Comparison: Sony NW-ZX700, NW-ZX500, NW-ZX300 and NW-ZX100

I posted up my NW-A300 vs NW-A100 comparison, so time to compare the 4 generations of the ZX line. I am including all 4 models, since some users with the older models may wish to upgrade to the new ZX700.

	NW-ZX700	NW-ZX500	NW-ZX300	NW-ZX100
Dimensions/Weight
Height	132.3mm	122.6mm	120.4mm	120mm
Width	72.5mm	57.9mm	57.7mm	54mm
Depth	16.8mm	14.8mm	14.9mm	15mm
Weight	227 g	164 g	157 g	145 g
Capacity
64 GB	X	X	X	-
128 GB	-	-	-	X
Android OS	12.0	9.0	X	X
Display	5.0 in HD	3.6 in HD	3.1 in (WVGA)	3 in (WQVGA)
Touch Panel	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
WiFi	802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz		No	No

There is a big change from the ZX500 to the new model in terms of dimensions and weight. The display has also grown in size significantly. The WiFi is the same as before. For users of the older models who prefer the smaller footprint, I would not upgrade, unless you want WiFi and streaming from music apps.  There was a 16GB version of the ZX300 (ZX300A) and ZX500 (ZX505).

	NW-ZX700	NW-ZX500	NW-ZX300	NW-ZX100
Supported Formats	MP3 (.mp3): 32 - 320kbps (VBR compatible) / 32, 44.1, 48kHz WMA (.wma): 32 - 192kbps (VBR compatible) / 44.1kHz FLAC (.flac): 16, 24bit / 8- 384kHz WAV (.wav): 16, 24, 32bit (Float/Integer) / 8-384kHz AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 16-320kbps / 8-48kHz HE-AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 32-144kbps / 8-48kHz Apple Lossless (.mp4, .m4a): 16, 24bit / 8-384kHz AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .afc, .aifc): 16, 24, 32bit/ 8-384kHz DSD (.dsf, .dff): 1bit / 2.8224, 5.6448, 11.2896MHz *2 APE (.ape): 8, 16, 24bit / 8-192kHz (Fast, Normal, High) MQA (.mqa.flac): Supported		MP3 (.mp3): 32 - 320kbps (VBR compatible)/ 32, 44.1, 48kHz WMA (.wma): 32 - 192kbps (VBR compatible)/ 44.1kHz FLAC (.flac): 16, 24bit / 8-384kHz AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 6-320kbps / 8-48kHz HE-AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 32-144kbps / 8-48kHz Apple Lossless (.mp4, .m4a): 16, 24bit / 8-384kHz DSD (.dsf, .dff): 1bit / 2.8224, 5.6448, 11.2896 MHz, APE (.ape): 8, 16, 24bit / 8-192kHz (Fast, Normal, High)	MP3 (.mp3): 32 - 320kbps (VBR compatible)/ 32, 44.1, 48kHz WMA (.wma): 32 - 192kbps (VBR compatible)/ 44.1kHz FLAC (.flac): 16, 24bit / 8-192kHz WAV (.wav): 16, 24bit / 8-192kHz AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 6-320kbps / 8-48kHz HE-AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .3gp): 32-144kbps / 8-48kHz Apple Lossless (.mp4, .m4a): 16, 24bit / 8-192KHz AIFF (.aif, .aiff, .afc, .aifc): 16, 24, 32bit/ 8-192kHz DSD (.dsf, .dff): 1bit / 2.8224, 5.6448
Bluetooth	Version 5.0 SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD		Version 4.2 SBC, aptX, LDAC	Version 3.0 SBC, aptX, LDAC
USB DAC Function	Yes	No	Yes	No
NFC	No	No	Yes	Yes
Noise Cancelltion	No	No	No	Yes
Digital Amplifier	S-Master HX
DSEE	DSEE Ultimate	DSEE HX DSEE Ultimate	DSEE HX	DSEE HX
Equalizer	20 Band	20 Band	10 Band	5 Band
USB Charging	~ 3.5 hours (100%) ~ 3 hours (~80%)	~ 6.5 hours (100%) ~ 5.0 hours (~80%)	~5.5 hours (100%)	~5 hours (100%)
USB Port	Type-C (USB3.2 Gen1)	Type-C (USB2.0)	WM-Port (USB 2.0)	WM-Port (USB 2.0)
microSD support	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC

There are many differences, the newer models both use USB Type-C, where as the older models stick to Sony's own WM-Port. USB DAC function returns after an absence in the NW-ZX500. Only the NW-ZX100 had built in noise cancellation but not really an issue with the current wireless NC headsets.

With each newer generation, the recharge time has kept dropping, most likely due to the better charging speed. NFC is dropped for the past 2 generations, so if you use it a lot, no sense in upgrading, unless you want to stream from online services.

One interesting side note, the ZX-100 Bluetooth chip is certified at 4.0.

	NW-ZX700	NW-ZX500	NW-ZX300	NW-ZX100
Battery Life	MP3 128kbps 3.5mm ~25 hours Balanced ~ 24 hours FLAC 96kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 23 hours Balanced ~ 23 hours FLAC 192kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 21 hours Balanced ~21 hours DSD 2.8224MHz /1bit 3.5mm ~ 21 hours Balanced ~ 21 hours 5.6448MHz /1bit~ 3.5mm ~ 18 hours Balanced ~ 18 hours 11.2896MHz/ 1- bit 3.5mm ~ 13 hours Balanced ~ 11 hours	MP3 128kbps 3.5mm ~20 hours Balanced ~ 19 hours WAv 44.1kHz/16bit 3.5mm ~ 20 hours Balanced ~ 19 hours FLAC 44.1kHz/16bit 3.5mm ~ 20 hours Balanced ~ 18 hours FLAC 96kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 18 hours Balanced ~ 17 hours FLAC 192kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 16 hours Balanced ~15 hours DSD 2.8224MHz /1bit 3.5mm ~ 10 hours Balanced ~ 9 hours 5.6448MHz /1bit~ 3.5mm ~ 8 hours Balanced ~ 7.5 hours 11.2896MHz/ 1- bit 3.5mm ~ 6.5 hours Balanced ~ 4 hours	MP3 128kbps 3.5mm ~30 hours Balanced ~ 25 hours AAC 256kbps 3.5mm ~ 27 hours Balanced ~ 23 hours FLAC 96kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 26 hours Balanced ~ 23 hours FLAC 192kHz/24bit 3.5mm ~ 23 hours Balanced ~20 hours DSD 2.8224MHz /1bit 3.5mm ~ 19 hours Balanced ~ 13 hours 5.6448MHz /1bit 3.5mm ~ 15 hours Balanced ~ 12 hours 11.2896MHz/ 1- bit 3.5mm ~ 13 hours Balanced ~ 10 hours	MP3 128 kbps NC ON ~ 60 Hrs NC Off ~ 70 Hrs AAC 256 kbps NC ON ~ 55 Hrs NC Off ~ 65 Hrs FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit NC ON ~ 50 Hrs NC Off ~ 55 Hrs FLAC 192 kHz/24 bit NC ON ~ 40 Hrs NC Off ~ 45 Hrs DSD 2.8224 MHz/1 bit NC ON ~ 29 Hrs NC Off ~ 31 Hrs DSD 5.6448 MHz/1 bit NC ON ~ 24 Hrs NC Off ~ 26 Hrs
Bluetooth Streaming	MP3 128 kbps SBC (Connection) ~ 22 hours FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit LDAC (Standard) ~11 hours	MP3 128 kbps SBC (Connection) ~ 11 hours FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit LDAC (Standard) ~ 8.5 hours	MP3 128 kbps SBC (Connection) ~ 25 hours FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit LDAC (Standard) ~ 14 hours	MP3 128 kbps SBC (Connection) ~ 45 hours FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit LDAC (Standard) ~ 28 hours
Headphone practical maximum output (JEITA 16Ω/mW)	50mW+50mW (3.5mm) 230mW+230mW (Balanced)	50mW+50mW (3.5mm) 200mW+200mW (Balanced)	50mW+50mW (3.5mm) 200mW+200mW (Balanced)	15mW + 15mW

The NW-ZX100 only has a 3.5mm output so it did not have much output. In fact the new NW-A300 has more output than the ZX100. The new ZX700 ups the balanced output even more than the previous models, approaching the WM1M2 models.

Although I suspect that the European models are volume capped again, since if the WM1M2 models are, so is the new ZX700 and A300. This is a shame, and I would highly recommend importing a model if you are able to or buying one overseas if you are on vacation/business trip.

That is all for the comparison, I will do a deeper dive into the ZX700 in a separate post.