Sony announces two new Android-powered Walkmans: NW-ZX1 and NW-F880

Convergence has been a key word this year for Sony, especially with the ‘One Sony’ mantra. Whilst much of the focus when talking about future Xperia smartphones is normally around the imaging side, we know a number of you would love to see Sony introduce some dedicated audio chips to improve the audio performance.

Last week Sony announced a couple of new high-end Walkman devices to show exactly how good it gets. This includes the flagship NW-ZX1 with 128GB of flash storage and the NW-F880 that comes with three storage options (NW-F885 with 16GB, W-F886 with 32GB and NW-F887 with 64GB). See more detailed information on each Walkman below.

Sony Walkman NW-ZX1

The Sony NW-ZX1 has a 4-inch Triluminos display for mobile with 480 x 854 pixels and runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. Specs include the S-Master HX digital amp, NFC and support for a number of formats including FLAC, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, WMA, ACC, HE-ACC, ATRAC. USB Audio is also supported (192kHz/24bit). The device is beautifully crafted in machined aluminium alloy reflected in the price point of 74,800 Yen (around $760). This flagship Walkman has only been announced for Japan so far, but fingers crossed it will see an international release too.

Sony Walkman NW-ZX1 Press Photos

Sony Walkman NW-ZX1 Hands-on Photos and Videos

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Sony NW-F880

The Sony NW-F880 is the Walkman that will see an international release. The good news is that the spec-sheet for the NW-F880 is very similar to the more expensive NW-ZX1 detailed above, although you don’t get the 128GB flash storage option. The NW-F880 will be available in storage options ranging from 16GB to 64GB.

Specs include the latest S-Master HX digital amplifier, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX technology, Clear Audio+, NFC for easy Bluetooth pairing. The NW-F880 also has a 4-inch Triluminos display for mobile and runs Android 4.1.1. You don’t get the metal chassis from the NW-ZX1, instead the NW-F880 will have four (plastic) colour options including Black, White, Blue and Vivid Pink. The Sony NW-F880 will retail for £259/€329 in Europe.