There was a time when wireless earbuds were considered a premium peripheral, but brands have realized that in order to sell more of these products, they must target the affordable market, which is why we are now seeing a rapid influx of wireless earbuds coming in at pocket-friendly prices, and one manufacturer that we don’t necessarily associate with audio, Belkin, has a new $59.99 entry into the cable-free realm and that is, the Belkin Soundform Play True Wireless. Now, at this price, we should have low expectations, so do not expect a dedicated app with customizable EQ profiles. The emphasis must consequently be on sound quality since it is the only meaningful feature the earphones can provide. The Soundform Play True Wireless Earbuds give increased bass and sculpted highs for the price—not a sound characteristic for purists, but bass enthusiasts on a budget may like these.
We had the pleasure of receiving a unit for evaluation, and in this post, we will highlight the positive and negative elements of the Belkin Soundform Play True Wireless earbuds so that you can determine if they are right for you.
Design
The design of the Belkin Soundform Play earbuds follows the traditional Belkin earbud design language from two ears ago. Yes, it has been given a bit more of a sleek touch up, but the essential form factor has been retained. Yes, we do get 4 colour options instead of just the Black and White earlier, but that’s not really much of an upgrade is it.
The earpieces don’t fit nearly as snugly as some others we’ve tried, and you only get three sets of ear tips to pick from, in small, medium, and large sizes. That’s quite normal, particularly for low-cost in-ears, but when the size that should fit allows for some flexibility, nothing beats a fin or band to help with fit stability. We tried twisting the earbuds to get bit more of a comfortable fit, and while it worked at times, it is definitely not a guaranteed fix. We have seen this eartip trend continue for some time now with Belkin earbuds and while the company claims that there is absolutely nothing wrong with their ear tips, we still feel that they need to do some R&D on that front.
The Soundform Play True Wireless Earbuds have an IPX5 classification, which means they can withstand small splashes, mild rain, and sweating, and may be cleaned off with a moist towel. Avoid submerging them or subjecting them to faucet pressure, and the rating does not apply to the charging case, so don’t put wet earphones inside.
The touch controls have been improved from before, but there are moments where a control action is triggered by the slightest touch, and it can be very annoying when you are listening to some music or watching some content. We do want to compliment Belkin on fixing up the issues we had in previous versions of the Soundform earbud series, but once again, they have some work to do.
The charging case is a definite upgrade on the previous editions, and the design is much sleeker, and it definitely feels a lot more solid and robust in the hand.
All in all, we are happy to see Belkin improving their earbuds with every iteration, and design wise, there is definitely a step up, and we can vouch for the fact that it is definitely one of the better looking and feeling wireless earbuds in the pocket friendly range.
Pairing and Performance
Initially, one of the pain points of Belkin True Wireless Earbuds was that the pairing process was an absolute nightmare. It was near impossible to get both the earbuds to pair to your device on the first try and then there was the issue of the earbuds actually glitching out and disconnecting from the paired device randomly. But with the Belkin Soundform Play, things have got a lot better. The pairing process is not a lot easier and the earbuds connect to your device without a problem. Yes, there are occasions where the disconnection glitch has happened to us, but not as often as before. There is a chance that you will not face such a problem, so tread carefully.
The Soundform Play True Wireless Earbuds provide a good dosage of low-frequency boosting on songs with a lot of sub-bass material. Things aren’t boosted out of balance, but the bass response and higher-frequency response seem to be well-matched, even if sculpted. The bass does not distort at high, inappropriate listening settings, and the lows are still audible at moderate volumes.
The microphone has excellent intelligibility. There was some standard Bluetooth distortion in the mix, but nothing that made speech difficult to understand. The mic signal isn’t particularly powerful, but it’s loud and clear enough that callers should have no trouble understanding you over a decent mobile connection.
Overall, the Belkin Soundform Play True Wireless Earbuds continues to impress in the performance department, and by far, it is one of the better low budget True Wireless earbuds in the market, and if performance matters the most to you, this is definitely a good shout.
Battery Life
This is an aspect of a device that is very subjective as every individual uses earbuds in a different way and the frequency of use also varies. But, if we look at the on-paper statistics, the Belkin Soundform Play True Wireless should deliver anywhere between 5-6 hours of usage on a single charge and the charging case should be good enough to give you 2-3 full charges.
Conclusion
The most appealing aspect of the Belkin Soundform Play True Wireless Earbuds is their low price. The design is a lot sleeker than the previous iterations, the pairing process is a bit more robust, and the choice of 4 colours are definitely some things to consider. The performance is a big positive and with the absence of customised EQ profiles, it is important that the earbuds perform to the maximum potential. Nothing else about them offends in the same way that it fails to thrill. If you are on a strict budget for your earbuds, then the Belkin Soundform Play is a good enough name to consider buying.
