It has been 44 years since Sony released the original Walkman and that was when cassette tapes were still a thing. Now that gadgets are more accessible and innovation has created more portable music players - literally smartphones, Sony is ready to finally release something up its sleeve that could bring back the joy of nostalgic music players to the public.
Sony has just launched two new models of the Walkman, the NW-ZX707 and NW-A306 that were showcased in Japan last week. These pocket-friendly music players will feature Android 12 support, hi-res audio, and tactile buttons for music controls.
The Sony NW-ZX707 equips a 5-inch HD display, 64 GB of storage, and an extended 25 hours of battery life. Featuring an S-Master HX digital amp technology, it improves sound quality by lowering the levels of distortion and noise over a wide frequency range. In addition, it also has an Edge-AI system to power the DSEE Ultimate engine, which can convert low-quality audio to CD quality. The NW-ZX707 will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, as well as SBC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD and AAC codecs.
The Sony NW-A306 on the other hand is designed by Sony for discerning users looking for high-quality sound and style. Featuring the same audio features and hi-res audio support, it’s a cheaper alternative to the NW-ZX707 model with a smaller 3.6-inch touchscreen display. It's lighter in weight at just 113 grams, but superior in battery life of 36 hours. This model will also feature Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi connectivity and other audio codecs, and available in three different colour variants: Blue, Grey and Black.
Both Sony NW-ZX707 and NW-A306 run on Android 12, so you can install your preferred streaming services via the Google Play Store and groove on instantly.
Pricing and Availability
As of now, the Sony NW-ZX707 and NW-A306 are only available in Japan now and should come to Malaysia later this year. In Japan, the NW-ZX707 Walkman model retails at 104,000 Yen (around RM3,500), while the NW-A306 Walkman model retails at 46,000 Yen (around RM1,550). Though it’s true that the prices won’t appeal to many, we believe that like-minded collectors would love to get their hands on these 'Walkmen'. After all, what better way to go down memory lane than with some nostalgic background music?