Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2  Headphones Review

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 have a very similar style to the first generation. Our unit has a nice matte black finish which shouldn't attract as many fingerprints as the previous version's glossy black finish, and they have a small splash of red color on the bottom of the stems. Overall, they look slightly more premium than the first-gen SoundCore Liberty Air. If you don't like the stem design, check out the more earbud-like looking Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro.

The Liberty Air 2 are decently comfortable, though their in-ear fit may not be for everyone. They come with five different silicone tip sizes to help ensure you get the most comfortable fit. If you want a pair of truly wireless headphones that are even more comfortable, check out the Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless, the OnePlus Buds Z Truly Wireless, or the Mpow X3 Truly Wireless.

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2's touch-sensitive control scheme is decent and significantly improved over the previous model. Unfortunately, the headphones only offer four programmable controls which can be customized within the companion app: a double-tap and long hold on each ear. There's no feedback on the touch controls, and you only get audio cues when powering on/off or pairing the headphones. If you prefer physical buttons, check out the more affordable Anker SoundCore Life P2.

Like most in-ear headphones such as the Google Pixel Buds A-Series Truly Wireless and the EarFun Air Pro 2 True Wireless, the Liberty Air 2 don’t trap any heat inside your ear, so you shouldn’t notice a difference in temperature when wearing them. This makes them a good option for sports as you shouldn’t sweat more than usual.

These truly wireless headphones are very small and lightweight and have excellent portability. Their charging case is also on the smaller side and should easily be able to fit into most pockets or bags.

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2's charging case is great. It feels slightly more premium than the previous model thanks to its matte finish, and it now includes wireless charging capabilities that should work with any Qi-enabled charger. It's worth noting that while we don't test this, we tried it on various wireless chargers around the office and found that it seems to be very susceptible to placement on the charging pad, and we had to place it in just the right spot to ensure charging.

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2's build quality is good. Both the earbuds and the case feel less plasticky and slightly more premium than the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air. The case feels sturdy enough, with a good quality hinge that doesn't feel wobbly or loose, and overall it should be able to withstand a few drops or bumps without sustaining damage. The headphones are also rated IPX5 for sweat and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this.

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 feel quite stable in your ear once you find the proper fit with the included tips. Like the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro Truly Wireless, once you achieve a decent seal, the buds should likely stay in your ear even during runs or light workouts. Unfortunately, they don't have optional stability fins, which would help improve this even further.

• Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 headphones
• 5 tip sizes
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 have a fairly well-balanced sound profile that's slightly bass-heavy but without the bass being too over-powering. Unfortunately, their mid-range is slightly recessed, which may push leads and vocals to the back of the mix. Overall, these headphones will likely please fans of thumpy bass, though they should be versatile enough for most genres. They also have a companion app with a ton of available presets, so you can pick the one that best suits your personal preference.

The frequency response consistency is outstanding. They deliver audio more consistently than the TaoTronics SoundLiberty 95 Truly Wireless, and once you achieve a proper fit and seal with the included tips, you'll likely get consistent bass and treble response every time you use them.

The Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2's bass accuracy is excellent. They're slightly overemphasized in the low-bass range which will give a bit of thump and should please fans of dubstep or EDM. The rest of the range evens out a bit more, giving them a deep, well-balanced, and punchy bass response that shouldn't sound muddy or boomy.

The Liberty Air 2's mid accuracy is good. While this range is mostly flat, unfortunately it's underemphasized throughout the entire frequency range. This results in leads and vocals that may sound slightly distant, weak, and pushed back in the mix.

The Liberty Air 2's treble accuracy is excellent. They follow our target curve fairly well and while they're slightly over-emphasized in the upper mid-treble range, they shouldn't sound too harsh or piercing.

The peaks and dips performance is great. They're reasonably well-balanced and stay fairly flat throughout all frequency ranges. However, there's a bit of a dip throughout the entire mid-range, which may make leads and vocals sound ever so slightly weak and distant. There are also two peaks in the treble range, though these are in high enough frequencies that they likely won't be too audible for most people.

The Liberty Air 2's stereo imaging is excellent. The group delay is below the audibility threshold for the entire range, ensuring a tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. Also, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched. This is important for the accurate placement and localization of objects (like voices or footsteps) in the stereo image. These results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

Like all closed-back in-ear headphones, their soundstage is poor. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it.

The Liberty Air 2's weighted harmonic distortion is very good. All frequencies fall within very good limits, which should result in a clear and pure audio reproduction.

The Liberty Air 2's noise isolation performance is quite good. They can passively isolate against more background noise than some headphones that have an ANC feature, like the Skullcandy Indy ANC True Wireless or Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro. Assuming you've got a proper seal with the included tips, they do a great job at blocking out background chatter, making them a good choice for the office. Unfortunately, they do a sub-par job at blocking out the rumble of a bus or plane engine.

The Liberty Air 2's leakage performance is outstanding. They leak almost no audio, and shouldn't bother those around you.

The microphone recording quality on the Liberty Air 2 is passable. Like most Bluetooth headphones, the speech recorded with this microphone will sound muffled and lacking in detail.

The microphone's noise handling is fair and it performs better than the Shokz OpenRun Pro Bone Conduction's mic. If you're taking a call from a busy street, background noise is present as you speak, but your speech is still intelligible. Loud sounds like a train pulling into the station can overpower your voice though.

The Liberty Air 2's battery life is mediocre overall, but good for truly wireless headphones. Their continuous battery life is on the longer side, and their overall battery life of nearly 26 hours is very good. You can also charge one earbud while listening to the other. That being said, if you want headphones with an even longer continuous battery life, check out the Boltune BT-BH024 Truly Wireless or the Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless.

Update 01/17/2020: We previously incorrectly stated that the case provided an additional five charges, when it actually provides three, resulting in shorter total battery life than originally claimed. The review has been updated to reflect these changes.

Update 01/17/2020: Upon updating the Anker Soundcore app we've found that Anker has added an 8-band Graphic EQ. The review has been updated to reflect this.

The Liberty Air 2's dedicated companion app is good. It offers 20 EQ presets as well as an 8-band graphic EQ to fully customize your sound profile. The app also contains Anker's HearID feature, which creates an EQ personally for you. While we don't officially test this, we tried it in the office and found it didn't make much of a difference. If you want wireless in-ears with a more impressive custom personalized EQ, check out the Nura Nuraloop Wireless. The Anker Soundcore app also allows you to button-map the four available touch-sensitive buttons. If you'd rather something with EQ presets built directly into the earbuds, consider the JLab Audio JBuds Air Executive Truly Wireless.

Update 09/09/2021: We now measure negative latency values in test bench 1.5 and have extended our scoring curve accordingly. Negative latency means that your audio comes before your visuals. Previous to this test bench, we gave a score of 0ms when the value was negative. However, using test bench 1.5, we measured -2ms on iOS and 8ms on Android. These headphones still have a good latency value, though, as a good value falls between -55ms to 150ms. You also shouldn't notice a delay in audio or visuals. However, the scoring of this box has changed from 7.0 to 7.3 to reflect these changes.

The Anker Liberty Air 2 are Bluetooth-only truly wireless headphones. Unlike the first generation, these headphones now support aptX, which is a nice addition. They have high latency using aptX codec, but their latency is much lower on Android and iOS devices, which is nice if you like to stream video. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary.

Note: Unfortunately, our Bluetooth dongle encountered issues and we were unable to test their SBC latency. Considering how slightly high their aptX latency is, we'd expect their SBC performance to be slightly worse, and they likely aren't a good option for watching video content. We'll update this score when we can properly test latency. If you want more gaming-oriented truly wireless headphones, check out the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless.

These headphones are Bluetooth-only.

These truly wireless headphones are Bluetooth-only. Their charging case charges via USB-C, and a 1.9ft cable is included.

These Bluetooth-only headphones aren't compatible with the Xbox One.

The case holds three additional charges. It supports charging via USB-C and wireless Qi charging, which is a nice addition at this price point.