Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 VS Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC

Both the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 and the Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC share the same fundamental design philosophy: fully wireless, in-ear earbuds with stereo output and no neckband. Neither includes RGB lighting or a display, keeping their designs clean and functional. That said, there are two meaningful differentiators that deserve close attention.

The most striking difference is weight. At 8 g, the Belkin is less than half the weight of the Powerbeats Pro 2 at 17.4 g. In practice, heavier earbuds can cause noticeable ear fatigue over long sessions, so the Belkin holds a real comfort advantage for extended wear. Countering this, the Powerbeats Pro 2 ships with wingtips, which anchor the earbuds securely in the ear canal — a critical feature during high-intensity workouts or running. The Belkin omits wingtips entirely, meaning it relies solely on the eartip seal for retention, which may be less secure during vigorous activity.

On water resistance, the Belkin edges ahead with an IPX5 rating versus the Powerbeats Pro 2's IPX4. IPX4 handles sweat and splashes from any direction, while IPX5 additionally withstands low-pressure water jets — a modest but real step up for outdoor use in rain. Overall, the Belkin has the edge in weight and water resistance, but the Powerbeats Pro 2 counters with its wingtip system for superior fit stability, making it the stronger choice for athletic use cases specifically.

At the foundational level, these two earbuds are closely matched. Both cover the full standard audible spectrum of 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and both combine active noise cancellation with passive noise reduction — meaning they layer electronic ANC on top of the physical seal of the ear tips for a more complete isolation effect. Neither implements Dolby Atmos or Dirac Virtuo processing, so neither has a proprietary audio enhancement edge in that regard.

The single differentiator here is spatial audio support, which only the Powerbeats Pro 2 offers. Spatial audio creates a three-dimensional soundstage, making music, movies, and games feel like sound is coming from around you rather than from inside your head. For media consumption in particular, this is a meaningful experiential upgrade — it transforms stereo content into something more immersive. The Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC offers no equivalent feature.

The verdict for this group goes clearly to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. With an otherwise identical spec profile, spatial audio support is the decisive advantage — it directly expands what the earbuds can deliver to the listener without any trade-off visible in the provided data.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 pulls ahead on every battery metric that matters for all-day and multi-day use. Its earbuds last 10 hours per charge compared to the Belkin's 8 hours — a 25% difference that, in practice, means the Powerbeats can cover a full workday of continuous listening without a top-up, while the Belkin may need one. The combined system endurance gap is even wider: the Powerbeats Pro 2 delivers 45 hours total (earbuds plus case), versus 28 hours total for the Belkin — a significant advantage for travelers or anyone who goes days between case charges.

Charge time is identical at 1.5 hours for both, so neither has an edge in how quickly they recover from empty. Where the Powerbeats Pro 2 adds further convenience is wireless charging support, which the Belkin lacks entirely. Wireless charging removes the need to locate a cable when topping off the case — a small but genuinely appreciated quality-of-life feature in daily use.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 wins this category decisively. Longer earbud runtime, substantially greater total system endurance, and wireless charging support combine to make it the stronger choice for users who prioritize going longer between power interruptions.

Connectivity is the most evenly matched category in this comparison. Both earbuds are fully wireless, share an identical 10 m maximum Bluetooth range, use USB-C for wired charging, and neither supports fast pairing, NFC pairing, or any high-resolution audio codec such as LDAC, aptX, or AAC. In practice, the absence of premium codecs means both devices will rely on standard SBC transmission — functional for most listeners, but a notable omission for audiophiles seeking the highest possible wireless audio fidelity.

The only differentiator the data surfaces is Bluetooth version: the Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC runs Bluetooth 5.4 versus the Powerbeats Pro 2's Bluetooth 5.3. Version 5.4 introduces refinements to connection reliability and efficiency over 5.3, though in real-world listening conditions the gap between these two successive versions is unlikely to be perceptible to most users.

Given how closely matched these two products are, this category is effectively a tie. The Belkin's marginally newer Bluetooth version is technically an edge, but it is too minor in practice to constitute a meaningful advantage — particularly when both products share the same range ceiling and the same codec limitations.

Feature parity between these two earbuds is remarkably high. Both support ambient sound mode, fast charging, mute, on-device controls, voice prompts, and ship with a travel bag — a well-rounded shared foundation that covers the practical needs of most everyday users. Fast charging in particular is worth noting: it means even a short time on charge can recover meaningful playback time, reducing the friction of running low mid-day.

The single feature the Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC is missing is a find device function. For earbuds that are small, easy to misplace, and frequently taken on the go, the ability to trigger an audible tone or locate them on a map is a genuinely useful safeguard. The Powerbeats Pro 2 includes this; the Belkin does not.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 takes a narrow but practical edge here. With an otherwise identical feature set, find device support is the deciding factor — it adds a layer of everyday utility that the Belkin simply cannot match based on the provided data.

This category comes down to a single shared specification: both the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 and the Belkin SoundForm Rhythm ANC include a noise-canceling microphone. For call quality and voice assistant use, this matters — a noise-canceling mic actively filters out ambient noise from the captured audio, helping your voice come through more clearly in loud environments like commutes, gyms, or busy offices.

With only one data point available and both products matching on it, there is no differentiator to analyze here. This group is a complete tie, and the choice between these two earbuds for microphone capability cannot be determined from the provided specifications alone.