Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (3) | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 8.5 h | 12 h |
| Battery — with case | 40 h | 48 h |
| Driver size | 11 mm | 10 mm |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IP55 |
| Weight per bud | 4.6 g | 4.5 g |
Between the Ear (3) and Liberty 5, the Ear (3) comes out ahead in driver size, while the Liberty 5 wins on battery — buds / battery — with case. Overall, the Ear (3) scores 79.8 and the Liberty 5 scores 85.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Liberty 5 edges ahead on the Mars Score (79.8 vs 85.8), but the 6.0-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. The single most decisive one: Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
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. The single most decisive one: Battery — buds — 41.18% more. 12 h vs 8.5 h.
Both ship with comparable active noise cancellation, spatial audio, multipoint, so those specs do not 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.
Which should you buy: Nothing - Ear (3) or Anker - Liberty 5?
Anker - Liberty 5 leads the current Mars Score by 6.0 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare driver size, battery — buds, weight per bud against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose Nothing - Ear (3) if…
Nothing - Ear (3) has the measurable edge on driver size mm.
Choose Anker - Liberty 5 if…
Anker - Liberty 5 has the measurable edge on battery life buds h, battery life case h, ip rating.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
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 models have active noise cancellation.