Belkin has announced the SoundForm Freedom True Wireless Earbuds, AirPods-style in-ear headphones that focus on higher quality voice calls.

Announced as part of the online-only CES 2021, the SoundForm Freedom combines Qualcomm's QCC3046 Bluetooth chip with environmental noise cancellation (ENC) to minimize interference with the on-board microphone. This should allow for hands-free calling and as little ambient noise as possible.

This may make the SoundForm Freedom more of an office aid than just an on-the-go earphone. However, there is much here to suggest that Belkin is targeting consumers who cannot or will not wait for the AirPods 3. The design is clearly inspired by the AirPods series, with its white gloss and long stems.

The SoundForm Freedom is also IPX5 waterproof, meaning it can withstand rain and sweat even when worn during exercise.

It does not feature active noise cancellation (ANC), and the ENC is only for the microphone. However, Belkin claims that the device can provide 8 hours of playback on a single charge, and up to 20 hours with the charging case. In addition, three removable tip sizes should provide some passive noise isolation. [Belkin's earbuds are also compatible with Apple's "Find My device" location network, which could enable tracking if the SoundForm Freedom is lost or stolen.

Still, this is a rare competitor to the AirPods, which seem to focus more on call quality than playback. No pricing or release date information is available yet, but SoundForm Freedom's predecessor, the SoundForm True Wireless Buds, cost just $60. The new earbuds are expected to fall somewhere between that and the $129 AirPods.