# Sony Walkman Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/sony-walkman/ 16 people recommended Sony Walkman in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 20 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** More people criticize it than recommend it. Pocket players that play music without a phone, praised for compact, sturdy design and extras like AM radio; critics say newer Android-based models are slow and expensive. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. ## What people warn about - Slow boot and mediocre battery (3 comments in the sample): "It's bad. It takes a long time to boot, the battery life is mediocre, the UI is mainly lists of things" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49032711)) "It didn't really ever play at a constant speed and ate batteries like they were free." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46201800)) "It's bad. It takes a long time to boot, the battery life is mediocre" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46735249)) - Android-based clunky, awkward interface (3 comments in the sample): "they all just look like Android phones with extra buttons" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50158476)) "an intentionally awkward user experience for no purpose" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50159181)) "Sony's modern Walkman is an Android device. No thanks." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46739800)) - Too expensive for what it offers (3 comments in the sample): "That's around $600 - I think it fits into the OP's category of "some sort of enthusiast audiophile flac player thing that costs way too…" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49032089)) "Instead they come up with a $6000 Walkman type audio player." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50204699)) "300 for something with 30gb storage today is a joke" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49049146)) - Sony's past scandal and isolation (3 comments in the sample): "This scandal really showed what Sony thought of their customers, and it holds true to this day." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49155968)) "Sony obsessed over the isolation it was creating when it released the walkman" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48749390)) "Cable TV, Walkmans, and well, even just TVs in general are to blame." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49294722)) ## Why people recommend it - Compact, sturdy, well-engineered design (6 comments in the sample): "they would inevitably be tiny, sleek, yet beautifully engineered to still be easy to push/slide" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49029326)) "The last high-end Walkmans were beautifully crafted and barely bigger than the cassette inside" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46203435)) "There was plenty of solid design in the 90s. Look at the stuff Sony put out." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48046385)) - Plays music without a phone (3 comments in the sample): "I love mine. I have app pinning enabled in android so it’s completely locked to just my music app." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46741479)) "They’re nice for letting me experience music without having to have my phone with me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50159123)) "I do have a Sony Walkman (the new one) with a nice collection of music" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48931836)) - Nostalgic, iconic classic (3 comments in the sample): "I loved my Sony WM-10 back in the day." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46201687)) "The Walkman and Discman were iconic." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48239277)) "Walkman/disc man was my fav" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45832836)) - Extras like AM radio and SD (3 comments in the sample): "That is the decent player you're looking for. (It has an SD card slot." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49031785)) "Yes, still useful. I bought one specifically for the AM radio" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46827640)) "they didn't even make a 2-in-1, not even an AM/FM! i loved" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46201541)) ## Other portable music players people recommend - [Apple iPod](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ipod/): 72 recommend, 25 mixed, 26 criticize - [Sony MiniDisc player](https://hackerapproved.com/p/minidisc/): 24 recommend, 14 mixed, 12 criticize - [Apple iPod nano](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ipod-nano/): 14 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize - [Apple iPod Classic](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ipod-classic/): 13 recommend, 5 mixed, 3 criticize ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Sony Walkman", https://hackerapproved.com/p/sony-walkman/ (16 recommend, 3 mixed, 20 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 3 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.