Soundcore Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3: Which Budget ANC Earbud Wins in 2026?

Two earbuds landed on my desk the same week, both claiming to be the best budget ANC pick under $60. That's the setup behind this Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3 comparison — I wasn't choosing a favorite going in. I wore the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC on my commute for ten days straight, then swapped to the EarFun Air Pro 3 for the next ten, using the same bus route, the same reference tracks, and the same Google Meet calls from the same noisy café table.

Both scored within two-tenths of a point in my testing framework — 9.4 for the Liberty 4 NC, 9.2 for the Air Pro 3. That gap is small enough that spec sheets alone won't tell you which one to buy. What actually separates them is codec support, real-world ANC character, and how each one handles a long day of calls. This guide covers all three, plus battery numbers I measured myself rather than pulled from a press release.

This comparison is part of my full best budget wireless earbuds guide, where both of these pairs currently hold the #1 and #2 spots.

Short answer: choose the Liberty 4 NC for battery life, LDAC, and overall value. Choose the EarFun Air Pro 3 if ANC strength and call quality are your priorities. The full breakdown below explains why.

How I Tested

Product prices shown in this article are subject to change at any time. We strive to keep pricing accurate, but Amazon prices may differ from those listed here. Please check the latest price on Amazon before making a purchase.

Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3 — Full Specs Comparison

Here's every spec that actually matters for a budget ANC earbud, side by side. Scores come from my own six-category testing framework, not manufacturer marketing.

Prices last verified September 2026. Amazon prices fluctuate — check current pricing before buying. Manufacturer ANC figures use different measurement methods — percentage reduction and dB reduction aren't directly comparable numbers, even when placed side by side in a table. Treat both as marketing claims, not test results.

How the 9.4 vs 9.2 Scores Break Down

The headline scores come from my standing six-category framework, weighted the same way across every review on this site: Sound 30%, ANC 25%, Calls 15%, Comfort 15%, Battery 10%, App 5%. Here's how each earbud scored in every category — these are my own editorial judgments from this test, not lab-certified measurements.

The category scores line up with everything else in this article: EarFun wins ANC and calls, the two are close on sound and comfort, and Liberty 4 NC pulls ahead on battery and app polish — enough to edge out the overall win despite losing two categories outright.

Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3: Which Has Better ANC?

Which has better ANC, the Liberty 4 NC or the EarFun Air Pro 3? In my testing, the EarFun Air Pro 3 edges ahead on a loud commute, even though the Liberty 4 NC's spec sheet number looks stronger on paper. Manufacturer figures like "98.5% reduction" and "43dB max" are lab measurements, not a guarantee of how either pair handles a rattling bus or a crowded metro car.

On my usual 90-minute commute — a mix of city traffic, road noise, and platform announcements, judged by ear rather than a calibrated meter — the Liberty 4 NC brought ambient noise down to a low, distant hum. That's genuinely impressive for $55, but the Air Pro 3's tuning handled mid-frequency chatter a touch better. Voices on the platform got reduced to a soft murmur instead of just background noise. That difference matters if your commute involves people talking near you, not just engine drone.

Neither pair fully silences unpredictable city noise. No budget earbud does. But if ANC alone decided this comparison, the Air Pro 3 wins it by a narrow margin.

Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3 for Commuting

For daily commuting, I'd lean toward the Liberty 4 NC — and it's not just about noise cancellation. Battery stamina matters more on a long commute than a half-decibel ANC edge, and the Liberty 4 NC's 8.1-hour real-world runtime covers a full workday without a midday top-up. Multi-point pairing also matters here: switching between a laptop and a phone mid-commute worked reliably on both, but the Liberty 4 NC's LDAC support meant streaming sounded noticeably fuller on the train.

That said, if your commute is specifically loud — a packed subway car, a bus with a rattling engine — the Air Pro 3's stronger real-world ANC might matter more to you than the extra battery cushion. For my full daily commuting picks, both pairs show up near the top.

Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3 Battery Life Comparison

Battery life splits these two apart quickly. I ran both at 70% volume with ANC active until shutdown — the same test I use across every earbud on this site. The Liberty 4 NC lasted 8.1 hours, a bit under Soundcore's 10-hour claim. The EarFun Air Pro 3, however, dropped to 6.7 hours under identical conditions, further under EarFun's 9-hour claim than I expected.

Case capacity widens the gap further. The Liberty 4 NC's case is rated for 50 hours total; the Air Pro 3's case is rated for 45. Over a full week of daily use, that's a modest but real difference in how often you'll top up the case. If battery anxiety is a real concern for you, this category alone might settle the Liberty 4 NC vs EarFun Air Pro 3 battery life comparison in Soundcore's favor.

Budget Earbuds LDAC vs aptX Adaptive 2026 — Does the Codec Actually Matter?

The Liberty 4 NC runs LDAC. The Air Pro 3 runs aptX Adaptive. Both are meaningful upgrades over standard SBC, but they matter differently depending on your phone and your source material.

LDAC transmits up to 990kbps and works on most modern Android phones with Snapdragon or Dimensity chipsets. If you stream from Tidal HiFi or a local FLAC library, the Liberty 4 NC's LDAC support is the more capable codec on paper. aptX Adaptive dynamically adjusts bitrate based on your environment, which can mean more consistent performance in areas with Bluetooth interference — useful in a crowded office or a packed train car.

On iPhone, neither codec matters. Apple devices use AAC regardless of what the earbuds support, so iOS users should base their decision on ANC, battery, and fit instead. For Android users on Spotify or YouTube rather than a lossless source, the practical difference between the two codecs shrinks close to zero. LDAC is a meaningful advantage for compatible Android users on lossless sources — but it's not a reason by itself to buy the Liberty 4 NC if nothing else about it fits your needs.

Companion App Comparison — Soundcore vs EarFun

The app experience is easy to overlook, but it shapes how much control you actually get day-to-day. Here's how the two compare feature-for-feature.

Soundcore's app is the more capable of the two overall, but the Air Pro 3's Game Mode toggle is the one feature Soundcore's app can't match.

Soundcore Liberty 4 NC — The Full Take

The Liberty 4 NC surprised me the same way it surprised me when I reviewed it on its own: LDAC support at $55 wasn't something I expected. At max bitrate on uncompressed tracks, the difference is real — tighter bass, cleaner mids, not a night-and-day transformation but genuinely audible.

What surprised me most during this specific comparison was the companion app. Most budget apps are shallow. Soundcore's gives you five EQ presets plus a fully customizable band, which is genuinely useful for taming the slightly boosted low end. Touch controls misfire roughly once per session — my one real complaint after 20 days of daily use.

EarFun Air Pro 3 — The Full Take

EarFun doesn't get the credit it deserves, and this comparison reinforced that for me again. The Air Pro 3's full review covers the driver setup in more depth, but the short version: an 11mm wool-composite dynamic driver gives it detail and layering that's rare at this price. Treble extension noticeably outperforms the Liberty 4 NC on complex tracks.

What surprised me here wasn't the ANC spec — it was how the Air Pro 3 handled mid-frequency chatter on a packed platform. Most budget ANC flattens low-end drone and gives up on voices. This one didn't. The trade-off is battery: 6.7 hours real-world is shorter than I'd like for a long travel day.

Call Quality Compared — Which Mic Actually Works?

I ran both through the same test: a 10-minute Google Meet call from a busy café at peak hour, with the other person rating background noise honestly. The Air Pro 3's 6-mic ENC array won this round clearly. My caller said the background was noticeably quieter than typical earbuds at this price. The Liberty 4 NC's standard ENC setup handled the call well enough that no one complained, but it's not in the same league.

If calls are your primary use case, factor that into this comparison heavily — it's the category with the widest gap between the two. See my full mic-quality picks for calls for more options beyond these two.

Which Fits Better? Comfort and Stability Compared

Fit matters more than most spec sheets admit, so I wore both for full workdays and full gym sessions to check. The Liberty 4 NC ships with four ear-tip sizes and sits slightly deeper in the ear canal. It stayed secure through deadlifts and box jumps, though I noticed mild pressure building after three-plus hours of continuous wear.

The Air Pro 3 uses a shallower fit with a shorter stem. It felt lighter over long sessions and never triggered the same pressure fatigue, but it needed more careful tip selection to seal properly — the wrong tip size let in noticeably more ambient noise and hurt ANC performance. Once sized correctly, it stayed just as stable during movement as the Liberty 4 NC.

Neither pair caused ear fatigue within a normal listening session. For all-day wear specifically, I'd lean toward the Air Pro 3's lighter shell; for long workouts, the Liberty 4 NC's deeper seal held up marginally better.

Pros & Cons — Side by Side

Other Budget ANC Earbuds Worth Considering

If neither of these two feels like a perfect fit, these three alternatives are worth a look — all tested and reviewed separately on this site.

Who Should Buy Which — My Recommendation

Choose the Liberty 4 NC if: you want the longest battery life, you stream lossless audio on a compatible Android phone, or you switch constantly between a laptop and phone during the day.

Choose the EarFun Air Pro 3 if: your commute is genuinely loud, you're on calls often enough that mic quality matters more than battery, or you want the most detailed sound signature of the two.

Both are part of my how to choose the best budget wireless earbuds guide, which walks through this same decision framework across the full price range.

People Also Ask

Frequently Asked Questions

M. Maksudur Rahman Titu

Founder, Trendy Tech Reviews

M. Maksudur Rahman Titu has tested more than 30 wireless earbuds, covering everything from sub-$20 budget buds to premium ANC flagships. His reviews focus on real-world performance, honest value assessments, and the specs that actually matter for everyday listeners — not just spec sheets.

🎧 30+ earbuds tested · 3+ years in tech reviewing