Between the Ear (3) and Liberty 5, the Ear (3) comes out ahead in driver size, while the Liberty 5 wins on battery — buds and battery — with case. Overall, the Ear (3) scores 70.8 and the Liberty 5 scores 76.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Liberty 5 edges ahead on the Mars Score (70.8 vs 76.1), but the 5.3-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Ear (3) if you care most about driver size. The biggest gaps in its favor are driver size.
Pick the Liberty 5 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. Its strongest claims are battery — buds, battery — with case, water resistance, among others.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, spatial audio, multipoint, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Liberty 5 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Nothing - Ear (3) wins
- ▲Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
Why Anker - Liberty 5 wins
- ▲Battery — buds — 41.18% more. 12 h vs 8.5 h.
- ▲Battery — with case — 20.00% more. 48 h vs 40 h.
- ▲Water resistance: IP55 (vs IP54).
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.10 g less. 4.5 vs 4.6.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (3) | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | in-ear | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 4.6 g | 4.5 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP54 | IP55lead |
Audio
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (3) | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 11 mmlead | 10 mm |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | true | true |
| Transparency mode | true | true |
| Spatial audioⓘ | false | false |
Battery
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (3) | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 8.5 h | 12 hlead |
| Battery — with case | 40 h | 48 hlead |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | true | true |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (3) | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.4lead |
| Codecs | LDAC,LHDC 5.0,AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Ear (3) or Liberty 5?+
Liberty 5 lasts 12h per charge vs 8.5h.
Do Ear (3) or Liberty 5 support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Ear (3) or Liberty 5?+
Both have active noise cancellation.
Spec-level deep dives
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