Sony NWZ-B173

757 reviews

Dec, 2024

Positive
usability (181)
sound (150)
portability (77)
performance (66)
size (59)

Negative
reliability (19)
memory (5)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 757 reviews of Sony NWZ-B173. The average rating for this product is 4.0/5, compared to an average rating of 3.9/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Reviewers are impressed by the price and portability. The size and sound also get good opinions, but the memory and reliability get critical reviews. Opinions are divided on the headphones.

usability, sound, size, portability, price

reliability, memory

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Sony NWZ-B173 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 89/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 757 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(42% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (34% of reviews)
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Features

usability
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sound
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size
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portability
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price
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Showing 339 review(s)

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Showing 1 - 124 of 339 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (418)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Sony NWZ-B173

alaTest has collected and analyzed 20 user reviews of Sony NWZ-B173 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.3/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Views about the price and design are overall positive. The size and sound are also appreciated, but the reliability and durability get negative comments.

usability, sound, size, design, price

durability, reliability

65% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Sony NWZ-B173

alaTest has collected and analyzed 94 user reviews of Sony NWZ-B173 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.4/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.8/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the size and price. The portability and sound also get good feedback, but many are negative about the reliability.

usability, sound, portability, price, size

reliability

91% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Dec, 2024

Expert review by : Andrew Williams (trustedreviews.com)

Sony NWZ-B173

A ciggie lighter-sized MP3 player with 4GB of internal memory and just 27g of weight.

Fast charging ; Light ; Decent design

Non-expandable memory ; No radio ; Occasionally tricky nav wheel

4GB edition costs around the same - and can hack lossless files, has a radio and expandable memory. However, the Sony offers 10 hours more battery life off a charge - 18, rather than eight. Along with the player itself, the NWZ-B173 comes with a pair...

Apr, 2012

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Expert review by : Matt Hanson (techradar.com)

Sony Walkman NWZ-B173 review

A slight return from the former king of portable music

Very portable ; Quick charge ; Good sound quality ; Cheap price ; Built-in USB

Not the easiest to navigate ; Zap mode is annoying

Small and discrete, but still a very good MP3 player.

Apr, 2012

Partner Source

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Expert review by : paul_smart (gadgetspeak.com)

Sony Walkman NWZ-B173

It's been a while since I have looked at an MP3 player rather than an iPod. It is also a nice small unit that is smaller than most of course size and weight mean the display is tiny in comparison to some units but this is from Sony.

The Sony Walkman NWZ-B173 measures 8.5x2x1.3cm and it weighs just 27grams. Perhaps the biggest thing in its favour is that you can plug the USB connection (remove the cap of the unit) into a PC it is read as a drive and then you just Drag and Drop...

May, 2012

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Expert review by : Naaptol (naaptol.com)

Expert Review

All in all NWZ-B173F MP3 player serves as a true companion for music lovers and wins our heart with its various enthralling features and trouble free design.

Apr, 2012

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Expert review by : Dave Oliver (wired.co.uk)

Sony Walkman B-series NWZ-B173 review

It's been a very long time since Walkman was the buzzword in portable audio, but Sony has refused to let it die, andkeeps polishing up elements of its range on a regular basis. This,the new B-series model, is the latest to target Apple's iPodshuffle.

Good looking, compact music player, three-minute charge time (90mins playback)

Flashing LED can be annoying, no radio

It's a well-featured player for the price, compact and easy touse. The Zappin technology seems a bit pointless, and it would havebeen nice to have an FM radio on board, but the three-minute chargeis a useful feature. If you don't want a cheap iPod,...

Feb, 2012

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