Review of the Sony Network Walkman NW-S23 256MB MP3 Player

The NW-S23 music player is screaming out for you to test its endurance. It has a durable rubbery design making it comfortable to hold in your fist whilst running. The high-grade plastic shell passed our drop (with a bit of a throw involved) without any problems. The ergonomic design means that when the player is gripped in your fist, your thumb lays squarely on the controls. When we saw this we were concerned that you would constantly be pressing the buttons by mistake but we were delighted to find that the buttons are rather hard to press making it perfect for when it is in your pocket too. The NW-S23 comes with a superb purpose-built arm strap that sits comfortably on any size arms without slipping or rubbing. The design is waterproof, with an enclosed AAA battery. It only weighs two ounces making it perfect for taking along on those long runs without weighing you down. The on-screen display is visually clear, showing battery level, play mode and elapsed time. The volume button is easier to use with two hands unfortunately. Right next to the USB port is the battery compartment, and the headphone jack is perfectly placed for ease of use.

For £140, the NW-S23 doesn’t knock your socks off with a huge list of features like you would expect. Thanks to the supporting ALTRAC3, the 256MB memory can hold about 8-10 albums (150 songs). The headphones are designed to sit comfortably on your ears whilst you exercise, with little arms that reach over the top. Just like the player itself, the earphones are durable and waterproof also. The NW-S23 supports MP3, WAV, WMA and ALTRAC3, making it ultimately compatible for downloading. It takes a AAA battery which is easy to replace, it also comes with a 1-year warranty.

We were astonished by how long the Sony MP3 player lasted on just one AAA battery. We got 50 hours out of it which was truly amazing. Not only that, the sound was superb, and volumes went nice and high for when you find yourself jogging by a busy road. The treble was clear and the bass was deep, we would compare it to the superb sound performance from the 20GB iPod. The SonicStage software is rather slow a times but it’s easy to use, great for people who want a no-fuss download. There was no sign of any water leaking in, even when we plunged the NW-S23 into a sink of water. The durable, ergonomic design is absolutely perfect in all weather conditions.

If it wasn’t quite as expensive, we would have given the Sony NW-S23 MP3 a massive thumbs-up. However, for the price you are only getting a small amount of storage and no FM tuner so we would recommend that you consider some other less expensive sports models, for example the Creative Labs Muvo Sport C100, or the Memup Qoolqee Xsports MP3 player. If all you are after is a no-frills MP3 player that fits your favourite ten albums on, without the hassle of remembering to charge, the Sony NW-S23 is the one for you.