There’s no doubt about it: the Sony Walkman NWZ-A845 is a classy MP3 player. Unfortunately, its exceptional performance is more than reflected in its price.

At $399 for the 16GB model, the NWZ-A845 is considerably more expensive than its equivalent model from Apple, the 16GB iPod Nano - $150 more expensive, as a matter of fact. Its features and performance are on a par with the Nano, while sound quality is slightly better. Whether or not it’s $150-worth of better will be up to you to decide.

Price aside, this is a classy device from Sony - both in terms of looks and performance. It’s both slim and sexy, measuring in at under 8mm thick, and is finished in glossy black. It boasts an excellent 2.8-inch OLED display that handles photos and videos admirably.

Then there is the NWZ-A845’s audio quality. As mentioned above, it’s excellent. It features built-in noise-cancellation technology in three profiles: bus, plane and office. Each profile is customised for the unique noise conditions of that environment. You can also adjust the equaliser settings, depending on how much bass you like served with your music.

Battery life is also a significant improvement over the iPod Nano. Sony claims it’s capable of 29 hours of audio playback or eight hours of video off a single full charge. Unfortunately, the device can only be charged by hooking it up to a computer, and you can’t use it when it’s charging.

Buy a cheap MP3 player on sale in Australia

By Caroline Warnes