Sony has announced the NW-ZX707, a new model in the high-end Walkman ZX series. For reference, the company has also presented the NW-A306, covered separately. As for the NW-ZX707, Sony describes it as ‘an engineered evolution in portable sound’, details of which it provides in dedicated webpages about its components and sound processing technology. In short, the NW-ZX707 features an S-Master HX digital amp that supports Native DSD and various components to maximize audio quality.
The NW-ZX707 is also rated for 25 hours of 44.1 kHz FLAC playback or 23 hours when listening to music encoded in 96 kHz FLAC. Alternatively, the NW-ZX707 should last 22 hours when streaming from music apps. While Sony does not pre-install any music streaming apps itself, the NW-ZX707 runs Android 12 with the Google Play Store. Hence, you should be able to listen to any music streaming service that a smartphone running Android could.
While the NW-ZX707 is small, it is rather chunky. Specifically, the device measures 72.5 x 132.3 x 16.9 mm, making it shorter and narrower than most modern smartphones. Its 5-inch and 720p display is comparatively small these days, as is its 64 GB of built-in storage. Still, the NW-ZX707 weighs approximately 227 g, making it roughly as heavy as an iPhone 12 Pro Max. The NW-ZX707 will launch on February 23 in Japan, where it will be available for JPY 104,500 (~US$788). Unfortunately, Sony has not revealed plans to launch the NW-ZX707 in other markets yet. Sony has confirmed a release date and pricing for the NW-A306, though.
Prior to writing and translating for Notebookcheck, I worked for various companies including Apple and Neowin. I have a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds, which I have since converted to a Law Degree. Happy to chat on Twitter or Notebookchat.
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