Wired Earbuds Are So Again

Belkin showcased a variety of not too long ago launched Qi2.2 magnetic wi-fi chargers at IFA 2025, together with different charging equipment and wi-fi earbuds. Nestled in all of this had been two merchandise that instantly caught my eye: the Belkin UltraCharge Magnetic Charger 25W and the SoundForm USB-C Wired Earbuds with ANC.

I need to discuss that second product, as a result of that is one thing that has been caught in a tiny house behind my thoughts for years. I hardly ever actively search out noise-canceling wired earbuds, and once I do, I’m all the time upset to search out they barely exist. At first look, there’s not a lot to Belkin’s SoundForm USB-C headphones: they’re white, with flat wires that terminate in considerably chunky earbuds. The earbuds are water- and- sweat resistant, characteristic 12mm drivers (for comparability, Apple’s AirPods Professional use 11mm drivers). Belkin claims they’ve “wealthy sound and deep bass.”

I bought to check them a bit of bit, and sure, they sound first rate—they’re not tinny, not muffled, the sound in all fairness balanced, and so they’ve bought nice-sounding bass, although it received’t rattle your mind by any means. Additionally, the SoundForm USB-C Wired Earbuds appeared to keep away from the type of boxy sound that I’ve seen with some Belkin wi-fi earbuds. The lively noise-cancelling (ANC) is way from competing with that of the AirPods Professional 2, nevertheless it does drop the noise round you—it appeared prefer it had a tough time with a slender band of mid-range sounds. Possibly that’s intentional, to allow you to hear when persons are speaking to you, nevertheless it’s a bizarre impact. The wired earbuds even have a transparency mode, or you possibly can flip these modes off.

The explanation Belkin’s new headphones can truly do ANC is that as a substitute of an unpowered 3.5mm headphone jack, they use USB-C. Positive, that limits the place you need to use them, nevertheless it’s a fantastic trade-off versus ANC wi-fi earbuds that you must recharge and whose non-replaceable batteries are doomed to offer out.

After all, USB-C plugs don’t all the time final endlessly—the little items that safe them in a port can put on out, making their connection free and finicky—so there’s an opportunity these could not endure any longer than the tiny batteries in wi-fi earbuds, particularly when you use them quite a bit. Belkin consultant Jen Wei informed me that the corporate doesn’t hear common complaints from clients about its USB-C plugs doing this, and it’s true that some last more than others, nevertheless it’s one thing to concentrate on. Nonetheless, I’m glad to see Belkin attempting this. The SoundForm USB-C Wired Earbuds with ANC shall be accessible in October for $34.99.

Belkin isn’t the one one bringing again wired earbuds. Sony also announced its own IER-EX15C earbuds (sorry, “in-ear headphones”) at IFA 2025. No ANC in these, however additionally they join by way of USB-C. They’re $30, however for an additional $5, Belkin’s SoundForm USB-C Wired Earbuds seem to be the higher deal to get ANC.

At a look, the UltraCharge Magnetic Charger 25W is only a MagSafe-style charging puck, however thicker and with a ring-shaped kickstand you could additionally use to stabilize your telephone. Not like the UltraCharge 3-in-1 Magnetic Charging Dock that Belkin launched final month, product supervisor Laurelin Stuart-Smith informed me on the sales space that the standalone puck has a heatsink inside for passive cooling—magnetic charging generates plenty of extra warmth, and the 25W energy afforded by this charger’s use of the Qi2.2 normal will solely make that worse.

The UltraCharge Magnetic Charger 25W shall be accessible in November for $39.95.

There’s yet one more factor I need to nerd out about from Belkin’s sales space: the BoostCharge Retractable Automobile Charger 75W. Its built-in USB-C cable extends 75cm (roughly 2.5 toes) and affords 60W charging. The system additionally has two ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) and Belkin says it actively optimizes energy supply when multiple factor is linked.

I’m all the time very skeptical about retractable cables, or simply retractable issues usually—I’ve simply owned too many low-cost ones whose springs give out, rendering them annoying and ineffective. I’m additionally all the time cautious of built-in cables for a similar USB-C plug carrying out. I can’t communicate to how lengthy the USB-C plug on this system will final, however retractable cables might be performed effectively, and no less than from the transient time I had tugging on Belkin’s new automobile charger’s USB-C cable, it felt pleasantly clean, with not one of the odd clunkiness that tells you This Factor Will Break Quickly.

The BoostCharge Retractable Automobile Charger 75W shall be accessible within the US in October for $29.99.