Anker Debuts AI-Powered Thus Chip in New Liberty 5 Pro Earbuds

Anker has introduced its latest Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max wireless earbuds, marking the debut of the company’s custom-built Thus AI chipset after three years of development. The proprietary processor represents a major step in Anker’s move toward designing its own silicon, enabling advanced on-device artificial intelligence features, enhanced active noise cancellation (ANC), and personalized audio performance. The earbuds have also earned a Guinness World Record for the “Highest Speech Quality Score.”

According to Anker’s Jocelyn Qian, the company’s latest approach to ANC focuses on recognizing and isolating human speech instead of simply blocking surrounding noise. The Liberty 5 Pro series combines multiple microphones with bone-conduction sensors to better handle unpredictable sounds in real-world environments, improving voice clarity in places such as busy offices and public spaces.

The new Thus chip is central to this strategy. Qian said, “We actually spent three years building this foundation for Anker,” describing the processor as a long-term investment that shifts the company from relying on third-party components toward developing its own hardware platform. She added that successfully integrating the chip into compact earbuds demonstrates its potential for use in larger products where power and thermal constraints are less restrictive.

The chipset’s neural network performs ANC processing directly within NOR Flash memory instead of transferring model parameters between memory and a processor. This design reduces the required chip area to roughly one-sixth of comparable SRAM-based solutions, making it particularly suitable for compact wearable devices while improving processing efficiency.

Both Liberty 5 Pro models also introduce a touchscreen display on the charging case, allowing users to adjust settings without opening the Soundcore smartphone app. While the feature offers added convenience, it also changes how users interact with the earbuds by shifting controls from the phone to the charging case.

The Liberty 5 Pro Max further distinguishes itself with AI-powered note-taking capabilities, including transcription and translation. However, these features require a paid subscription. In the UK, Pro membership costs £15.99 per month, while an unlimited subscription is priced at £224.99 annually, increasing the long-term ownership cost for users who want full access to the AI functions.

Qian said consumer priorities have evolved beyond technical specifications alone, explaining, “Consumers are no longer impressed by technology labels, they really want to know whether the product improves their lives.” With the Liberty 5 Pro series, Anker is combining custom silicon, AI-powered audio processing and new hardware features as it expands its Soundcore lineup and strengthens its position in the wireless audio market.