Sony launched NW-A306 Walkman: lightweight design, excellent sound quality and excellent battery life

CTOnews.com, January 12, Sony recently launched the NW-A306 as a cheaper alternative to the NW-ZX707 model. The NW-ZX707 measures 72.5 x 132.3 x 16.9mm and weighs 227g. By comparison, the NW-A306 weighs about 56.5 x 98 x 11.8mm and 113g.

NW-A306 also retains its predecessor's 3.6in display, which is 1.4 inches smaller than NW-ZX707 's. However, both monitors have a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which means that the cheaper NW-A306 provides a clearer display than its more expensive sibling.

Even better, the NW-A306 provides long battery life, playing 96 kHz FLAC recordings for up to 32 hours. In addition, NW-A306 can play 128 kbps MP3 files for up to 36 hours, but up to 14 hours for DSD files (11.2896 MHz / 1 bit).

CTOnews.com learned that the NW-A306 will first be available in Japan, starting at 46000 yen for the 32-GB version and 57000 yen for the 64-GB version. However, Sony plans to sell only the 32GB version in the UK and Europe, offering black and blue colors for £349 and EUR 399, respectively.