Despite all that smartphone OEMs have tried to do, dedicated digital audio players are still definitely a thing, often boasting more space and scope for parts geared towards music reproduction…which even often extends to audio jacks more and more often.
Sony touts the Walkman line as eternal front-runners in this category, of course, touting its latest NW-A306 and NW-ZX707 as “designed for listeners to enjoy music the way the artist intended“. One might also do so for hours; up to 36 for the A306, in fact.
They carry their oldest-of-school name in forms that support USB type-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Android 12, not to mention “edge AI“-powered features to augment their”updatedDSEE digital audio processing algorithms, resulting in up to 16-bit 44.1kHz lossless audio support.
Then again, they are thicker than the average smartphone, thanks to internals that go up to the same high-polymer capacitors and “large 8mm coil” of the top-end Signature Walkman series in the new NW-ZX707.
Both it and the NW-A306 are available via Sony’s website, or its authorized dealers (Amazon included), at recommended prices of US$$349.99 and US$$899.99 respectively.
I became a professional writer and editor shortly after graduation. My degrees are in biomedical sciences; however, they led to some experience in the biotech area, which convinced me of its potential to revolutionize our health, environment and lives in general. This developed into an all-consuming interest in more aspects of tech over time: I can never write enough on the latest electronics, gadgets and innovations. My other interests include imaging, astronomy, and streaming all the things. Oh, and coffee.
.