Why this comparison comes up

The Kawai ES120 and the Roland FP-40 are both 88-key portables built mainly for home practice, and they sit close together in price; which one is cheaper depends on the market you buy in. Many shoppers already know our Kawai ES120 vs Roland FP-30X comparison. Roland announced the FP-40 in September 2026 and still lists the FP-30X. Roland has not called the FP-40 the FP-30X's successor, but the FP-40 is now the Roland portable that many buyers set against the ES120.

The short version: the FP-40 has the more elaborate key action, higher polyphony, many more tones and newer wireless features. The ES120 is lighter and shallower, has two headphone jacks where the FP-40 has one, and has 100 built-in drum rhythms.

A note on method: this is a spec-based comparison. We have not played the two side by side. The figures below come from Kawai's and Roland's published specifications.

Keys: escapement and Ivory Feel against Kawai's compact action

The ES120 uses Kawai's Responsive Hammer Compact action, with grade-weighted hammers and matte key surfaces. The FP-40 uses Roland's PHA-4 Standard keyboard, which Roland lists with escapement and Ivory Feel key surfaces. Kawai does not list escapement for the ES120.

On our spec-derived touch scale, PHA-4 Standard sits two steps above Responsive Hammer Compact. That number comes from published construction, not from playing them. It reflects that the Roland adds an escapement mechanism and a textured key surface, while Responsive Hammer Compact is the compact hammer action Kawai uses in its slim portables.

A scale does not settle preference. Some players simply like Kawai's touch, or plan to move to a Kawai acoustic or console later and want to stay with one maker's feel. That is a good reason to choose the ES120. If you can, try both before deciding.

Headphones: the point where the ES120 has the edge

The ES120 has two headphone jacks, one 1/4-inch (6.3 mm) and one 1/8-inch (3.5 mm), with Kawai's Spatial Headphone Sound for headphone listening. The FP-40 has one, a stereo mini jack that Roland labels Phones/Headset, so it also takes a headset with a microphone. Roland's headphone feature is called Piano Reality Headphones Ambience.

For one person practising alone on earbuds, the FP-40's single jack is no problem. It matters in two situations:

This is the same point that separates the FP-40 from the FP-30X, which also has two jacks. Our Roland FP-30X vs FP-40 comparison covers it from the Roland side.

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB

Both pianos have Bluetooth audio and Bluetooth MIDI. Both can play music from a phone through their own speakers, and both connect to practice apps without a cable. In daily use they do the same job here.

The versions differ. Kawai lists Bluetooth 5.1 (A2DP) for audio and 5.0 for MIDI. The FP-40 uses Bluetooth 5.4 with classic A2DP audio, LE Audio and MIDI. The FP-40 also has built-in Wi-Fi on the 2.4 GHz band, which Roland describes as a way to receive system updates over a home network, and a USB-C port that carries both MIDI and audio. Kawai lists a USB-MIDI port for the ES120. LE Audio and Wi-Fi updates are extras that only the FP-40 offers.

Sound, tones and speakers

The ES120 uses Kawai's Harmonic Imaging engine with SK-EX grand piano samples and offers 192-note polyphony. The FP-40 uses Roland's Piano Reality Sound Engine and offers 256 notes. For most solo pieces both are enough. The higher figure gives more headroom when you hold the sustain pedal through thick chords.

The speaker figures are close. The ES120 drives two 12 cm speakers at 10 W × 2. The FP-40 drives two 8 × 12 cm speakers in a speaker box at 12 W × 2. Two watts per channel will not make either piano obviously louder in a living room. How each sounds in your room is something to judge in a shop, not from a table.

The tone counts are far apart. The ES120 has 25 voices, all selectable on the instrument. The FP-40 has 305 tones in total: 40 on the panel and 265 more through the Roland Piano App. Even without a phone, the FP-40 offers more. If you mainly play piano, both have more than you need.

Both let you adjust the piano sound through an app. Kawai's Virtual Technician, used through the PianoRemote app, offers 17 parameters. Roland's Piano Designer, in the Roland Piano App, adjusts lid position, string, damper, key-off and cabinet resonance, and individual notes.

Practice features: rhythms and lesson apps

The ES120 has 100 drum rhythms built in. Playing a simple melody over a rhythm can make home practice feel more like music, and it keeps a beginner at the piano longer. Roland lists no rhythm patterns for the FP-40, only a metronome.

Lesson material has moved to apps on both sides. Kawai lists 377 pieces from 9 lesson books, used through its PiaBookPlayer app. The FP-40 has 4 internal songs, and Roland points to its Piano Sphere app, which Roland says offers 100 songs from day one, with an optional paid upgrade. Both have a basic built-in recorder.

Size, weight and what comes in the box

The width is the same. The ES120 is about 5 cm shallower, which helps on a narrow desk. The FP-40 is nearly 3 cm lower, which helps if you store it on a shelf. The two makers weigh their pianos slightly differently, but on the published figures the ES120 is about 2 kg lighter, which you notice when carrying it between rooms.

Neither includes a stand. The ES120 comes with an F-1SP switch pedal, and Kawai lists the F-351 three-pedal board and GFP-3 triple pedal as options. The FP-40 comes with a DP-2 pedal switch, and Roland offers the KSF-40 stand and KPD-70 three-pedal unit as options. Neither runs on batteries.

Which one to choose

Choose the Kawai ES120 if two people will listen on headphones, if you own full-size headphones with a 6.3 mm plug, if you want the lighter and shallower instrument, if built-in rhythms would keep you practising, or if you prefer Kawai's touch.

Choose the Roland FP-40 if you want an action with escapement and Ivory Feel surfaces, if the higher polyphony and the large tone library matter to you, if you want LE Audio and Wi-Fi updates, or if a lower profile helps you store it. It suits a player who practises alone on headphones.

If you want Roland's PHA-4 Standard keys together with two headphone jacks, look at the FP-30X, which Roland still lists. Our Kawai ES120 vs Roland FP-30X comparison sets it against the Kawai.