Anker's audio hardware brand Soundcore has expanded its Liberty lineup of wireless earbuds with a new feature-packed model aimed at productivity nerds.
Armed with a powerful new AI processor, the Liberty 5 Pro Max buds go beyond playing audio, and also listen in on your in-person meetings. They can then transcribe them – complete with timestamps, highlight points, and labels for each person speaking – and provide you with a summary.
That should come in handy for people who frequently collaborate across teams or see a lot of clients. And I should be clear: it's not the buds that do the recording, but rather the charging case. And that's worth a look in itself.
The chubby squircular case has a 1.78-inch AMOLED touchscreen that you can use to control the buds' various functions without reaching for your phone. It also visually indicates when it's recording, so you're never in doubt as to whether it's on the job. You can also mark highlights during your meeting for easy reference by pushing a button on the case, just like on full-featured note-taker devices like the Plaud Note or HiDock P1.
Transcription works in 154 languages, and happens over the cloud. That might not be ideal if you work in a security-sensitive industry, but Anker says you have full control over your data and can delete recordings and transcriptions from its servers via a web interface anytime.
It's worth noting these aren't the first-ever buds to include note-taking in their feature set. The Mobvoi Ticnote Pods that launched in March do this too, and with a 4G connection at that for $299.
Beyond that, the Liberty 5 Pro Max buds promise "2x deeper noise cancellation" than the previous-gen model, which I've owned. The Liberty 4 line was already pretty strong, but Soundcore says you can expect these to additionally drown out low-frequency rumbles and ambient voices.
9.2-mm wool-paper diaphragm drivers handle audio reproduction in regular and LDAC Hi-Res modes. They're aided by AI-powered enhancement over Bluetooth connections, as well as Soundcore's HearID EQ personalization tool that can have a profound effect on the way your content sounds.
These buds can also translate speech in real time so you can understand what someone speaking to you is saying. They also get Bluetooth 6.1 which should allow for a stable connection, and Multipoint for pairing with up to three devices simultaneously. Plus, you can track these down using Apple's Find My service.
The 5 Pro Max should get you about 6.5 hours of playback time with ANC engaged; the case will keep the music going for a total of 28 hours, and a 5-minute charge is enough for four hours on the move. Another thing I like the sound of is the use of its AI chip for responding to 20 preset voice commands in under a second each, unlike bloated models like Alexa.
Soundcore also claims these buds literally hold a Guinness World Record for call clarity. This video demonstrating what your voice would sound like on a call didn't really blow me away – but the 10-mic array does an impressive job of quieting ambient sounds and other voices while you chat.
The Liberty 5 Pro Max buds are available from today for US$229.99, which isn't cheap – and that doesn't include the cost of the recurring subscription required for transcription. However, the hardware pricing isn't bad when you consider it doubles as a full-fat AI note-taker.
If subscriptions are similar to Soundcore's Work note-taking device, you're looking at roughly $100 a month for 1,200 minutes of transcription, or $240 for unlimited minutes. That's a bit cheaper than Mobvoi's $119/$299 annual subscriptions, but not by much. Given that AI enthusiasts are already spending about $240 a year on other AI services like Claude with many more capabilities, I'd say that pricing is awfully steep.
Check out the Liberty 5 Pro Max – as well as the $170 Liberty 5 Pro, which has a smaller screen and skips the note-taking, but retains the higher-end model's ANC and audio chops – on Soundcore's site, Amazon, or Best Buy.
Source: GlobeNewsWire
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