The joy of specs: Sony X-Series vs Apple iPod Touch
Can Sony wrestle back the MP3 player crown or will Apple spit pips at the X-Series?
It’s the showdown we’ve all been waiting for. Two of the biggest heavyweights in the gadget world going head to head, as Sony attempts to wrestle back its music crown from Apple. Oh yes, it’s the spec smackdown between the Sony X-Series Walkman and the Apple iPod Touch…
Music, sweet music Walkmans have always had a better rep for sound quality than iPods and the X-Series is no different. But Sony has gone beyond the call of duty and built in noise cancellation too. There’s also processing to actually improve sound quality. A clever technique adds details to compressed music formats like MP3 – think audio upscaling and you’re not far wrong. Winner: Sony Walkman X-Series
Size matters (part 1) Both the X-Series and Touch come in 16GB and 32GB flavours, however, the Touch gets the vote here for the added third option. And interestingly, it’s a lower size: an 8GB version for the cash-strapped. Winner: Apple iPod Touch
Size matters (part 2) If you’re measuring this on screen size alone, the iPod Touch wins hands down. At 3.5inches, its screen is half an inch bigger than the X-Series’. That said, the X-Series has walked a fine line between size and portability – it’s still a neat package, and there’s something to be said for its small form factor compared to the much wider iPod touch. Winner: Apple iPod Touch
Display the way The X-Series Walkman’s offering is small, sure, but it’s also ultra-bright and beautiful – if you’re planning to gorge yourself on album artwork, or squint at mobile movies its quality just squeaks past the iPod. Shame the X-Series will only support MPEG-4 and H.264 video files with resolutions up to QVGA 320×240. That means vids will have those horrible black bars down the side. Still, it’s a better screen than the iPod’s. Just. Winner: Sony Walkman X-Series
Battery flattery This one’s simple maths. The iPod Touch’s battery lasts 36 hours for audio and six hours for video. The X-Series, meanwhile, has a 33 hour battery life for audio and a nine hour life for video. Both add up to 42. Knew math would come in useful one day. Winner: Draw
Extras The second-gen iPod Touch includes Genius playlists and integrated Nike+ iPod. Not to mention the App Store. But, and it’s a big but, the X-Series Walkman has built-in digital noise cancellation, so you can ditch the battery boosted headphones. It’s close again. Too close in fact. This one’s a tie. Winner: Draw
And the winner is… In our opinion this one’s down to personal preference. Both are awesome pieces of gadgetry, boasting some sensational tech wizardry. If you want awesome audio, then plump for the X-Series. But if extras and aesthetics are your thing, plump for the Touch. Us? We’re going for both. Winner: Draw
User comments (2)
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sander03 December 2009
Anyone would want an ipod touch it's miles better
Report as inappropriateAndrew Micallef08 April 2010
I honestly think sander is wrong... Reason being that the 'S' in Sony stands for sound, and i must say, allthough the iPod Touch has an amazing display and a dedicated App store..... it just doesn't beat the breath-taking sound offered by Sony's Walkman series..... On the other hand the 'A' in Apple stands for Additives, like the tilt sensor, accelerometer and Apps, which, dont get me wrong, are AMAZING to say the least... but thats not what most people look for in an MP3/MP4 player, not to mention not being able to use the iPod Touch as a Mass-Storage device, which is another thing people like their MP3/MP4 player to be..... Therefore I conclude by saying..... If it is sound you are looking for and not things like amazing WiFi and Apps, Sony's X-Series Walkman wins hands down. If you are into Games and like having fun more than listening to music with your MP3/MP4 player and enjoy surfing the web with it, the Apple's iPod Touch wins hands down. Both have different target markets and therefore cannot be compared to the last detail.
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