The Sony NW-WM1ZM3 weighs about 670 g. The model it replaces weighs 490 g. That's a lot of extra metal to carry around for a music player, and Sony is charging for every gram of it: $5,899.99 in the US.
Sony announced three players this week. Alongside the Sony NW-WM1ZM3 are the Sony NW-WM1AM3 at $2,999.99 and the Sony NW-ZX900 at $1,899.99. All three run Android 16, and US preorders opened October 15.
What the money buys
The flagship has a gold-plated main chassis machined from 99.99% pure oxygen-free copper. This time the rear chassis is copper too, where the last generation used aluminium. Sony says the copper gives a more stable ground connection, and claims stronger bass, a wider soundstage and smoother highs. Those are Sony's claims, not measured results. Inside is Kimber Kable wiring borrowed from Sony's DMP-Z1 desktop player.
The Sony NW-WM1AM3 keeps an aluminium-alloy main chassis with a gold-plated copper rear. It has the same 5.5-inch Full HD screen, 128 GB of storage and a weight of about 425 g. The flagship has 256 GB.
The Sony NW-ZX900 is the practical one. It has a 5-inch screen, 64 GB, about 345 g, and a rated 40 hours of MP3 playback against 35 on the other two. Both of the bigger models list 250 mW per channel from the 4.4 mm balanced output, and the ZX900 matches that figure.
The price problem
One report says the Sony NW-WM1ZM3 costs almost £1,000 more than its predecessor. It also notes the previous model is now discounted to roughly $2,600. Taken at face value, you could buy the old flagship for less than half the new price. Sony's pitch is revised power circuitry, an updated noise shaper and DSD remastering that now works on streamed audio. That's real engineering, but it reads as a refinement, not a leap.
I'd skip the Sony NW-WM1ZM3 unless you're a collector or you already own the previous one and have money you can't find a use for. If you actually want a dedicated player for wired headphones, the Sony NW-ZX900 looks like the sane entry point, and a discounted last-generation unit may be saner still.
Check before you pay
Release details are messy. Sony Japan confirmed November 27, 2026, with prices of about ¥655,000, ¥347,000 and ¥215,000. Sony's US store reportedly estimates January 2027 deliveries, and one retailer listing shows December 7 for two models and January 12 for the flagship. Other outlets quote different prices for other regions, so confirm the figure for your country. Preorders aren't a reason to rush. If you want one, look at what the previous model costs right now and compare before you put down money.
Sources: The PC Enthusiast, Porta-Fi, Tech AI Wire, What Hi-Fi?, ASCII.jp, BTTR, Audiomatome
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Tech Trek is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Some links in this post may be affiliate links; if you buy something through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.