The Yamaha P-145 is the cleanest, most dependable first piano you can buy. For £419 you get 88 graded hammer keys, Yamaha's famous CFX concert-grand voice and controls so simple a beginner cannot get lost. It is the one we steer learners towards first.
Yamaha is the name every piano teacher knows, and the P-145 is its most affordable portable digital piano, the modern successor to the long-serving P-45 that started countless players off. The brief here is single-minded: give a beginner exactly what they need and nothing they do not. After six hours with it, we think Yamaha has judged that brief almost perfectly, with one spec that quietly marks it out as an entry-level instrument.
| Model | Price | Keys | Key action | Sound engine | Rating | Link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ★ Top pick Yamaha P-145 Digital Piano | £351.00 | 88, fully weighted | Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) | CFX grand sample, 64-note polyphony | ★ 4.4 | View → |
£351.00
88, fully weighted · Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) · CFX grand sample, 64-note polyphony
The verdict from Anaya Iyer, pianist and keyboard reviewer
The best first piano. The Yamaha P-145 strips a digital piano back to the essentials a beginner needs: 88 graded hammer keys, the famous CFX grand sample and controls so simple you cannot get lost. The 64-note polyphony and 14 W speakers are the most modest on test, which is why we steer it at learners rather than gigging players. As a clean, dependable instrument to learn on from a name you can trust, it is exactly right.
The action is firm and even, and the headline grand voice sounds far classier than the price.
| Keys | 88, fully weighted |
|---|---|
| Key action | Graded Hammer Compact (GHC) |
| Sound engine | CFX grand sample, 64-note polyphony |
| Speakers | 2 x 7 W (14 W total) |
| Voices | 10 |
| Bluetooth | No (USB to host) |
| Weight | 11.5 kg |
| Price | £419 |
| Learning app | Smart Pianist (free) |
| Cabinet depth | 11.6 cm (lid closed) |
The P-145 is built for the complete beginner, or the parent buying a child's first proper instrument. The controls are pared right back to a single function button, so there is nothing to fiddle with and nothing to get wrong, and the graded hammer action and CFX grand voice come from a name teachers trust without question. At 11.5 kg it is light enough to move and store. It is not aimed at the gigging player or the fast-progressing student: the 64-note polyphony and 14 W speakers are the most modest in our comparison, and an improving player will soon want the headroom of the Roland FP-30X or the value of the Casio PX-S1100.
Best for: the first-time learner who wants a simple, trustworthy piano with a great grand voice and no clutter.
The Graded Hammer Compact action is firm, even and reassuringly solid under the fingers. It is graded, so the bass keys press heavier than the treble, and across scales and a Bach minuet it stayed consistent with no rattle. It is a slightly shorter action than a full-size bed, the compromise that keeps the cabinet light and affordable, so the most advanced players will feel it is not as deep as the Kawai or Roland. For a beginner building technique, though, it teaches all the right habits and is a clear cut above any semi-weighted keyboard.
This is where the P-145 punches above its price. The headline grand voice is sampled from the Yamaha CFX, the same concert grand used on the world's stages, and it sounds far classier than £419 has any right to, clear and bright with real presence. There are 10 voices in total, which is the fewest here but covers the essentials: a second grand, electric pianos, organs and harpsichord. The catch is the polyphony: at 64 notes it is the lowest in our six, half the 128 of the cheaper Alesis, so on dense, heavily pedalled passages with layered voices you can occasionally hear older notes drop away. For beginner repertoire you will rarely notice; for complex pieces it is the spec that gives the P-145 away as an entry-level model.
The twin 7 W drivers give 14 W in total, the lowest figure in our comparison. In a bedroom or a study they are perfectly clear and pleasant, but in a larger room they run out of headroom sooner than the 22 W Roland or 40 W Kawai. For a beginner practising at home this is rarely an issue, and the headphone socket makes silent practice easy, but it is another reason we frame this as a learner's piano rather than a performer's.
Yamaha keeps it simple by design. There is no Bluetooth; instead the piano connects to the free Smart Pianist app over a USB-to-host cable, which turns a phone or tablet into a clear control screen and adds guided lessons and song scores. The cabinet is light and tidy at 11.5 kg, the matte finish is smart, and a basic sustain pedal is included. Setup is genuinely a two-minute job, which matters for the buyers this piano is aimed at.
The P-145's compromises all stem from its entry-level brief. The 64-note polyphony is the standout: it is the lowest here and will limit you on complex, pedalled music as you improve. The 14 W speakers are the quietest in the group, there is no Bluetooth, and the voice list is short at 10. None of this matters much for a beginner, but it does mean a fast-progressing player will outgrow the P-145 sooner than the £600 pianos, which is exactly why we treat it as the best first piano rather than the best overall.
Yes, it is our top pick for a first piano. It pairs 88 graded hammer keys with Yamaha's famous CFX concert-grand voice and pares the controls right back, so a beginner cannot get lost. The Smart Pianist app adds guided lessons. It is the cleanest, most dependable starting instrument from a name every teacher knows.
For beginner and early-intermediate practice, yes. You only notice the 64-note limit on dense, heavily pedalled passages with layered voices. If you expect to play complex repertoire soon, a 128-note or higher piano such as the Roland FP-30X gives you more headroom, but for learning the P-145 is fine.
No. It connects to the free Smart Pianist app over a USB-to-host cable rather than wirelessly, and there is no Bluetooth audio streaming. If wireless connection matters to you, the Roland FP-30X has both Bluetooth MIDI and audio.
Buy the Yamaha for a better, more even graded hammer action and the trusted CFX voice; buy the Alesis only if your budget is firmly under £300. The Yamaha costs more at £419 but is the better instrument and the one a learner is less likely to outgrow.
The Yamaha P-145 is our best pick for beginners because it pairs a trustworthy graded action and the superb CFX grand voice with controls so simple they get out of the way, all for £419. As a clean, dependable instrument to learn on from a name every teacher knows, it is exactly right. Just be aware of the 64-note polyphony if you expect to progress fast: an improving player will be happier with the headroom of the Roland FP-30X or the value of the Casio PX-S1100. If your budget is firmly lower, the Alesis Recital Pro is the cheaper starting point. More guidance is in our best digital piano for beginners guide.