body, there are no obvious speaker openings or sensors on the body, which is more complete than AirPods Pro. However, there is only a small black spot on the belly of the left earphone for heart rate monitoring. Students who pursue aesthetics may be happy. What’s even better is that it still has a wearing sensor, which has the ability to automatically pause playback, which helps to extend battery life.
Liberty 4 weighs 6g per side, and comes with 4 sizes of ear gels in the box. Although the appearance is an ordinary round umbrella-shaped design, the catheter part is in the shape of a pill, so users can only use the original ones. Fortunately, the texture of the ear gel is soft and comfortable to wear. After taking it apart, you will see a glittering golden filter inside the transparent tube, showing the upper and lower sets of sound holes. This is also the ACAA 3.0 coaxial dual moving coil structure technology that Soundcore is proud of.
Special feature
For true wireless earphones, the Liberty 4 has a lot of features, let’s talk about the main heart rate sensor first. In the exclusive Soundcore app, there will be a “Soundcore Health” column. After clicking on it, it will be a health tracking app interface, with functions such as weekly activities, starting training, heart rate, stress and posture health. I thought it was in another app. The heart rate data is similar to my Apple Watch, and the accuracy is not a problem. Interestingly, this heart rate monitoring technology ActivHearts is from WBD101 company in Hong Kong. One of the functions is to analyze the stress index through the heart rate data.
The only training item in the Soundcore app is running. It will preset the target heart rate zone and have voice prompts to help users reach the target. It is not bad for the app that comes with headphones. It’s just that Apple Health and Google Fit have more options for training content today, and the popularity of sports bracelets and smart watches is quite high. I really didn’t think why I would open this app to track performance.
On the contrary, there is a posture health function that Soundcore does not specifically emphasize, which is more practical and unique in this app. After correcting the position for the first time, the app will use the accelerometer in Liberty 4 to calculate the head position, and calculate whether the user has become a head-down group. A report quoted a doctor as saying that under normal circumstances, the cervical spine only bears 12 pounds, but the more the head droops, the pressure on the cervical spine will be multiplied, which will have serious effects in the long run. Because the posture health function of Soundcore can make the user lower his head to play with the mobile phone for too long, he will know how to make a reminder sound in the earphone, so that the user can raise his head at the right time to relieve stress.
As a headset’s job, Liberty 4 has preset EQ, 3D spatial sound effects, and HearID ANC that automatically adjusts the intensity by analyzing the ear canal and ambient sound. 3D spatial sound effect is a special function that has been common in high-end headphones in recent years. It gives users a wider sound field and even a sense of dynamic immersion, especially when watching movies. Spatial sound on the Liberty 4 has two modes, fixed direction and tracking head movement, and the effect is obvious.
The strange thing is that HearID ANC needs to analyze the ambient sound first when using it. However, it cannot be used in places that are too quiet (at home) or too noisy (on the bus). Finally, it is successfully analyzed on the street with few people. After a lot of tossing, the ANC effect on the isolation of human voice is still average, and there is no expected sense of tranquility.
sense of hearing
The editor used the default EQ and LDAC connection mode to play Apple Music’s lossless compressed music on the Galaxy Fold 4. The sound of the Liberty 4 is a bit machine-like, but the low-frequency dynamics are desirable, which is worthy of the dual dynamic unit design. When recording with WhatsApp in the absence of a mask and in a quiet home, Liberty 4’s sound pickup performance is good, and the other party can have a clear playback effect.
Summarize
The Soundcore Liberty 4, which is full of fun features, is a true wireless headset with only HK$1,299 / NT$4,990, which is enough to attract consumers who do not see Apple AirPods Pro 2 on a budget, or hold Android devices. Of course, there are many competing products with similar prices, but Liberty 4 can at least give a little more freshness in the red sea of true wireless earphones with sound and design that are close to thousands of rounds.