TWS true wireless earphones - under $50
FOUR STARS - It may be an Amazon bestseller for cheap wireless earphones, but the Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo shows its age in the middle of 2020.
Specs of the Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo:
Bluetooth 5.0
IPX7 waterproof (heavy rain and sweat resistant)
4,5 hours listening on a full charge
Charging case can charge earpieces fully 4 times
Comes with 4 sizes of ear tips, 4 sizes of sport-wings and micro-USB cable
$40 on Amazon US, Amazon Germany or other Amazon stores - check price!
Below this Soundcore Liberty Neo review, you will find comparisons of Soundcore Liberty Neo vs Soundcore Life P2, SoundPEATS TrueDot, QCY T5, and Mpow M30.
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Design, comfort and battery life
After releasing many popular Bluetooth speakers, the Soundcore Liberty Neo was the first low-budget TWS true wireless earphones by Anker, released in 2019. A lot has happened since then: charging cases became more compact, earpieces become more comfortable, and earphones improved on call quality, video playback, and sound quality.
Soundcore has been doing one thing especially great since its release in 2019 and later models like the Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro and the Soundcore Liberty Air 2: presentation.
Mid-2020, the charging case of the Soundcore Neo still looks decent with its dark blue-sparkly design - and with its bright LED-charging indication lights, covered-up micro-USB port, and sturdy lid. It can recharge the earpieces up to four times fully. However, the case is quite heavy and large, especially since the earpieces swim in space on the inside.
More so than the case, the earpieces show their age. They may be advertised as ultra-compact, but the earpieces are surprisingly big and fill up your ears - due to the big bulb on the inside and the sport-wings you can pull around the earpieces. Happily, the Liberty Neo comes with four sizes of sport-wings (from none to XL), so you should at least find a fit that you will get used to soon. The sport-wings make them stay securely in your ears, making these suitable for sporting.
Mind you - there are much bigger earbuds on the market - but the Liberty Neo just isn't as small as it looks.
Mid-2020, 4,5 hours of playtime on a single charge isn't a groundbreaking score. The IPX7 waterproof rating further makes them suitable for working out, however.
Connectivity and controls
The Soundcore Liberty Neo has physical buttons, in the center of the earpieces. With a single click, you play/ pause the sound. Long-press the right earpiece to skip a song, long-press the left one to return a track. With two pushes, you activate the voice assistant on your phone.
It isn't possible to change the volume on the Liberty Neo. Because the Liberty Neo doesn't support (the wonderful) Soundcore app, it's also impossible to alter the controls. It's a miss on earphones with sport-wings, because your phone volume rockers are often out of reach when you're exercising.
Connectivity on the Liberty Neo is solid. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection is reliable up to ten meters from your device. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to switch seemlessly between mono and stereo mode.
Calling and watching movies with Liberty Neo
Soundcore has a solid reputation of implementing good call quality in their earphones, and even on these earphones without stems, it's doable to have a phone call.
Outside, darker surrounding noises are suppressed well from the likes of accelerating vehicles, passing traffic, and background noise. Brighter sounds, including voices around you, do come through sharp in your call, however. Wind noises also are a fierce competitor for the call quality. Your voice could sound louder, but it's still doable to have a phone call in a quieter area.
Watching videos isn't the best part of the Soundcore Liberty Neo, at least when you have an iPhone. There is a mismatch between audio and video playback on the YouTube-app on it. Video playback works flawlessly on Android. As with almost all wireless earphones, there is a noticeable delay in sound effects when playing games.
Also read: The best true wireless earphones under $50
Sound quality of Soundcore Liberty Neo
The Liberty Neo is the cheapest TWS within Soundcore's lineup, but it still sounds good for the price. It's just... that music is a bit dry.
Other Soundcore wireless earbuds present their sound with a heavily boosted bass - a sound you can expect from the brand, in both their earphones and Bluetooth speakers. The $120 Liberty 2 Pro has a thick one, and can even be intensified via the app. The $100 Liberty Air 2 behaves a bit more, but it is still well-represented in the bass-section - and the $60 Soundcore Life P2 is all about the bass - almost forgetting other aspects of the sound.
Now, the Liberty Neo does have a decent mid-bass slam, which gives a steady thump in especially more modern music genres such as dance, pop, and hip-hop. Yet, it doesn't go as deep as on the other Soundcore models. It can rumble at times, but it doesn't reach the darkest tones, the deepest depths.
Moving up in the frequencies, there's a fair amount of lower-mids such as drums and darker electronic tones, although they don't quite reach that juicy thickness. Upper-mids and vocals sound forward, with clear-sounding female and higher-pitched male vocals. Their emphasis can get close to harshness, but the Neo rarely becomes too bright or harsh. Individual instruments such as guitars, pianos, and violins can sound pretty articulated on the Liberty, but the sound always has a bit of un artificial undertone.
When it all comes together, the Neo can't quite grasp the individual frequencies' presence and detail. The average soundstage fills itself with all sound, and upper-mids and highs get a bit of hiss over them - the main reason the music can be a bit dry.
Even though the sound could be more dynamic; with its forward vocals and engaging mid-bass-slam, the Soundcore Liberty Neo still sounds good for the price, mid-2020.
Soundcore Liberty Neo comparisons
Soundcore Liberty Neo vs Soundcore Life P2
If you're looking for the cheapest Soundcore earphones, the Life P2 should cross your mind. It has a better battery life - around 6 hours instead of 4,5, and also makes phone calls more pleasant. Soundwise, these are different beasts. The Life P2 boosts bass and lower-mids heavily, making the lows sound thicker and juicy, but mid-tones and vocals can be a bit recessed. The Liberty Neo has a more balanced sound, with still an engaging mid-bass slam, but more emphasis and detail in the mid-tones and vocals.
Soundcore Liberty Neo vs Mpow M30
The Mpow M30 is another pair of $40 wireless earphones with rubber sport-wings around the earpieces. Their earbuds are smaller and rounder on the inside and the wings are more flexible, making them more comfortable than the Neo. Both can go really loud, but the M30 has volume controls. The Soundcore has a thicker bass and sounds more balanced. The Mpow M30 is lighter on lower-mids but extends highs further, and its bass can go deeper - creating an airy, engaging sound that works great for sporting. The M30 holds better in crowded musical pieces, where the Neo starts to give in to details.
Soundcore Liberty Neo vs SoundPEATS TrueDot
Entry-level SoundPEATS or Soundcore? Go for the TrueDot. It not only has a stronger bass - it's also more textured and refined in the lows. Both instruments and vocals sound more natural and detailed on the TrueDot. It's also easier to place instruments around you. The earpieces and case are also more compact, making the TrueDot more pocketable. The Liberty Neo throws in better battery life, better call quality, and sport-wings, but the TrueDot has a clear sound advantage.
Soundcore Liberty Neo vs QCY T5
Are you looking for a balanced sound without spending too much? The QCY T5 has a smaller part that goes into your ears and is more comfortable than the Liberty Neo. Call quality-wise, both fare better indoors than outside, but the T5 has better video playback because of its special low-latency gaming mode. Both the T5 and Neo have an emphasis on upper-mids and highs in the sound, but the T5 presents them with more warmth, and they keep their tonality better in more crowded music pieces. Lower-mids have more weight and detail as well. The Liberty Neo has a stronger mid-bass; the T5 presents music more smoothly.
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Verdict
In the middle of 2020, the Amazon bestselling Soundcore Liberty Neo is still a good sounding pair of affordable earphones, but you can do better on all aspects.
Four stars - very good
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I bought the Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo myself for testing and review purposes. My reviews are 100% independent and non-commercial. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
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