Sony Revives Walkman With Android 16 Players Priced Up to $5,900
Sony unveiled three Android 16 Walkman players priced $1,900–$5,900, led by a gold-plated 256GB model, The Register reports.
The models are named NW-WM1ZM3, NW-WM1AM3 and NW-ZX900. Sony's US site lists all three devices, the report said. The players run Android 16 and include Wi-Fi, allowing them to access streaming music services. All are USB-chargeable, and Sony claims their batteries allow about 30 hours of music playback.
Sony says the devices can store and play many codecs, including MP3, WMA and FLAC files, as well as Direct Stream Digital (DSD) and Apple Lossless. The company says these formats use various methods to avoid artefacts during digitization.
According to The Register, Sony says it used "key components made from oxygen-free copper" to deliver "uncompromising sound quality." The players also include "screws featuring a low-resistance gold-plated treatment" that Sony says provide "a stable ground connection that delivers powerful bass, an expansive soundstage and smooth, extended high frequencies." Sony claims the cabling used in the devices "further reduces noise and preserves signal integrity for rich, detailed sound."
The players are housed in milled copper slabs, with the NW-WM1ZM3 gold-plated, a design choice Sony says improves sound. The report noted that Sony also offers Bluetooth connectivity alongside wired headphone ports.