Belkin, the company we know for high quality (and not cheap) accessories, has just launched a set of true wireless earphones in the Indian market. With this segment booming, everyone wants a piece of the action, quite understandably. The Soundform Rise earphones are part of a series, not all of which is available yet. While Immerse is the one meant for music plus other tasks, Rise is tuned a little more towards phone calls. 

The Rise TWS come in some modest packaging with nothing unexpected in the box. The case for these earphones is a bit on the large size, but not unmanageable. In all other respects it’s a regular plastic case - not very premium looking, but not bad either. 

The medium-sized Rise buds light up for pairing as soon you open the case. Wear them, tap on the prompt on your phone, and you’re done. They’re very comfortable and do fine for long hours. I found no need to change the ear-tips with any of those provided. They work with both Android and iPhone. Don’t however, look for an app. There is one but it doesn’t connect to this particular set of earbuds as Belkin doesn’t expect the user to want to tinker with these buds that are simpler and more straightforward. I would certainly rather have had an app to work with all the same because it feels friendlier and supported. Also, it would help to know whether these work with virtual assistants rather than have to keep tapping around to find out. 

These buds are not just comfortable but IPX5 splash and sweat resistant., so you can wear them for long even if it’s a little warm or if you are on endless calls including while zipping about outdoors. 

There are some basic on-bud controls stop and start, skip tracks and volume. Tapping also accepts calls. Both buds seemed to do the same thing. There’s no need for much else as there’s no ANC on these earphones. 

The sound from the Rise earphones is clear and treble-forward. These are simply not meant to be bassy and thumping but more for those who want sharpness, clarity and detail. Because of this configuration they’re meant to be more suited to calls and podcast listening. The 6mm drivers push out sound with a good volume. On calls I found the person on the other end could never tell that I was on earphones, which is great. These have an array of microphones meant to make calls clearer. I did, however, feel that volume was low for me just on calls. You can use one bud at a time so that you’re also tuned into the environment around you or making the most of battery life. That is 7 hours for each bud with 24 hours of play time total when you charge with the case. The case supports Qi wireless charging. 

All said and done though, the Rise earbuds are a little expensive at ₹7,999 specially as there’s competition from all directions. 

Published on August 2, 2022