Guides
How to Choose a Digital Piano: A Step-by-Step Decision Guide
A practical method for choosing a digital piano without being swayed by voice counts and marketing names. It walks through the five decisions that matter, action, sound engine, polyphony, form factor and connectivity, in the order a buyer should make them, with the specific models on this site that fit each answer.
Decide on the keys first. Everything else can be added or adjusted later.
A digital piano's action cannot be upgraded, while speakers can be supplemented, sounds can be adjusted in an app and Bluetooth can be added with an adapter. Buyers who start with voice counts and features end up with a keyboard; buyers who start with the action end up with a piano. This guide puts the decisions in that order.
What You Need to Decide Before Shopping
Answer these five questions and the shortlist writes itself:
Who Will Play
A child in lessons, an adult returning, a songwriter or a performer each need different things.
How Serious
Casual playing tolerates compromises that formal study does not.
Where It Lives
A desk, a bedroom wall or a living room decides portable or console.
How You Listen
Headphones, built-in speakers or an external system changes what speaker power matters.
What It Connects To
Apps, a computer, a phone's music or a PA each need specific ports.
Step 1: Choose the Action
Start with the minimum: 88 keys and a hammer action. Semi-weighted keyboards such as the Korg Liano and Alesis Recital are fine for chords and songwriting but not for lessons, because they do not build the finger strength an acoustic piano needs. Within hammer actions, the useful distinctions are grading, so the bass keys weigh more than the treble; sensors, where three register fast repetition better than two; escapement or let-off, the grand's release notch at soft dynamics; and key surface, where textured tops grip better than smooth plastic. Compact actions in slim pianos, Yamaha's GHC and Casio's Smart Scaled, trade some leverage for depth. Full-depth actions such as Roland's PHA-4 Standard, Kawai's RHC and RHIII and Korg's RH3 feel closer to an acoustic. Wooden or hybrid keys, on the Kawai CA series, Casio AP-550 and Yamaha CP88, are the next step up. Try at least two in a store if you can; if you cannot, the reviews on this site compare each action against its rivals.
Key tips:
- Teachers almost always recommend a full-depth action such as Roland PHA-4 Standard for students
- A compact action is a fair trade if the piano must fit a desk or travel
- Escapement and counterweights matter most for advanced players; beginners will not miss them yet
Step 2: Choose the Sound Engine
Every current piano samples or models a real concert grand, so the question is character and depth rather than quality. Kawai samples all 88 keys of its SK-EX and EX grands and sounds warm and natural. Yamaha samples its CFX concert grand and sounds bright and focused, with Virtual Resonance Modeling on its mid and upper models. Roland's SuperNATURAL engine models tone continuously and responds to touch with exceptional smoothness, with a brighter default voice that its Piano Designer settings can warm. Casio's AiR engine is warm and full with string and damper resonance. Korg offers two contrasting grands even on its entry models. Listen on headphones, because that is how most practice happens, and prefer resonance modeling if you play pedal-heavy repertoire; it is the feature that makes held chords sound like a soundboard rather than a sample.
Key tips:
- Classical and jazz players often prefer Kawai's warmth; pop and band players often prefer Roland's clarity
- Resonance modeling matters more than the number of voices
- A tonal preference is personal; the right engine is the one you keep playing
Step 3: Check Polyphony
Polyphony is the number of notes a piano can sound at once, counting every note held by the pedal and every layer of a combined voice. It is the specification beginners ignore and intermediate players run into. Sixty-four notes, found on the Yamaha P-45, P-145 and YDP-105 and the Casio CDP-S160, suits the first years of lessons and drops notes on pedaled Romantic pieces. Ninety-six to 128 notes, on the Roland FP-10, Korg B2+ and Alesis Recital Pro, covers most solo repertoire. One hundred ninety-two and 256 notes, on the Roland FP-30X, Kawai ES120, Yamaha P-225 and every mid-range console, remove the ceiling. Where a listing does not publish a figure, as on some 2025 Yamaha Arius models, treat it as unknown and ask the manufacturer before relying on it.
Key tips:
- Choose 128 notes or more if the player is past the first year
- Layering two voices halves the effective polyphony
- Unpublished polyphony is a reason to ask, not to assume
Step 4: Portable or Console
Decide how the piano will live in the room, then pick the form:
Portable on a Stand
A slab piano on a furniture stand with a three-pedal unit plays like a console, costs less, and can leave the house. The Roland FP-30X, Kawai ES120, Yamaha P-225 and Casio PX-S1100 all convert this way.
Slim Console
A shallow cabinet with a key cover and built-in pedals fits a hallway or bedroom. The Korg LP-380U at 26 cm, the Casio PX-770 and AP-S200 and the Yamaha YDP-S56 are the slim options.
Full Console
A deeper cabinet with larger speakers and a piano's presence. The Kawai CN201, Yamaha YDP-184, Roland RP701 and Casio AP-550 are the consoles for a living room and a serious player.
Pro Tip: Speakers follow form factor. If the piano will be heard through its own speakers in a living room, choose a console with 40 watts or more; if it will be played on headphones, a portable's small speakers cost you nothing.
Step 5: Match the Connections to Your Life
Three connections cover most needs. USB MIDI connects lesson apps and a computer, and every current piano has it; USB audio, which records the piano's own sound into a DAW without an interface, is on the Roland FP-30X, Yamaha P-145 and P-225, Kawai ES920 and most consoles with a USB-to-device port. Bluetooth MIDI connects apps without a cable and Bluetooth audio streams play-along music through the piano; Roland and Kawai build both in, Casio includes an adapter, Yamaha's portables offer audio only. Line outputs matter for anyone who performs or uses external speakers, because a headphone jack used as an output mutes the internal speakers and blocks monitoring. Count your headphone jacks too: two let a teacher and student practice in silence together.
Key tips:
- Bluetooth is a convenience; a USB cable does the same job for apps
- Line outputs are the connection performers forget to check
- A USB flash-drive port records practice without a computer on the Casio PX-870, Yamaha YDP-184 and Roland RP701
Common Mistakes When Choosing a Digital Piano
Choosing by voice count; a piano with 700 tones and a weak action is a keyboard
Ignoring polyphony until pedaled pieces start dropping notes
Buying a console for its speakers when all practice will happen on headphones
Assuming Bluetooth means Bluetooth MIDI; on many pianos it is audio only
Skipping the pedal upgrade; the switch pedal in the box has no half-damper response
Buying a semi-weighted keyboard for a child who is starting lessons
Before You Buy
- 88 keys with a hammer action, graded from bass to treble
- A sound engine you enjoyed on headphones
- Polyphony of 128 or more if the player is past the first year
- The form factor that fits the room and the way you listen
- USB, Bluetooth and line outputs that match how you will use it
- A budget line for a half-damper pedal, a stand, a bench and headphones
FAQs
About This Guide
Mandrillis Team
The Mandrillis editorial team researches and compares audio and music gear using manufacturer documentation, verified specs and real buyer feedback, so you can make a confident purchase without wading through marketing claims.
Read our full research methodology.