01 Jan 10 Most Popular Digital Pianos – REVIEW 2024 | $500 to $6,000
By: Professor Tim
10 Most Popular Digital Pianos – REVIEW | Jan 2024 | Under $1000 to $6,000 | LOWER PRICE HERE | Kawai CA501, Kawai ES920, Kawai CN201, Casio PX-870, Casio PX-S3100, Korg G1 Air, Roland HP704, Yamaha CLP-745, Yamaha CLP-765GP, and Casio GP-310.
This Review & Report has been personally researched by myself, Professor Tim, and I have personally played and inspected all of the digital pianos in this review for the 10 most popular digital pianos in 2024.
This list of digital pianos is not determined by price range but instead is determined purely by popularity and quality based on our research and findings with actual digital piano owners. There are a lot of good digital pianos in the market right now and you could enjoy playing many of them. But there are certain digital pianos that just really “stand out” because they offer things other pianos in their price ranges just don’t offer that we consider to be important for people making their piano buying decision.
Kawai CA501 Digital Piano – Review
$3999 internet price | Satin rosewood, satin black, satin white
The CA501 has received a position in the “Top 10 Most Popular” list for 2 main reasons, although they are not the only reasons…its key action and piano sound.
It is the only brand to have proprietary 12″ long wooden piano keys in its piano weighted/graded key action which is called “Grand Feel Compact.” Not only that, the keys are naturally more balanced and move more like a grand piano as opposed to an upright piano than any other brand or model of furniture cabinet digital piano in this general price range.
Most of the other digital pianos out there around $2500 to $4000 have piano keys that are made of the standard plastic implex material and the white keys measure no more than 9″ long and many are 7″ or 8″ long. That’s certainly OK but having a longer wooden white key is even better. The visible portion of the white key on all acoustic & digital pianos is actually 6″ in length but it’s the other part of that key length which is behind the visible key behind the control panel or key cover that is also part of the entire key length.
That is what I am talking about when I talk about a key length measurement…it’s the entire key (what you can see and what you cannot see). The CA501 white keys are 12″ long which is much longer and more life-like than any other brand or model in its price range. In fact, when we played this CA501 model we found it to be the most life-like playing experience we have had on any furniture cabinet digital piano near or under $4000 and we can see why people love this model for that reason alone.
The key action on this model also has the most “fluid” touch in this price range with a down-weight force measurement of just 54 grams whereas many other digital piano key actions are noticeably heavier in touch/resistance, especially when playing more lightly and softly, and this can easily cause finger and hand fatigue and make it uncomfortable to play. Most real full size acoustic grand pianos have a touch weight of about 55 grams on average (when measured on middle C), so the CA501 is very close.
This is not true for most other digital piano key actions and in fact some of them have a whopping 85 to 90 grams of touch weight (such as a couple of the Yamaha Arius and Clavinova models) which is very heavy. They are not near as enjoyable to play in our opinion because of the heaviness of the keys that can cause hand, wrist, and finger fatigue.
On the Kawai CA501 the stereo acoustic piano sound samples are very realistic and organic in nature, especially through its 100 watt surround sound internal speaker system. The pedaling is responsive and the digital features of this newer model are also impressive for the price. The cabinet looks good too with its traditional furniture cabinet design, front support legs, and cabinet color options.
With a more life-like key action, convincing stereo sampled piano sound, Kawai high fidelity 4-speaker, 100 watt internal sound system, and grand pedaling response along with the other features such as Bluetooth audio wireless streaming and a variety of useful MIDI & Audio recording options, at its relatively low price this model definitely deserves to be in the Top 10 Most Popular List.
Kawai ES920 Digital Piano – REVIEW
$1899 price (not incl stand or triple pedal) – satin black, satin white
We’re not trying to be repetitive here as far as brand goes, but Kawai has a portable digital piano that we like very much which is also affordable for many people. The ES920 is in the “Top 10 Most Popular” list for 3 main reasons …its key action, acoustic quality piano sound, and internal speaker system.
The ES920 also has an available optional furniture stand and furniture triple pedal-bar that you can get for it which then makes this model look more like a small piano but which puts out a very big sound.
The ES920 speaker system has a total of 40 watts of power along with an internal enclosed bass port which makes the ES920 sound big and full with great bass response and lots of resonance. The digital functions and features inside the ES920 includes and intuitive large OLED user digital interface screen and a number of impressive features including Bluetooth audio and Bluetooth MIDI wireless connectivity. There is a good amount of user hardware connectivity for inputs and outputs that can connect with external devices and external sound systems.
Kawai ES920 control panel
The ES920 is especially popular because not only does it have Kawai’s expressive fast movement triple sensor key action, but it has a much more authentic piano sound than its competition for portable digital pianos under or even above $2000, and I have played them all. That’s why people like this piano so much; it plays more like a real piano, sounds more like a real piano, has pedaling response more like a real piano, has a powerful high quality internal speaker system to project the sound better, it looks good, and its portable at just 37 lbs of weight.
If you prefer a digital piano near or under $2000 that is more portable but yet powerful, the newer ES920 may be the perfect digital piano for you.
Casio PX-870 Digital Piano
Casio PX-870 Digital Piano – REVIEW
$1199 internet price | matte black, matte walnut, matte white
The PX-870 is part of this list because its piano sound and key action is so amazing for its low price. Most digital pianos in this price range have a fairly weak internal speaker system with somewhere between 12-16 watts of power going through 2 speakers.
The Casio PX-870 has 40 watts of power going through 4 speakers and the piano also includes a speaker projection system which allows the stereo piano sound to filter out the top of the piano giving you a multi-positional listening experience.
The key action has triple -sensor electronics with 256-note polyphony power and the key action is weighted and graded more natural than any other other brands and models in this price range. Even the furniture cabinet is designed nicely but is compact enough to fit into small spaces.
With audio wav file recording ability, USB flash drive playback capability, and a very cool proprietary remote controller app called “Casio Music Space,” for $1199 this piano has actually become the #1 most popular digital piano under $1200 out of all makes and models based on all the surveys we have taken and experience we have had with all of these digital pianos.
It made the Top 10 list because no one else has anything like it in this price range for a furniture cabinet digital piano. If you want to know more about this very popular model then read our review at the following link: Casio PX-870 Review
Yamaha CSP-275 Digital Piano – REVIEW
$5699 matte black | $6299 polished ebony
This model is in the “Top 10 Most Popular” list because it is the only fully technology driven digital piano that is nearly 100% operated by a proprietary app called Smart Pianist developed by Yamaha and Apple. This piano (along with its more basic brother the CSP-255) is really at the cutting edge of digital piano technology and does things that no other digital piano can do regardless of brand and model.
Hundreds of incredible functions and features all hidden within this app that you download from the iOS app store and it can connect and run the CSP-170 from your iPad color touch screen in a very intuitive way using the iOS operating system. Impressive graphics and user functionality gives this piano the ability to do things that no other digital piano can touch.
Apart from the app, the CSP-275 is a stand-alone piano with big beautiful rich piano tone recorded in stereo from a Yamaha concert grand and a Bosendorfer concert grand from Vienna, Austria. With its big and powerful internal sound system and the more advanced Yamaha wood-key key action, this piano made it on the list because it’s really interactive in ways that allows you to make and learn music you really cannot do on other digital pianos.
It’s extremely popular and many people have purchased one since it has been out on the market for only a short time. So if you want one then you should get it because you definitely cannot go wrong with this new impressive model. For more info on this the CSP-275 (and its lower priced brother the CSP-255), please go to the following link and read our more detailed review: Yamaha CSP-275 Review
Casio PX-S3100 Digital Piano
Casio PX-S3100 Digital Piano | REVIEW
$879 internet price (furniture stand and triple pedal optional)
This model is one of the most unique and exciting “portable digital pianos” under $1000 right now in our opinion. This piano does many musical things in so many ways that it is really quite amazing. From being able to operate on 6 AA batteries and weighing in at just 25 lbs, it can be a piano or a band. and it’s only limited to your imagination.
It has an interactive recording studio, full orchestral instruments, vintage electric pianos, pipe organs, rock and jazz organs, pro synths, classical guitars, or whatever you want it to be including having a pro drummer at your side who sounds like he has an expensive drum kit. the PX-S3100 pretty much does it all and with a new piano key action and stereo sound chip that is impressive in this price range considering all the other features it has.
It also has a special proprietary app developed by Casio which is the Remote controller “Casio Music Space” and with the PX-S3100 this app is expanded to handle literally hundreds of features within the piano in a very intuitive and interactive way from your tablet color touch screen so it makes controlling the PX-S3100 super fun and easy. Also, for the first time in any portable digital piano there are no selector buttons on the control panel…only a flat surface with digital touch sensor buttons embedded in the control panel which cannot be seen when the power is off.
In other words, it looks like the screen of an iPad or mobile phone in the sense that it is a flat shiny black surface when no powered on. Very elegant in appearance and has a 3D piano sound coming through its internal speakers when you play, the PX-S3100 is another digital piano monster and is literally smoking its competition right now and Casio cannot get enough of them to satisfy demand.
For more detailed info on this popular portable digital piano please read our more detailed review at the following link: Casio PX-S3100/PX-S1100 review.
Yamaha CLP-745 Digital Piano
Yamaha CLP-745 Digital Piano
$3799 internet price for matte black, matte rosewood, matte dark walnut, matte white | $4199 internet price for polished ebony
This newer digital piano is called the Yamaha Clavinova CLP-745 and is redesigned and upgraded from the previous model with new and improved responsive key action movement more like a real piano along with improved stereo grand piano sounds with more natural organic content including new acoustic resonances and natural mechanical action noise that you would hear in a real acoustic piano.
The internal sound system has been noticeably upgraded from 100 watts to 200 watts total power going through 4 high definition amps and speakers so the piano sound is more “present” the sound is directed towards the player like you would hear in a real acoustic piano if you were sitting in front of it.
The CLP-745 has 16-track multi-track recording and playback so that you can create a fully arranged multi-track song if you would like to do that. It has audio wav file recording, Bluetooth wireless audio and MIDI connectivity, stereo drum rhythm patterns with a “live” bass player for rhythmic performance, additional high quality instrumental sounds such as beautiful strings, organs, harpsichords, etc, sound layering and splitting, and a number of other useful and fun features that make this impressive new piano an instrument that you can keep for many years, regardless of your playing skill level.
We recommend this new model to anyone looking for a quality digital piano that they can keep for a very long time and that has advanced technology that will allow you and/or your family to grow into it instead of grow out of it…it is that good for its relatively low price. The cabinet is nicely designed with attractive color options and this model has a 5 year in-home factory warranty. If you want more info then look at our review on all the Yamaha Clavinova models at the following link: Yamaha Clavinova Digital Piano Review 2024
Korg G1 Air Digital Piano Rosewood
Korg G1B Air Digital Piano
$1999 internet price | Matte black, Brown-Rosewood, White
Korg has always been known for their pro stage digital pianos and keyboards and musicians from around the world use Korg digital pianos on stage in big concert events. Korg is a well known Japanese music instrument company who has designing and producing cutting edge music products fro decades. I have also use Korg stage pianos professionally including their popular Korg Kronos as well as past Korg pianos and pro keyboards called Triton along with their original M1 which many bands still use today.
The G1 Air home digital piano gets on this list because at just $1999 when you play this compact piano you’ll be amazed how much it sounds like a huge baby grand piano when you are sitting in front of it and playing your favorite music. The G1 Air has a big 80 watts of power going through four separate amplifiers which powers four separate speakers with two of them being housed in a tuned enclosed speaker box chamber and positioned towards the player. No other digital piano under $2500 has an internal speaker system like this one.
The G1 Air has 3 distinct grand piano sound samples including Steinway, Bosendorfer, and Yamaha Grand Pianos, and when you play the responsive key action and hear those stereo piano sounds come through its powerful 80 watt, four speaker system, the way it can make you feel is pretty amazing. With its big bass response and lots of clarity in the treble range along with a powerful system that really makes you feel you’re in front of a grand piano, we think you’ll be impressed.
The G1 Air is also on this list because it’s relatively small & compact with a designer cabinet and focuses on mainly one thing…being the best digital piano available at $1999 which focuses on the “piano playing experience.” Korg has certainly succeeded in this way.
Yes, you can spend more money to get an equivalent digital piano in terms of the piano sound and key action, but you’d need to be closer to $2500 to do that. Congratulations to Korg in making this list and producing an outstanding digital piano. To learn more about Korg pianos go to the following link and read our review: Korg Digital Piano Review
Roland HP704 Digital Piano
Roland HP704 Digital Piano – REVIEW
$2899 store discount price in matte finishes and $3499 in polished ebony
The Roland company produces some very nice digital pianos for home use in a variety of cabinet styles and colors.With lots of interactive digital features, 100’s of instrument sounds, recording functions, interactive apps, and other cool stuff, this model is impressive and it offers an impressive piano playing experience in a an attractive cabinet.
Selling at $2899 store discount price plus tax in the matte finishes at local Roland piano stores, the Roland HP704 or another of the Roland HP and LX models might be the right pianos for you To learn more about Roland digital pianos go to our review at the following link: Roland HP704 Review
Casio GP-310 Digital Piano
Casio GP-310 Digital Piano – REVIEW
$4299 internet price | Satin black or satin white
The Casio GP-310 Grand Hybrid has been out for a couple years and has become very popular with people who play at all skill levels but also for for advanced pianists, so we had to add it to the Top 10 list. Since the Popular Digital Pianos on this list are really NOT in a particular order because they all made the list for their own reasons, the Casio GP-310 is very unique among this “most popular” list of digital pianos.
This is because the GP-310 is the only digital piano that has the longest all-wooden keys (white keys are 16″ long) and plays more like a real grand piano than the others along with having actual individual moving composite hammers that go up and down like a real grand piano, which no other brand has in its price range. These proprietary moving hammers are made out of resin so they will hold up over time and those moving hammers give the key action a counter balance and weight that is very impressive and quite responsive.
Casio GP-310 moving hammers and wood keys
The GP-310 comes in a larger, very attractive furniture cabinet with a big internal 100 watt sound system 256-note polyphony stereo stereo sampled grand piano sound, and a nice array of features and functions that make it a good choice.This piano has 3 distinct grand piano sounds including Steinway, Bosendorfer, and Bechstein from Germany.
It also has a music library full of concert instrumental classical music that you can interact with by playing along using the piano sounds. When you compare it with what Yamaha, Roland, and Kawai has in this price range the GP-310 really holds its own and offers an especially good piano playing experience at a very reasonable price.
In fact, I personally like it as much if not more (in certain ways) than what the other brands have to offer in this price range especially in terms of a realistic, responsive grand piano style key action. You definitely need to put this model on your list of options if you have the budget for this price range. For more info on Casio digital pianos please go to the following link: Casio Digital Piano Review
Yamaha CLP-765GP digital grand piano
Yamaha CLP-765GP digital grand piano – REVIEW
2024 model $5999 in polished ebony, $6800 in polished white
The popular Yamaha Clavinova CLP-765GP mini grand is really great looking instrument and a good size at 45″ deep. It has enough depth to look more authentic without taking up too much space. This model has a matching black interior for the polished ebony version and a matching white interior for the polished white version.
The CLP765GP has an all new, faster touch key action action than in previous models so that improvement is very welcome and I am glad that Yamaha made the key action have a quicker, better response because it makes it so much more enjoyable to play.
The internal audio system is much more powerful than before and went up from 73 watts of power in the previous model to 184 watts of power in this model. The 4 amplifier, 4 speaker system really generates a big, bold piano sound using new Yamaha and Bosendorfer grand piano samples to generate a fuller, more resonant piano tone.
This newer model also has longer and more effective sustained tones when holding down the keys for longer periods of time or using the sustain/damper pedal. The main reason why people purchase this model is for the looks (of course) but also for a more authentic piano playing experience.
The key action is definitely not a “grand piano” key action because that type of key action would require longer length wooden keys and the CLP-765GP has the standard length plastic keys. But the way in which the CLP-765GP keys move is the key to how much playing satisfaction you will get from this model and I can tell you the keys feel good to play, move quickly and are not overly heavy like you might find in other brands and also in previous Yamaha models which had the heavier keys.
So with regard to the all important key action, Yamaha has made some notable improvements which I like very much.
There are enough digital features in the Yamaha CLP-765GP to make playing all styles of music very enjoyable including Bluetooth wireless connectivity, drum rhythm patterns that help with rhythm and timing and make playing music more fun, a 16-track digital recorder that can help you learn how to record and arrange music with multiple parts being played one at a time and then all played back simultaneously.
There are also 36 instrument sounds on board so that you can playing all types of music and even combine any 2 instruments together as a layer or split any 2 sounds with one on the left hand and one on the right hand.
With a fairly intuitive user interface display screen with buttons underneath to access features or just being able to press a couple of grand piano default buttons so that you can instantly play grand piano sounds, the CLP-765GP seems like it can handle just about anything musical you throw at it.
I have played it many times and have also used the Yamaha Smart Pianist app with it so that I can not only control the piano features from my iPad, but I can see musical notation on the iPad display screen from the built in song library in the CLP-765GP as well as download iTunes MP3 audio files so that I can get and see instant chord recognition and play my iTune MP3 songs from the Yamaha Smart Pianist software app. You can really do some very cool musical things that way.
We do recommend this newer model CLP-765GP but right now they have been more difficult to get from Yamaha because of worldwide ongoing product shortages to to computer chip shortages They do come in sporadically, but in very small quantities. If you decide you want one then we recommend you don’t wait. Get your order in very soon (we can tell you how to get even lower prices) so that you can get one sooner instead of later!
“Bonus digital piano” – under $650 – Korg B2SP Digital Piano – REVIEW
$649 (after $100 instant rebate) in matte black or matte white package with the stand & triple pedal included | We call this a “bonus digital piano” because this model would make it #11 in this popular digital piano report and review.
We added the Korg B2SP to this category because because of its simplicity and ability to reproduce an impressive piano playing experience digital piano in a lower price range under $650 with a complete furniture stand and triple pedal. The closest portable digital piano under $650 that rivals the Korg B2SP for piano playability is the newer Casio PX-S1100 at $699, but the furniture stand and triple pedal are an extra cost on that model which brings the total price to above $950 for the Casio PX-S1100.
We have heard all of the digital pianos under $750 and many (but not all) of them sound like “toys” compared to the newer Korg B2SP. This model is simple to use, looks great, is lightweight at only 25 lbs of weight, easy to carry around if needed, but offers an impressive piano playing experience for its price along with USB audio streaming technology.
Korg is known for its pro line of stage digital pianos and keyboards and took some very expensive stage piano technology and put it in this very inexpensive model and made it sound and play great through its powerful internal speaker system with wider dynamic tonal range and expression than many others.
The B2SP has become so popular that it’s literally “flying off the shelves,” so to speak. For a detailed review of this newer piano please check out a full review that we have on this web site at the following link:Korg B2 Review
Lower price than Amazon or Internet
