Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 10 h | 12 h |
| Battery — with case | 42 h | 48 h |
| Driver size | 11 mm | 10 mm |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IP55 |
| Weight per bud | 4.8 g | 4.5 g |
Between the Ear (a) 2 and Liberty 5, the Ear (a) 2 comes out ahead in driver size, while the Liberty 5 wins on battery — buds / battery — with case. Overall, the Ear (a) 2 scores 82.8 and the Liberty 5 scores 85.8 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Liberty 5 edges ahead on the Mars Score (82.8 vs 85.8), but the 3.0-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Ear (a) 2 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 — 20.00% more. 12 h vs 10 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: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: Nothing - Ear (a) 2 or Anker - Liberty 5?
Anker - Liberty 5 leads the current Mars Score by 3.0 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 (a) 2 if…
Nothing - Ear (a) 2 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 (a) 2 wins
- ▲Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
Why Anker - Liberty 5 wins
- ▲Battery — buds — 20.00% more. 12 h vs 10 h.
- ▲Battery — with case — 14.29% more. 48 h vs 42 h.
- ▲Water resistance: IP55 (vs IP54).
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.30 g less. 4.5 vs 4.8.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | in-ear | in-ear |
| Weight per bud | 4.8 g | 4.5 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP54 | IP55lead |
Audio
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 | 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 (a) 2 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 10 h | 12 hlead |
| Battery — with case | 42 h | 48 hlead |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | false | truelead |
Connectivity
| Spec | Nothing - Ear (a) 2 | Anker - Liberty 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.4lead |
| Codecsⓘ | LDAC,AAC,SBC | LDAC,AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | true | true |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Ear (a) 2 or Liberty 5?+
Liberty 5 lasts 12h per charge vs 10h.
Do Ear (a) 2 or Liberty 5 support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Ear (a) 2 or Liberty 5?+
Both models have active noise cancellation.