Retro lovers will be obsessed with We Are Rewind’s funky portable cassette player

The latest addition to French brand We Are Rewind's nostalgic yet modern cassette player range has arrived in the form of the eye-catching Edith portable tape player. Bringing a dazzling splash of pink and teal charm to the company's growing portfolio, it’s sure to have retro fans swooning.

Priced at £129 / $159 (Australian pricing and availability yet to be confirmed), the Edith cassette tape player joins the existing models named after iconic musicians: Amy (coloured black and orange), Keith (grey), Serge (orange) and Kurt (blue).

Like its stablemates, the Edith reimagines the classic portable tape player for the modern world, blending vintage charm with the latest connectivity options. Chief among these is Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, allowing users to pair the cassette player with wireless headphones or speakers.

It’s a welcome feature, but chances are most enthusiasts will be making the most of the 3.5mm headphone jack instead, pairing it with a suitably dressed pair of on-ears like the company’s Walkman-esque EQ-001 headphones.

The Edith also retains recording functionality, letting users create their own mixtapes either via the 3.5mm input or via a connected microphone.

Battery technology also thankfully sees a significant upgrade from the disposable cells of yesteryear, with the Edith featuring USB-C charging and up to 12 hours of playback from a single charge – ample time to revisit your favourite cassette collection.

Of course, the large, chunky playback buttons mimic the feeling of using your classic Walkman, but the Edith is encased in an aluminium body rather than plastic.

While portable cassette players and cassette tapes are having a mini revival of sorts (Fiio launched its own version last year, while many artists are releasing new albums on cassettes), we can't imagine this old format will gain the kind of popularity that vinyl has had in the past decade. But even if it's a novelty, it's a rather funky-looking, rather affordable way to enjoy a bit of retro charm.

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