For many people, an electronic portable keyboard is one of the best options for playing music on. Very often electronic portable keyboards are the first choice for beginners who want to learn to play the piano. However, it is not just beginners who buy portable electronic keyboards. Many professional musicians also use electronic synthesizers or keyboards to perform and record music with.
There are literally hundreds of keyboards on the market in varying sizes with different features that you may or may not need. How can you choose between all these brands and find the best electronic portable keyboard for your needs? This review looks at the 3 best electronic portable keyboard pianos on the market.
Picture | Model | Keys | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Casio CTK-2400 Portable Keyboard | 61 | 20 lbs |
 | Yamaha PSRE253 Portable Keyboard | 61 | 10 lbs |
 | Yamaha YPG-235 Portable | 76 | 38 lbs |
 | Hamzer Electric Keyboard Piano | 61 | 18 lbs |
 | Yamaha EZ-220 Portable Keyboard | 61 | 24 lbs |
Table of Contents
What are the Best Electronic Portable Keyboards?
Here are the 3 best electronic portable keyboards on the market – the Casio CTK-2400, the Yamaha YPG-253, and the Yamaha YPG 235 Portable Grand Piano.
Casio CTK-2400 Premium Portable Keyboard Package
The Casio CTK-2400 is a very popular choice for people who are beginners and need a good quality keyboard to learn on. The premium portable keyboard package contains everything that a beginner needs to get started, including a built-in teaching program.
This is a much-improved version of the previous model.
With the Casio CTK-2400 premium portable keyboard package you also get a stand and a pair of quality Samsung headphones. These are very high-quality headphones and will let you practice without disturbing anyone else. In fact, many reviewers say that it is worth buying the keyboard package just for the headphones.
The keyboard itself features a wide range of tones that you can use to compose some great music. If you want to be really adventurous, then you can use the built-in sampler. This allows you to sample any sound you want and use that in your music.
The stand is fully adjustable and has a lock mechanism to make sure that there are no accidents.
Product Features
What are the main features of the Casio CTK-2400 that you can expect to get with the premium package?
- 61 keys
- 48-note polyphony
- MIDI over USB connector
- Sound EFX sampler
- Built-in Microphone
- 400 voices
- 150 rhythms and 100 songs
- Built-in step-up learning system
- LCD screen
- 2 speakers
- Power: 9V DC adaptor or 6 AA-size batteries
- Weight: 7.9 lbs
Benefits of the Casio CTK-2400
One of the best things that most people love about the Casio CTK-2400 is the fact that it is great for beginners. The built-in teaching course is very easy to follow and you will be playing songs very quickly.
Another reason why this model is one of the best portable electronic keyboards is the fact that the sounds are very realistic.
Verdict
If you are looking for a quality portable electronic keyboard with great features for a very reasonable price, then the Casio CTK-2400 is one of the best.
Purchase Casio CTK-2400 On Amazon
Yamaha PSR-E253
The Yamaha PSR-E253 has been designed to be the perfect keyboard for anyone just starting to learn the piano. Even though this is classed as an entry level keyboard, the features are much more than what you would expect from a keyboard in this price range.
One really great feature with the Yamaha PSR-E253 is the inclusion of the renowned Yamaha EducatIon Suite (Y.E.S.). This is a 9-step course which has been designed to make learning the keyboard fun and enjoyable. The learning course also includes over 100 songs that you can play along to. The songs will also ‘wait’ for you until you play the right note.
The keyboard now features a split-mode keyboard which allows you to divide the keyboard in half. This is very useful if you are learning or you want to play duets. You can use the built-in recorder to record your music.
The Yamaha PSR-E253 is also very light and portable. One thing that we did notice that the keyboard lack a connection to external devices via MIDI or USB.
Product Features
If you buy the Yamaha PSR-E253 portable electronic keyboard, what can you expect to get?
- 61 keys
- 32-note polyphony
- 372 voices + 13 drum kits
- Built-in Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.)
- 102 preset songs
- Built-in recorder
- LCD screen
- AUX in connector
- 2 x 2.5W speakers
- Power: 12V DC adapter or 6 AA-size batteries
- Weight 8.8 lbs
Benefits of the Yamaha PSR-E253
There is a lot to be said about the Yamaha PSR-E253 portable electronic keyboard. The teaching program is one of the best features of this keyboard and you will be playing songs in no time at all.
Verdict
If you are looking for a good keyboard to learn how to play the piano and are not concerned about connecting this to external devices, then this is a great keyboard for the money. It is very reasonable priced and will suit most budgets.
Purchase Yamaha PSR-E253 On Amazon
Yamaha YPG-235 Portable Grand Piano
The Yamaha YPG-235 portable electronic keyboard has been designed with more experienced users in mind. The keyboard features 76 keys which look like piano keys rather than synthesizer keys. Even though experienced musicians will enjoy playing this keyboard, it is a great keyboard for beginners as well.
The Yamaha YPG-235 features Yamaha’s famous Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.) which makes learning both fun and enjoyable.
One of the nice features of this keyboards is the Graded Soft Touch keyboard. This means that there is less resistance as you move up the keyboard, just like a real piano. This means that if you plan to move on to playing an acoustic or digital piano the learning curve will be much less.
Many electronic keyboards only have 2 speakers, but the Yamaha YPG-235 Portable Grand Piano has stereo speakers. These have a special bass boost system to make tunes sound even better.
With this keyboard, you also get a 6-track built-in sequencer to write and record your own songs. The keyboard can be connected easily to external devices through the USB MIDI connector.
Product Features
Here is an overview of the main features of the Yamaha YPG-235 portable grand piano.
- 76 keys with a Graded Soft Touch Keyboard
- Touch response just like a real piano
- Custom LCD screen
- 32-note polyphony
- Over 400 voices
- 160 accompaniment styles
- 30 preset songs
- Record up to 5 songs on the 6-track recorder
- Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.)
- 2 x 6W stereo speakers
- USB connection
- Power: 12V DC or 6 D size batteries
- Weight: 18 lbs
Benefits of the Yamaha YPG-235
There are many amazing benefits of the Yamaha YPG-235 digital portable piano. One of the major ones is that Yamaha has successfully designed a portable keyboard that is appreciated by professionals and beginners alike.
The sequencer and 6-track recorder adds a new dimension to what you can do with the keyboards. Any person who buys this will have hours of fun and enjoyment from it.
Verdict
The Yamaha is an excellent choice if you are looking for a keyboard to learn on. You get the Yamaha Education Suite and the Graded Soft Keyboard lets you think that you are playing an acoustic piano. Even though this is an entry-level keyboard, the features on it are only usually found on higher-end models.
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