Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Beats AirPods on Calls, Cost

Hundreds of earbuds and 20 years of reviewing should lead to one boring truth: most buyers should stop chasing the “best” earbuds and buy the pair that solves the most daily annoyances with the least friction. Right now, that pair is the $169.99 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro, according to The Verge.

The Verge’s reviewer has tested hundreds of earbuds across Wirecutter, Reviewed, Digital Trends, IGN, and The Verge. His current rotation is three pairs: Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro, Apple AirPods Pro 3, and Beats Powerbeats Fit. My read is simple: the Soundcore buds are the strongest one-pair answer for normal people, even if the AirPods remain the easiest choice for Apple loyalists and the Beats are better built for sweat.

$169.99 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro should be the default pick after hundreds of tests

The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro make the best case because they attack the largest set of real problems: calls, noise, fit, sound, and price. The Verge gives them a Score: 8, with pros including “Incredible call quality,” “Great ANC,” and a “Useful case screen.” The main con is also telling: the “Default sound profile needs tweaking.”

That’s a fixable problem. The reviewer says the bass is too high out of the box, muddying vocals and muffling snare hits, but the Soundcore app lets users fine-tune the frequency response. Once adjusted, the sound quality is “really good.”

Here’s the practical comparison:

The source ultimately calls Soundcore the cheapest of the bunch, though the Beats purchase links shown dip to nearly the same price. That nuance matters. So does this: the Soundcore buds are the pair the reviewer says he’d choose if forced to pick one.

Call quality exposes the feature premium earbuds still underplay

The most damning detail for the rest of the category isn’t codec support or case design. It’s this line:

“I’ve never heard earbuds that block out as much ambient noise, allowing me to sound clear on my calls and in meetings.”

That’s the feature people feel every day. Not in a lab. Not in a chart. In meetings, on sidewalks, in messy houses, and during work calls where background noise makes you sound less prepared than you are.

The Verge reviewer says the Liberty 5 Pro blocked a nearby family parrot and Los Angeles traffic so well that people on calls didn’t believe how much noise surrounded him. That’s not a spec flex. That changes where you can work.

Yes, the earbuds also support LDAC with supported devices, include AI translation through the Soundcore app, offer voice controls, and ship with a 0.96-inch TFT touchscreen case with wireless charging. Fine. Those are extras.

Clear speech is the core product. If your daily tech pain is looking and sounding professional on video calls, that same buying discipline applies beyond earbuds. XOOMAR’s Best Tablets for Video Calls That Won’t Embarrass You is the adjacent problem: stop buying for the feature sheet and start buying for the moment that keeps failing.

AirPods Pro 3 own Apple convenience, but convenience is not the same as value

The AirPods Pro 3 are still excellent. The Verge gives them a Score: 9, and the listed pros are stacked: improved ANC and sound, longer battery, standalone workout tracking, live translation, same price, IP57, better fit, and a handy camera remote control.

If you live across iPhone, iPad, and MacBook, Apple’s advantage is obvious. The reviewer says he can take the AirPods out of the case, open an iPad to watch HBO Max or the Dropout app, and the earbuds switch over with a pop-up notification. That kind of handoff is why people stay inside Apple’s orbit.

They also bring Find My, a hearing test, magnetic wireless charging, live translation on supported iPhones, and a heart rate sensor that integrates with the iOS Fitness app. The ANC remains among the best available, and the reviewer says the AirPods sound a bit better than the Soundcore, though not by a drastic margin.

But here’s where Apple loses the argument for me: a $249 earbud should not make a runner think about fit. The reviewer says the AirPods Pro 3 improved fit over the Pro 2, but a light jog or run still makes them work their way out of his ears. He also dislikes the stem design because track changes, volume adjustments, and ANC mode switches can jostle the buds loose.

Apple wins polish. Soundcore wins daily utility per dollar. Those aren’t the same contest.

Powerbeats Fit prove workout earbuds need grip before gimmicks

The Beats Powerbeats Fit are the cleanest reminder that workout earbuds should do one job first: stay in your ears. The Verge gives them a Score: 8, with “Excellent, secure fit,” “Solid sound,” and “Good ANC and transparency.”

The wingtip design is the story. The reviewer says he never worries about them falling out, and they remain comfortable through workouts. Their in-ear design also avoids interfering with sunglasses, which he prefers over the ear hooks of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

That’s why the Powerbeats Fit beat the AirPods Pro 3 for exercise in this rotation. The AirPods have more Apple polish. The Beats have more physical confidence.

The tradeoffs are real. The IPX4 rating is only adequate compared with the AirPods Pro 3’s IP57 and Soundcore’s IP55. The case lacks wireless charging. The H1 chip limits some Apple features. Still, for workouts, grip beats status. Comfort beats sensors. Confidence beats a marginal sound advantage.

Three pairs make sense for reviewers, not for most buyers

The counterargument deserves respect: one pair of earbuds can’t be perfect everywhere. The Verge reviewer uses Soundcore for everyday calls and listening, AirPods Pro 3 when Apple device switching matters, and Powerbeats Fit for workouts. That’s rational if earbuds constantly enter and leave your life.

A related buying philosophy also appears in the supplied CNET context, which argues for three audio categories: everyday earbuds, luxury over-ear headphones, and dedicated workout headphones. The logic is sound. Different jobs punish different compromises.

But most buyers don’t want three $200-ish products. They want one pair that won’t make them regret the purchase on Tuesday afternoon. Apple loyalists may reasonably choose AirPods Pro 3 because the convenience is hard to give up. Runners may need Beats. Android users may care more about cross-platform support.

The normal buyer should start with the worst daily failure. If that’s battery drain across your mobile kit rather than earbuds, our Battery Drain Exposes the Best Phones for Hotspot Use makes the same practical point: buy around the bottleneck you actually hit.

Buy earbuds for the annoyance that ruins your day

Don’t buy earbuds for the flashiest feature. Buy them for the thing that keeps irritating you.

If your calls sound bad, prioritize microphone and noise rejection. If flights or traffic wear you down, prioritize ANC. If your earbuds slip during runs, buy something with a wingtip or hook. If you live inside Apple devices and hate Bluetooth fiddling, AirPods Pro 3 still make sense.

For most people choosing one pair, I’d pick the Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro. They balance price, ANC, secure fit, adjustable sound, useful extras, and unusually strong call quality better than the other two in this comparison.

Earbuds don’t need to win every lab test. They need to disappear into your day, until the moment you realize you can’t go back to the pair that made every call, commute, or workout slightly worse.

Key Takeaways

• The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro stand out as the most practical all-around pick at $169.99.
• AirPods Pro 3 may still be the smoother choice for Apple users despite fit concerns for runners.
• Beats Powerbeats Fit are better suited to workouts, but their IPX4 rating and missing wireless charging are tradeoffs.