Belkin SoundForm Bolt review

Belkin sells a variety of reasonably priced earbuds, from the entry-level SoundForm Bolt (£19.99/$39.99) to the SoundForm Pulse (£69.99/$119.99), so even its top-of-the-range pair are extra reasonably priced than most.

I’ve tried out the Bolt earbuds to see what you get for a really small money outlay and I’m impressed with the outcomes. You’ll actually discover finer audio high quality by spending extra, after all, however what you get at this value level is spectacular.

The Bolt buds are available a protecting charging case, and in three colours: black, white, lavender and teal.

You don’t get lively noise cancelling (ANC) as with dearer earbuds, however sound high quality is obvious, and the battery life is respectable for a really engaging price ticket. 

Design & Construct

The Bolt buds are squatter and fatter than Apple’s AirPods, fairly just like the Sony WF-C700N or Google Pixel Buds A.

They arrive in a big oval, matte-finish charging case and three pairs of ear suggestions in several sizes. There’s a USB-C port on the again for charging and 4 LEDs that point out the remaining battery cost.

There’s no supporting app so you’ll be able to’t see how a lot cost is left in every bud as you’ll be able to with extra expensive earbuds.

The buds weigh 4.5g every so don’t really feel heavy within the ear. There’s a alternative of three silicone suggestions within the field, which I strongly advocate you check out as sound high quality and in-ear stability are improved with a correct match.

IPX4 water resistance is primary however ought to shield the buds from rain or sweat at the least.

Bolt makes use of Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity, and I didn’t have any wi-fi drop-out points throughout testing.

Options

Pairing the buds was a painless course of and took below a minute the primary time.

You possibly can management varied options by touching the buds: one faucet for Play/Pause; two for subsequent tune for take/finish a telephone name; three for earlier tune; and maintain for two seconds to dam calls or activate the microphone.

There’s no quantity management possibility on the buds themselves which is regular for funds earbuds.

Foundry

There’s additionally no lively noise cancelling however I wasn’t anticipating this with a pair of earbuds at this value. ANC cancels out the ambient noise, and also you’ll hear extra occurring round you than you’ll with a dearer pair of ANC buds.

However for many who put on their buds whereas on the transfer, having extra consciousness of what’s occurring exterior your audio bubble will be a bonus. There’s a Mono Mode that permits the usage of one earbud at a time to increase battery life and/or keep extra conscious of your environment.

The buds don’t include auto-pause (aka put on detection), so when you take out your buds a tune continues taking part in until you manually cease it your self by tapping or in your telephone.

Sound High quality

Contained in the Bolt earbuds are 6mm dynamic drivers for a transparent sound, however not as high-end as earbuds with 10- or 12mm drivers that may produce beefier bass and superior audio high quality and quantity.

In comparison with the top-end Belkin Pulse earbuds, you’ll discover greater high quality with the 12mm drivers but it surely’s not a big distinction regardless of Bolt costing a 3rd of the value.

Whereas out in a busy atmosphere, audio from the Bolt earbuds are a bit of tinny however is best in a quiet house. That is the place ANC would actually enhance audio high quality, however with the appropriate alternative of tip, you’ll discover improved audio.

Foundry

Quantity is definitely loud sufficient. I wouldn’t wish to hurt my ears by having the buds pumping at full quantity.

Listening to audiobooks and podcasts, you don’t want absolute top-quality audio and voice high quality on the Bolt earbuds are clear if missing a bit of bass.

The SoundForm Bolt include only one mic per bud, in comparison with top-of-the-Belkin-range SoundForm Pulse earbuds that boast six in complete. Nonetheless, the standard is spectacular regardless of the greater than reasonably priced price ticket.

Battery Life & Charging

The Belkin SoundForm Bolt earbuds have glorious battery life.

In accordance with Belkin, the buds can final round 9 hours out of the case. With the case, that is then prolonged to twenty-eight hours – sufficient for a long-haul flight and journey in between. 

The case itself prices over USB-C, which is an enchancment over cheaper earbuds that cost utilizing fiddly Micro-USB however doesn’t have wi-fi charging dearer earbuds.

You possibly can see the remaining cost in 25% increments through 4 front-of-case LEDs.

Worth & Availability

The Belkin Bolt earbuds value £19.99/$39.99 and can be found now from the Belkin Retailer within the UK and US. You may also get them from Amazon UK and Amazon US.

The value is great for buds from a premium if not correct audiophile model, particularly for UK consumers who often should pay greater than their US counterparts.

You could find extra choices in our chart of the very best low-cost wi-fi earbuds, together with a number of with lively noise cancelling (ANC). We even have extra premium choices in our chart of the very best wi-fi earbuds general. 

Do you have to purchase the Belkin SoundForm Bolt?

In case you want an entry-level or spare set of earphones with a alternative of colours, the Belkin Bolt earbuds provide greater than cheap audio high quality and an honest battery life for a discount value.

Belkin alternate options

As talked about, Bolt is the entry-level SoundForm earbuds from Belkin. If you’d like higher audio high quality and options, take into account the remainder of the vary primarily based on their options.

SoundForm Bolt ($39.99 / £19.99):

• 6mm dynamic drivers
• 28-hour battery life
• Charging case
• 1 mic per bud
• No lively noise cancelling
• IPX 4 water resistance

SoundForm Transfer ($49.99 / £29.99):

• 6mm dynamic drivers
• 19-hour battery life
• Charging case; wi-fi charging case, add $20/£10
• 1 mic per bud
• No lively noise cancelling
• IPX 5 water resistance

SoundForm Play ($59.99 / £34.99):

• 6mm dynamic drivers
• 38-hour battery life
• Charging case
• 2 mics per bud
• No lively noise cancelling
• IPX 5 water resistance

SoundForm Circulation ($89.99 / £59.99):

• 12mm dynamic drivers
• 31-hour battery life
• Wi-fi charging case
• 2 mics per bud
• Lively noise cancelling
• IPX 5 water resistance
• SoundForm app

SoundForm Pulse ($119.99 / £69.99):

• 12mm dynamic drivers
• 35-hour battery life
• Wi-fi charging case
• 3 mics per bud
• Lively noise cancelling
• IPX 5 water resistance
• SoundForm app