New portable cassette player comes loaded with modern features like Bluetooth, USB-C, and a rechargeable battery
This $90 old media format player from Maxell Japan has sold out quickly.
Maxell Japan has launched a portable ‘Walkman’ cassette player, but this retro audio tech is boosted by modern convenience. The new Maxell MXCP-P100 (h/t Liliputing) looks a lot like the old Sony, Aiwa, Panasonic, and other cassette players which were popular personal music accessories in the 1990s. However, it adds useful new 2020s standard features like Bluetooth (v5.4) and a rechargeable battery that connects to a USB Type-C charger you probably already own.
It is quite surprising to see a new cassette Walkman launched in 2025. The Maxell product page might capably answer questions about the product, its abilities, and specifications - but it doesn’t really address why it reckons launching such a product in 2025 is a good idea.
In the west, Maxell was best known for its tape and disc media, not player hardware. So, that’s another surprise about this announcement. However, it is good to see that some thought has been put into the player mechanism.
There has been talk of very limited audio cassette mechanism availability in recent years, not surprisingly, and the only remaining producers aren’t supposed to sell stellar quality components. Thus, it is good to see Maxell directly address mechanism quality. It says that the new MXCP-P100 includes a brass flywheel that “reduces rotational irregularities and provides high quality sound.”
Some other key features of this portable cassette player are its battery life – it is claimed the rechargeable battery lasts nine hours using wired headphones, or seven with an active Bluetooth connection. A USB charging cable comes in the box.
The device is quite portable at 210g, which is lighter than many modern smartphones. You will have to add the weight of a cassette tape(s) to the carry weight, too. Maxell’s MXCP-P100 measures 122 x 91 x 38mm.
If you buy this for the Bluetooth headphone/speaker connectivity, you might still be pleased with the 3.5mm headphone jack, as a backup.
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Maxell sells this new cassette player for ¥13,000 in Japan – roughly equivalent to $90 today. It has sold out, at the time of writing. That might sound like a remarkable success for this old/new tech, but we have no idea about how many Maxell put up for sale in its initial batch.
We await TDK’s response.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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punkncat Really surprised that market research would indicate and audience for something of this age. These were obsolete long before many folks were born. I could not say the last time I saw a cassette tape (blank) available, but at the same time I haven't been looking either.Reply -
JeffreyP55 Reply
Horrible audio. Might as well bring back 4 & 8 track players. Three awful formats can be yours!Admin said:Maxell Japan has launched a portable ‘Walkman’ cassette player, but its retro audio tech is boosted by modern convenience.
New portable cassette player comes loaded with modern features like Bluetooth, USB-C, and a rechargeable battery : Read more -
Findecanor There will always be people wanting to play back old formats, if only for conversion to digital files.Reply
I hope the USB interface supports digital audio transfers and control, and isn't just for charging.
Techmoan on Youtube has tested a bunch of recently manufactured cassette players ... but most of them have had the same Chinese-made mechanism and the quality has not been very good.
I hope that this one has something better. -
USAFRet Reply
Glomming on to the resurgence of vinyl records.punkncat said:Really surprised that market research would indicate and audience for something of this age. -
Rob1C This is a new product: https://www.maxell.jp/consumer/mxcp-p100.htmlReply
Japanese Manual: https://www.maxell.jp/consumer/assets/pdf/mpcp-p100_manual.pdf
They already make a Cassette/CD FM/AM player recorder: https://www.maxell.jp/consumer/mxcr-100.html
Both sold to a limited Japanese market -
wakuwaku ReplyIn the west, Maxell was best known for its tape and disc media, not player hardware.
You mean best known to old people. You would more likely find people in general know Maxell more for their button batteries, something that they still produce to this very day. -
TerryLaze Reply
No no, old people would think that they make coffee.wakuwaku said:You mean best known to old people. You would more likely find people in general know Maxell more for their button batteries, something that they still produce to this very day. -
Dr3ams I bought my first portable tape player in 1983. I was in the Air Force and at the BX I saw this Sony Walkman (WM-R2) that was all silver and had dual microphones...I had to have it.Reply
I think I still have it in a box somewhere in the basement. -
TerryLaze Reply
Dual headphones, one mic.Dr3ams said:dual microphones...
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