I was actually surprised to know that Sony is still in the portable media player game when I got hold of this unit for review. One of the latest additions to its Walkman E-Series line, the Sony NWZ-E464 promises superior sound, rich bass and up to 50 hours of battery life.
Check out our review below to see if this portable media player delivers the goods as promised.
Design
The Sony NWZ-E464 has a 2-inch TFT screen display with a QVGA (320 x 240) resolution and LED backlight. The front is adorned with a glossy plastic design along with its buttons.
Underneath the screen display is the familiar placement of the control and navigation buttons taken from its predecessors; on the top-left is the Home/Back button and the Power Off/Option button on the opposite side. Below them are the Navigation buttons with the Play/Pause button in the middle.
It took me quite some time to get used to this layout since I have not owned a Sony Walkman player or a Sony Walkman phone before. Sometimes, I would accidentally press the wrong buttons because of my large fingers.
At the bottom of the MP3 player you’ll see the 3.5mm headset jack, the WM-Port, mic and strap hole. On the right side are the Volume keys and Hold/Lock key.
The back cover of the Sony NWZ-E464 is made of a solid plastic material that extends all the way to its sides and is painted with a faux-metal look. The Reset button can also be found at the back.
The Sony NWZ-E464 comes with a pair of in-ear headphones and three silicon tips to choose from (small, medium and large). It also comes with a cradle and a USB cable (minus the power adapter) for charging and data connectivity.
Features
A couple of things I liked about the Sony NWZ-E464 is how I can easily transfer music files, photos and videos using Windows Explorer or the Media Go app that comes with the player and its ability to play MP3, WMA, AAC-LC and L-PCM file formats.
The Sony NWZ-E464 allows me to organize music by Album, Artist, Genre, Release Year or by Folder. Moreover, the Equalizer provides me a number of presets and customized settings to adjust sound levels based on my preference.
The MP3 player is embedded with a proprietary system called SenseMe which automatically creates playlists based on the music’s mood/beats-per-minute. The Sony NWZ-E464 can also synchronize and load .lrc lyric files with the music.
Aside from playing music, the Sony NWZ-E464 also features an FM radio, Voice Recorder, Alarm/Sleep Timer, Photo, Video and Podcast playback.
Sound Quality
The Sony NWZ-E464 and its earphones offer powerful sound with plenty of bass and at the same time maintaining clear mids and highs. It has great noise isolation making it ideal in loud environments or when working out at the gym.
Setting the volume halfway gives me just the perfect sound quality. The sound gets distorted when set near the maximum level though. Overall, the Sony NWZ-E464’s sound quality is above average.
Verdict
The Sony NWZ-E464 may look a bit gaudy for some but it does have its share of fans and the slim and compact look makes it really portable. It’s hard not to compare it with the 5th gen iPod nano so the absence of speakers and camera may be a reason for some to stick with Apple.
However, the impressive sound quality and battery life makes this not only a great alternative but makes it at par with its more expensive counterparts. The portability of this device and the ease of use and organizing makes this a nice companion for those who just enjoy their music wherever they go.
Sony NWZ-E464 Specs: | |
---|---|
Memory | 8 GB |
Display | Display Technology : TFT color display with white LED-backlight, QVGA (320 x 240 Pixels)
Screen Size : 2″ QVGA (320 x 240 Pixels) |
Weight and Dimensions | Weight (Approx.) : 58g (2.1oz)
Dimensions (Approx.) : 45 x 96.8 x 10?mm(1 13/16 x 3 7/8 x 13/32 inches) |
Headphone Type | MDR-EX083 Ear-bud headphones |
Interface | Hi-Speed USB with WM-PORT(22pin) |
Audio Features | Play Mode : Normal / Repeat / Shuffle / Shuffle & Repeat / Repeat song / Karaoke / Language Study / Playback Range / Display Lyrics
Simulated Surround : VPT (Studio / Live / Club / Arena / Matrix) Sound Mode : |
Convenience Features | Karaoke : Karaoke / Language study: Off / Language study / Maximum Karaoke Mode / Minimum Karaoke Mode)
Multiple Language Display : English / German / Spanish / French / Italian / Polish / Portuguese / Russian / Turkish / Japanese / Korean / Simplified Chinese / Traditional Chinese On-Screen Display : Portrait orientation (Landscape orientation during video play mode) Search Features : All Songs / Album / Artist / Genre / Release Year / Playlists / Bookmark / Folder / Voice Recording / SensMeâ„¢ Channels |
Other Features | Clock : Alarm Settings: Alarm ON/OFF / Alarm Time / Repeat / Alarm Sound Settings
MP3 Player : Flash Memory Radio : Digital FM Tuner Voice Recorder : Built-in mic, MP3 CODEC |
Pricing
The Sony NWZ-E460 is available in Pink, Red, Green, Blue and Black.
Suggested Retail Prices are as follows:
4GB ““ Php6,499
8GB ““ Php7,999
16GB ““ Php9,499