New Sony A and ZX Walkmans Coming

ZX-Series

Finally onto the ZX-Series (YY1302B). The model name is revealed, NW-ZX707. There appears to be only one model with 64GB capacity. Perhaps Europe or more likely Asia will get maybe a higher capacity version and more colours.

Here is a photo of the box art from the filing. Rather shocked it was there, oops. Wonder if this will be removed once I post this up. Sony did remove the WH-C520 photo from that filing. Hello, Sony, if you wish to send me a NW-ZX707 for testing, more than obliged to test it before release :D.

Here is a comparison with the current ZX507, the angles are not 100% identical but the differences in design are very obvious. The design is less rounded now, the engraved balanced logo from the top is now gone, but perhaps will be there on the production model. Likewise the Walkman logo has disappeared from the front. The design looks more premium but will it be comfortable to hold with the sharper and straight edges?

Just like the new A-Series, the new ZX will also use Android for the OS and have the same 1500mAh 3.7V internal battery. WiFi and Bluetooth specifications are identical, meaning the main wireless chip is shared between the 2 models like previously.  The ZX filing does mention Bluetooth v4.0, but I suspect the new models will both have at least version 5.0, if not 5.2 for LE Audio support. It would be rather silly of Sony not to support LE Audio here.

Now for some photos, they are not great but do give some idea of the design.

There is no NFC pad on the back metal plate like in the NW-ZX507, so like the new A-Series, I do not expect any NFC here either.  Below is a comparison of the back plate on the current ZX507.

In the second photo earlier, we know the device will have the internal ram supplied by Micron, rated at 32Gb, which is 4GB, the same as in the current ZX507. The internal memory storage is supplied by Samsung, 64GB. Previously Sony used SK Hynix for the memory.

The battery capacity has not changed from the ZX507, both have the same 1500mAh 3.7V battery. Hopefully battery life is improved with the use of more power efficient components. The usable storage is approximately 47GB. The codec support is identical to the new A-Series.

Both models have their short term confidentiality ending on March 27th 2023, and their certification valid from March 31, 2023. So whether this means that both can only go on sale after this date, then we would be looking at an announcement in early 2023. But I hope this is not the case.

The current models were released in September 2019, so a good 3 years ago, but if we have to wait until early 2023 for the new models, this would suck. But the previous models showed up on the FCC about 1 month before their debut, so perhaps a similar situation here. Fingers crossed

Regardless, these two new models are coming, so for those eagerly waiting, you need to wait a bit more. I suspect colours options for the new A-Series will be similar to the current model, and the ZX maybe coming in black, with silver for Asia. Personally I would love to see the new A and ZX adopt the colours from the new headsets, black and platinum. Pricing while unknown, I feel will be higher due to the higher price of components currently.

Anyways, I am happy to see Sony is still keeping their A and ZX line, would love to see a lower/mid level model, S-Series, but I doubt it.