In a way, we’re kind of in a new golden era in the piano industry these days, especially with regard to how realistic digital pianos have become. The amount of high-quality, convincing options with great piano sound available for under $1,500 is truly remarkable.
Today, we’re going to go through our essential list of the best digital pianos available for under $1,500.
Best Digital Pianos: Brands & Models
For people who are already familiar with our site and YouTube channel, you’re likely to recognize most of these models on our list. On the other hand, for people who are completely new to the whole piano universe and have perhaps just browsed Amazon so far, this should be a helpful lay of the land in this popular price range.
Roland
Roland easily makes the list of manufacturers that have a strong presence in this part of the market, and really, the entire market as a whole.
Our resident piano reviewer and company President Stu Harrison is of course a huge Roland fan and even gigs on an RD-2000. In this price range, there are two big reasons why Roland’s models – the RP102, FP-10 and FP-30X – stand out.
Roland’s PHA4 Action
The first is definitely with regard to the key actions. All three of the above-mentioned models use probably the best digital keyboard piano action available in this price range – Roland’s PHA-4 hammer action.
The PHA4 features things like a triple sensor for accuracy, escapement, and a nicely textured keytop – all hallmarks of actions found on models twice the price of the models we’re looking at here.
Bluetooth Connectivity
The second reason Roland really stands out for this price point is their solid integration with apps via Bluetooth connectivity. Bluetooth connectivity gives the user fast and seamless connection to a smart device where many free and highly useable apps are present.
Roland’s own apps also greatly expand the functionality of both the FP-30X and RP102. Now a little more on the specific models.
Roland FP-10
With the FP line in general, you’re looking at a set of well-built, portable, and versatile digital pianos. The FP-10, in particular, is one of the lowest cost, highest value instruments on the market as you’re essentially getting a PHA-4 action wrapped around a very compact case.
It’s lightweight, easy to transport, easy to use, and still includes Bluetooth MIDI.
The SuperNATURAL sound engine is very solid, and there’s 96-note polyphony to work with, which is just plenty for solo piano playing.
The speaker system itself is a bit underpowered, but some sacrifices have to be made given the price that an FP-10 can be had for.
Roland FP-30X
Moving up to the FP-30X (recently replaced the Roland FP-30), which basically takes everything already great about the FP-10 and simply adds more.
A huge upgrade is the addition of discrete quarter-inch output jacks, which makes the FP-30X a truly viable option for gigging musicians.
Bluetooth Audio gets added to the mix in addition to Bluetooth MIDI, the speakers are much more powerful, and Roland adds their BMC chip which takes the sound quality to a whole new level, expands the polyphony to a staggering 256 notes and delivers a wonderful grand piano tone, electric piano sounds and stable of other tones as well.
Roland RP102
The RP102 is a perennial favorite that Roland has had around for several years now, but it’s still delivering a lot of value to the marketplace. The PHA4 is again present, but in this case, you’re also given a nice cabinet with an integrated triple pedal unit.
On-board features are limited, but via Roland’s apps, the features greatly expand with tons of sounds and rhythms suddenly made available.
For many folks, the RP102 checked enough boxes that upgrading to the Roland F-140R just didn’t make sense.
Yamaha
No list of the best digital pianos in the sub $1,500 category is going to be complete without at least a couple of entries from Yamaha.
Yamaha is an industry juggernaut, and there are some super popular options on this list that are definitely worth considering.
There are two models that we’ve chosen to highlight today – the P125 which has been with us for a few years and has been one of the world’s best-selling portable digital pianos since its release, as well as the DGX-670, which is a new update to the DGX660.
Yamaha P125
The P125, the little sibling to the Yamaha P515, delivers a combination of features that were first to market and have since been adopted by other manufacturers.
For starters, the P125 is equipped with a built-in USB audio interface which allows you to send audio information directly to a DAW without additional gear.
Secondly, the P125 raised the bar with its excellent speaker system that really brings crisp, clear audio. Add in the great CFX sound engine, and the P125 is definitely one of the best-sounding portable options in the class.
Now, the FP-30X has probably objectively exceeded what the Yamaha P125 is offering since it’s a newer model, but the FP30X also costs more.
The GHS from Yamaha has been out for a long time and as such, is probably the most basic key action on our list, but it is still a serviceable graded hammer action and won’t be a detriment to a beginner.
Yamaha DGX-670
The DGX-670 is a very different beast from the P125. Both pianos use the same GHS action, but the DGX-670 is more of an arranger keyboard as opposed to a musical instrument geared towards solo piano playing like the P125.
Being essentially an arranger keyboard, the Yamaha DGX-670 comes with numerous recording capabilities, onboard auto-accompaniment and hundreds of sounds. It’s a completely different experience than the P125 overall.
The DGX-670, while being hypothetically portable, is likely to be found more in stationary situations since it’s quite heavy.
Other notable Yamaha options also worth exploring include the Arius series Yamaha YDP-144 and Yamaha YDP-164. The Clavinova series of digital instruments, while hugely popular, exceed the $1,500 price point.
Kawai
If Kawai is known for one thing at this price point, it’s going to be the quality of its acoustic piano tone. While their high-end digitals are known for their industry-leading keyboard actions, there’s no doubt that the biggest selling feature and point of value in this category is their sound engines.
There are four Kawai models we’re going to explore here – the KDP75 and KDP120 home digital pianos, along with the portable ES110 and ES520.
Kawai KDP75
The KDP75 is a home console digital piano, meaning it comes with a built-in stand, triple pedal, and Kawai also includes a free bench in the box. The KDP75 is a new update to the KDP70 and with that, they have improved the key action’s cushioning which enhances the playing experience.
They’ve also updated the core acoustic piano sample and improved on the polyphony. You can think of the KDP75 as a great alternative to the RP102 – a preference will come down to which combination of tone and touch speaks to you.
Kawai KDP120
The KDP120 replaced the critically acclaimed Kawai KDP110, and it maintains the killer 40-watt-rated amplifiers, which makes it one of the most powerful instruments on our list in terms of the sound system.
Like the KDP75, the KDP120 also received an upgraded action with improved cushioning with the new RHCII action. This is another triple sensor action with nicely textured keytops that is only bested by Roland’s PHA4 on our list.
The well-regarded PHI sound engine offers a stunning rendition of the Shigeru Kawai SK-EX real acoustic piano. While both the KDPs are a little light on other features, the focus here is on the home piano experience, especially with regard to sound.
Kawai ES110
Kawai’s ES line matches up against the Roland FP line and Yamaha P series. The ES110 has been around since 2017, but it still delivers Bluetooth MIDI, really strong speaker performance, and 88-note individual samples on the EX Concert Grand with a quarter-inch line out.
All in all, the ES110 is functional, lightweight, easy to play, and provides killer acoustic piano tone in a small package with a respectable, dual sensor action.
Kawai ES520
The ES520 is a newer release from Kawai that represents a step up from the ES110 but still costs quite a bit less than the professional level ES920.
For people who are looking for a much beefier speaker performance, a more substantial tone chip with a wider variety of different sounds, and an improved triple sensor action experience, you’ll want to check out this ES520.
You can think of it as a deluxe version of the ES110 with virtually every aspect upgraded.
Casio
Casio has the most entries on our list with a total of 5. This isn’t to say that we like Casio any better than the other manufacturers, but it speaks to the fact that this category is Casio’s bread and butter, even if they’ve expanded all the way to the high-end market, especially with their Celviano grand hybrids, in recent years.
Casio Privia PX770 and PX870
The Casio Privia PX line is an absolute mainstay for the home digital piano category.
The PX770 and PX870 are very similar but serve up slightly different offerings. The PX770 is probably most comparable with the Kawai KDP75, while the Casio PX870 matches up against the KDP120.
The big difference from the 770 to the 870 is that the 870 has a nicer cabinet, and features a 4-speaker system with a killer 40 watts of power. The power output is the same as the KDP110, but the addition of the two extra speakers provides better upper partial harmonics.
Compared to the Kawai models overall, the Casio options don’t have quite the same level of tonal complexity. On the other hand, the Casio’s do cost less than their Kawai counterparts and feature tri sensor actions, so the value that Casio brings is undeniable.
Casio PX-S1100 & PX-S3100
Casio’s portable PX-S1100 and PX-S3100 are also very popular in this price range. Both have really sleek-looking cabinets and are slim and very lightweight.
The 1100 emphasizes piano tone while the 3100 is almost a full-fledged stage piano with easily assignable knobs, a couple of modulation wheels and an enormous number of onboard sounds, all of which are remarkably high quality (especially the synthesizers).
Both pianos have a very solid set of speakers, as well as Bluetooth MIDI and Audio connectivity. Even though the actions use a dual sensor, the touch sensitivity is still very good due to some new smart technology from Casio.
Casio CDP-S350
The final model on the Casio end is the CDP-S350. This is a very interesting little beast as they’ve essentially taken the content of the PX-S3100 and put it in a more simple frame, with less complex processing power.
The sound is lower fidelity than the S-3100, as is the polyphony and the action is simplified, but otherwise, this is a feature-heavy instrument with 700 sounds for a very affordable price.
For people who are looking for a low-cost, super high-value, all-around performer, the CDP-S350 deserves a very long look.
Korg
Our final mention is going to be a bit of a general rundown on Korg. Now here on the channel, we haven’t done many Korg digital keyboard piano reviews, but we nonetheless have great respect for the company.
The lines to take a look at in this category are the SP and LP lines. The SP series tends to be on the portable side, while the LP series has quite a bit of resemblance to Roland’s old F-140r or even to Casio PX-770 or 870.
Final Thoughts
We really hope that this has been a helpful roundup and some top-level broad strokes about some of the best digital pianos to keep an eye on in the under $1,500 class.
Some of the models we’ve discussed are more entry-level, while others would be considered more mid-range options.
It’s an exciting time to be a piano shopper with more quality options available now than ever before.
