Liberty 5 Pro Max - headphones with integrated AI recording on the box

Liberty 5 Pro Max - headphones with integrated AI recording on the box

Introduced in Vietnam in mid-June by Soundcore, a sub-brand of Anker Innovations (China), Liberty 5 Pro Max is a versatile True Wireless headset instead of just focusing on music. The product is simply packaged, including a headphone box, USB-A to C cable, ear cushions and fixed ear fins. Users have 5 options for ear cushions and 3 options for ear wings depending on their needs.

Introduced in Vietnam in mid-June by Soundcore, a sub-brand of Anker Innovations (China), Liberty 5 Pro Max is a versatile True Wireless headset instead of just focusing on music. The product is simply packaged, including a headphone box, USB-A to C cable, ear cushions and fixed ear fins. Users have 5 options for ear cushions and 3 options for ear wings depending on their needs.

The carrying case has dimensions of 59 x 60 x 30 mm, weight of 74 grams, not too large compared to most True Wireless headphones on the market even though equipped with an additional screen. The manufacturer uses a sliding mechanism design, when opened, it reveals the earbud placed inside. The shell is made of plastic instead of metal, combined with tempered glass on the front to create an eye-catching feeling, but easily attracts dust and fingerprints. Products sold in Vietnam have two color options: black and light yellow.

The carrying case has dimensions of 59 x 60 x 30 mm, weight of 74 grams, not too large compared to most True Wireless headphones on the market even though equipped with an additional screen. The manufacturer uses a sliding mechanism design, when opened, it reveals the earbud placed inside. The shell is made of plastic instead of metal, combined with tempered glass on the front to create an eye-catching feeling, but easily attracts dust and fingerprints. Products sold in Vietnam have two color options: black and light yellow.

The carrying case has dimensions of 59 x 60 x 30 mm, weight of 74 grams, not too large compared to most True Wireless headphones on the market even though equipped with an additional screen. The manufacturer uses a sliding mechanism design, when opened, it reveals the earbud placed inside. The shell is made of plastic instead of metal, combined with tempered glass on the front to create an eye-catching feeling, but easily attracts dust and fingerprints. Products sold in Vietnam have two color options: black and light yellow.

The back of the box is equipped with a USB-C port for charging, on the left is a recording microphone hole, on the right is a key to quickly activate the AI ​​Note-Taker recording feature, instead of having to control it on the screen or via the application.

The box can operate independently when recording, without needing to connect a smartphone, and has a built-in 690 mAh battery, lower than JBL Tour Pro 3 (800 mAh), Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (700 mAh) but higher than models in the same segment such as Sony WF-1000XM5 (230 mAh) or Apple AirPods Pro 3 (300 mAh).

The back of the box is equipped with a USB-C port for charging, on the left is a recording microphone hole, on the right is a key to quickly activate the AI ​​Note-Taker recording feature, instead of having to control it on the screen or via the application.

The box can operate independently when recording, without needing to connect a smartphone, and has a built-in 690 mAh battery, lower than JBL Tour Pro 3 (800 mAh), Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (700 mAh) but higher than models in the same segment such as Sony WF-1000XM5 (230 mAh) or Apple AirPods Pro 3 (300 mAh).

The highlight is the 1.78-inch AMOLED screen. Some True Wireless headphones on the market have similar designs and are in the same segment as JBL Tour Pro 3 or Cleer Arc III Music. Practical experience shows that the touch screen is easy to operate, many steps do not require a smartphone, and you can customize the wallpaper and some functions through the Soundcore application. However, in some cases there is still a certain delay, and the screen resolution is not too high, the display quality is at a temporary level.

Liberty 5 Pro Max is also a rare wireless headset equipped with an artificial intelligence chip called Thus AI. The chip developed by Soundcore, applying the "compute-in-memory" model (computing in memory), can process AI directly in memory cells called NOR-Flash, while reducing data flow back and forth to help save energy and increase processing efficiency on devices with limited battery capacity.

According to Soundcore, the NOR-Flash-based compute-in-memory architecture takes up only about 1/6 of the physical area compared to a solution using SRAM, allowing the integration of AI tasks such as speech recognition, speech-to-text, content summarization or translation into a headphone charging case just a few centimeters in size without relying on cloud computing.

The highlight is the 1.78-inch AMOLED screen. Some True Wireless headphones on the market have similar designs and are in the same segment as JBL Tour Pro 3 or Cleer Arc III Music. Practical experience shows that the touch screen is easy to operate, many steps do not require a smartphone, and you can customize the wallpaper and some functions through the Soundcore application. However, in some cases there is still a certain delay, and the screen resolution is not too high, the display quality is at a temporary level.

Liberty 5 Pro Max is also a rare wireless headset equipped with an artificial intelligence chip called Thus AI. The chip developed by Soundcore, applying the "compute-in-memory" model (computing in memory), can process AI directly in memory cells called NOR-Flash, while reducing data flow back and forth to help save energy and increase processing efficiency on devices with limited battery capacity.

According to Soundcore, the NOR-Flash-based compute-in-memory architecture takes up only about 1/6 of the physical area compared to a solution using SRAM, allowing the integration of AI tasks such as speech recognition, speech-to-text, content summarization or translation into a headphone charging case just a few centimeters in size without relying on cloud computing.

With Thus AI, Soundcore also includes its own artificial intelligence feature. Among them, AI Note-Taker makes the biggest difference on Liberty 5 Pro Max. Instead of recording with a phone, users can place the charging box on the meeting table, study table or interview area to record the exchange content through an independent microphone, which works both when connecting and not connecting a smartphone.

After recording, the AI ​​system converts speech into text, identifies each conversation participant, creates a summary, and extracts what needs to be done. All data syncs with the Soundcore app on your phone for storage or sharing. This function is suitable for group meetings, interviews, lecture notes or short work exchanges, helping to reduce the time spent listening to recordings and synthesizing content manually.

Practical experience shows that the recorded sound is good when the environment is quiet but mixed with noise in crowded places. Synchronization speed with smartphones is fast, audio files are transferred automatically and the application will create meeting notes. However, the AI ​​feature on the app processes audio recordings and summarizes content only at a temporary level, depending on whether the recording source contains a lot of noise or not.

With Thus AI, Soundcore also includes its own artificial intelligence feature. Among them, AI Note-Taker makes the biggest difference on Liberty 5 Pro Max. Instead of recording with a phone, users can place the charging box on the meeting table, study table or interview area to record the exchange content through an independent microphone, which works both when connecting and not connecting a smartphone.

After recording, the AI ​​system converts speech into text, identifies each conversation participant, creates a summary, and extracts what needs to be done. All data syncs with the Soundcore app on your phone for storage or sharing. This function is suitable for group meetings, interviews, lecture notes or short work exchanges, helping to reduce the time spent listening to recordings and synthesizing content manually.

Practical experience shows that the recorded sound is good when the environment is quiet but mixed with noise in crowded places. Synchronization speed with smartphones is fast, audio files are transferred automatically and the application will create meeting notes. However, the AI ​​feature on the app processes audio recordings and summarizes content only at a temporary level, depending on whether the recording source contains a lot of noise or not.

The headphones integrate a real-time translation tool through the Soundcore app. When activating translation mode, the system records the conversation content, converts it into text and then translates it into the target language, supporting many languages, including Vietnamese. The function is suitable for short communication situations such as traveling, meeting foreign partners, attending events or basic business exchanges. However, not displaying translated content on the charging box screen can be considered a minus point.

The headphones integrate a real-time translation tool through the Soundcore app. When activating translation mode, the system records the conversation content, converts it into text and then translates it into the target language, supporting many languages, including Vietnamese. The function is suitable for short communication situations such as traveling, meeting foreign partners, attending events or basic business exchanges. However, not displaying translated content on the charging box screen can be considered a minus point.

Besides AI features, Soundcore also invests heavily in sound quality. The two earbuds are equipped with 9.2 mm dynamic drivers with wool-paper diaphragm speakers instead of the popular PET or LCP plastic in the segment. According to Rtings, this is a material that helps control mechanical resonance better, creating "powerful" bass while still maintaining separation in the mid-range.

The headphones reach a frequency range of 10 Hz - 40 kHz and LDAC codec for high-resolution music transmission. 8-microphone recording system for call noise cancellation and voice recognition. The product was even recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as "the highest voice quality score (G-MOS) for a True Wireless headset".

Each ear is equipped with a 62 mAh battery, providing up to 12 hours of listening time when ANC active noise cancellation is turned off or 6.5 hours when ANC is turned on. Combined case gives a total of 28 hours of ANC on and 50 hours of ANC off. Wireless connection is via the almost latest Bluetooth 6.1 standard, allowing simultaneous connection of three devices, supporting Dolby Audio and HearID 5.0, and IP55 dust and water resistance.

Besides AI features, Soundcore also invests heavily in sound quality. The two earbuds are equipped with 9.2 mm dynamic drivers with wool-paper diaphragm speakers instead of the popular PET or LCP plastic in the segment. According to Rtings, this is a material that helps control mechanical resonance better, creating "powerful" bass while still maintaining separation in the mid-range.

The headphones reach a frequency range of 10 Hz - 40 kHz and LDAC codec for high-resolution music transmission. 8-microphone recording system for call noise cancellation and voice recognition. The product was even recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as "the highest voice quality score (G-MOS) for a True Wireless headset".

Each ear is equipped with a 62 mAh battery, providing up to 12 hours of listening time when ANC active noise cancellation is turned off or 6.5 hours when ANC is turned on. Combined case gives a total of 28 hours of ANC on and 50 hours of ANC off. Wireless connection is via the almost latest Bluetooth 6.1 standard, allowing simultaneous connection of three devices, supporting Dolby Audio and HearID 5.0, and IP55 dust and water resistance.

Practical experience, Liberty 5 Pro Max pursues bass-priority tuning and the ability to listen to many popular music genres. The bass range appears at high frequency, creating a thick sound background for pop, EDM, hip-hop or electronic songs. The mid-range retains the necessary presence so that vocals and instruments are not completely masked, while the high-range is sufficient to reproduce cymbals, electric guitars and details in the upper part of the frequency spectrum. The soundstage is quite open and has good layer separation to meet multi-instrument mixes.

However, the large amount of bass causes part of the low midrange to be affected in some recordings. The high range is not as extended as Sony WF-1000XM5, Technics AZ100 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, causing the sound of guitars, violins or some string instruments to have less presence compared to competitors in the same segment. Therefore, for people who prioritize balance between sound bands or want to exploit many details from recordings, Liberty 5 Pro Max is not the top choice in the 5-7 million VND headphone group.

Practical experience, Liberty 5 Pro Max pursues bass-priority tuning and the ability to listen to many popular music genres. The bass range appears at high frequency, creating a thick sound background for pop, EDM, hip-hop or electronic songs. The mid-range retains the necessary presence so that vocals and instruments are not completely masked, while the high-range is sufficient to reproduce cymbals, electric guitars and details in the upper part of the frequency spectrum. The soundstage is quite open and has good layer separation to meet multi-instrument mixes.

However, the large amount of bass causes part of the low midrange to be affected in some recordings. The high range is not as extended as Sony WF-1000XM5, Technics AZ100 or Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, causing the sound of guitars, violins or some string instruments to have less presence compared to competitors in the same segment. Therefore, for people who prioritize balance between sound bands or want to exploit many details from recordings, Liberty 5 Pro Max is not the top choice in the 5-7 million VND headphone group.

With a selling price of 6 million VND, Liberty 5 Pro Max competes directly with a number of models with screens on the market such as JBL Tour Pro 3 (same price), Cleer Arc III Music (5.5 million), or models in the same segment such as Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (5.5 million), Audio-Technica ATH-CKR7TW (5.9 million) or Apple Airpods Pro 3 (6.6 million). The product is mainly aimed at users who use True Wireless headphones for many purposes, in return the ability to listen to music may not be as good as the above competitors.

With a selling price of 6 million VND, Liberty 5 Pro Max competes directly with a number of models with screens on the market such as JBL Tour Pro 3 (same price), Cleer Arc III Music (5.5 million), or models in the same segment such as Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (5.5 million), Audio-Technica ATH-CKR7TW (5.9 million) or Apple Airpods Pro 3 (6.6 million). The product is mainly aimed at users who use True Wireless headphones for many purposes, in return the ability to listen to music may not be as good as the above competitors.

Besides the Liberty 5 Pro Max, Soundcore introduces the Liberty 5 Pro version with most of the same parameters, but a 0.96-inch display screen, mainly for basic tasks such as displaying battery level, switching noise canceling mode (ANC), controlling music playback, EQ, displaying connection status notifications.

However, the product does not support AI Note-Taker or recording right on the device. With a price of 4.3 million VND, the headphones compete with some models such as Skullcandy Method 360 ANC (3.7 million), Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (4.4 million) or Samsung Buds4 SM-R540 (4.7 million).

Besides the Liberty 5 Pro Max, Soundcore introduces the Liberty 5 Pro version with most of the same parameters, but a 0.96-inch display screen, mainly for basic tasks such as displaying battery level, switching noise canceling mode (ANC), controlling music playback, EQ, displaying connection status notifications.

However, the product does not support AI Note-Taker or recording right on the device. With a price of 4.3 million VND, the headphones compete with some models such as Skullcandy Method 360 ANC (3.7 million), Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (4.4 million) or Samsung Buds4 SM-R540 (4.7 million).

Bao Lam