Belkin's recent foray into audio has seen the firm — known for its cables and chargers — launch a high-end smart speaker developed with audio brand Devialet. Its latest audio product though, the Belkin Soundform True Wireless Earbuds, is targeted at the mainstream consumer. Priced at S$99, can Belkin's in-ear headphones make it in the highly competitive true wireless headphone market?
Quick specs
- IPX5 splash and sweat resistance
- 5-hour playtime (24 hours with carrying case)
- Three ear-tip sizes
- Weight: Buds only (10g), Case only (43g)
Available in white or black, the Belkin has a fairly standard design. The default ear tips fit reasonably well for me. But if not, you get to switch between two other sizes. A vigorous headshake did not dislodge them from my ears. The earbuds can handle light rain and sweat, just don't bring them into the shower.
As you'd expect from the pricing, these earbuds lack active noise cancellation. But their in-ear design offers decent noise isolation. Sound quality is also very decent. The bass is pronounced, but not overly so, while the trebles come across clearly. More importantly, the Bluetooth connection was solid without any disconnections. The pairing process also worked the first time round.
The Belkin's touch-sensitive controls are not the most intuitive. Tapping once changes the volume instead of stopping or playing the music. You also need to tap the right ear to up the volume and the left ear to decrease it. Pressing and holding an earbud for a couple of seconds summons the Google Assistant on my phone, which is useful. But my biggest annoyance is that the audio is not paused when I remove either earbud from my ear.
Belkin says the earbuds can last up to five hours, which sounds about right. The charging case provides another 19 hours of charge time. A short micro-USB charging cable is included — a USB-C version would have been ideal. But to be fair, one cannot expect too much from a S$99 pair of true wireless earbuds. It is available from e-commerce platforms such as Lazada and Shopee. Amazon is also an option, if you don't mind the imported version (and the possibly longer wait).
Note: Review unit provided by Belkin.
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