Yoto Player 3rd Generation Review: How Does It Compare to the 2nd Gen?

When parents ask me what one toy they should buy for their kids, my answer is always the same - a Yoto player! Without a doubt, the Yoto players in our house get the most use and they are well worth the money. Our children, who are 5, 3 and 1, use them throughout the day from the first moment they wake up in the morning to last thing at night. The huge range of audio cards that are available means they never grow bored, and the independence the players offer means they’re completely in control of what they want to listen to.

We’ve owned a Yoto player for a couple of years now, and a Yoto Mini since last year, but recently Yoto released a new 3rd generation version of its original player which we knew we had to try. You might be wondering whether the new version is worth the extra investment and you can find out whether it is a little further down, but first, let’s look at why we love our Yoto players so much!

Also, just a little note to say that throughout this post the 2nd generation Yoto appears on the left of the pictures and the 3rd generation on the right. The pixel screens on the front of the Yoto also photographed a little strangely - in real life they appear much brighter and clearer, without missing pixels!

What is a Yoto player?

Yoto is a UK brand that make screen-free audio players for children, designed with Montessori principles in mind. The players work by inserting cards, each of which plays a different audiobook, podcast or music album, into a small slot on the top of the player. It’s really easy for kids to switch what they’re listening to by taking out and putting in different cards.

There are currently two versions of the Yoto player - the original Yoto and the Yoto Mini. If you’re interested in the Yoto Mini you can find my review of that here. The same cards are used for all versions of the Yoto, so you can use them interchangeably. The player has two knobs which change the volume and skip backwards and forwards through tracks.

You can connect headphones if you’d like to, but the sound quality is also great if you’re playing through the built-in speakers. Wonderfully, you don’t need to be connected to WiFi for Yoto to work - the first time you load a card it will download it from WiFi, but after that it will play even without an internet connection. Yoto also doesn’t need batteries - the player comes with a USB charger and the player will provide up to 24 hours of play per charge. To protect your Yoto, there are ‘adventure jacket’ covers for both sizes.

Yoto also has a fantastic app where you can access hundreds of free podcasts and audiobooks, as well as playing any of the content you own without needing the physical card.

One of the great things about the Yoto player is that it’s a screen-free toy

What we love about the Yoto player

1.Screen free

One of the great things about the Yoto player is that it’s a screen-free toy. If you’re a family that likes to limit the impact of screens, the Yoto is a great way to provide your child with entertainment without resorting to a TV or tablet. In our family, we find that playing audiobooks and music on the Yoto is just about as engaging for little ones as the TV. They will turn something on in the background while they play or draw, helping them to stay focussed and engaged without being overstimulated.

2. Wide range of choices

In our house the children grow bored of most toys fairly quickly. We use toy rotation to help with this, but one toy that we find never falls out of fashion is the Yoto player. The main reason the Yoto is always loved is that there is such a wide range of different listening options that it’s nearly impossible for a little one to grow bored.

There are over 800 Yoto cards available to buy, along with ‘Make Your Own’ cards that allow you to record your own audio to play through the player. The children particularly love listening to stories recorded by their grandparents. On top of this, you can access a huge range of podcasts and radio stations through the Yoto app, including our favourite Yoto radio, and the Cbeebies station.

3. Grows with your child

Unlike most other toys, Yoto has the unique ability to grow with your child. The range of listening options is so varied that there are options for toddlers right the way up to teens. Our 5 year old currently loves listening to the Roald Dahl audiobooks, while the 3 year old enjoys shorter stories like the Julia Donaldson books. Some cards have been loved for many years - like the soundtrack to the film Wall-E.

4. Bedtime

One time of day where the Yoto has become invaluable in our house is at bedtime. Having two active and curious little ones, it was sometimes hard helping them to wind down. Now both children fall asleep easily with their Yoto players playing quietly next to them. For bedtime, they love listening to gentle stories like Peter Rabbit, or Yoto Sleep Radio.

The Yoto also has the ability to act like a Gro clock, letting children know when it’s time to sleep and when to wake. In the app you can set bedtime and wake time, and the Yoto will display either a sun or a moon on the front to show your little one whether they need to stay in bed. And if you have children that need waking in the morning (I’m jealous!) there’s also an alarm clock feature.

6. Safety

Unlike other forms of entertainment, you can completely trust that the Yoto player is safe for children. They can only listen to the things you’ve allowed them to, and there are no microphones or cameras that could be accessed by the wrong people.

7. Travelling

Our Yoto players are an essential part of any journeys we take these days. While we used to have to resort to screens to keep children entertained on long journeys, they will now be happily occupied in the back of the car each listening to their Yoto. You can use any headphones with Yoto, including their own pair which is great for little ears. The new 3rd generation has the ability to pair with wireless headphones, while the older version doesn’t. Whatever brand of headphones you opt for, I’d recommend choosing ones that can be ‘daisy-chained’ where one pair is connected to the other, so that they can listen to the same thing if they want to.

Comparison of Yoto 3rd Generation and 2nd Generation

Longer battery life

One of the noticeable differences on the new 3rd generation Yoto player is the longer battery life. The old version only had a battery life of 10 hours, whereas the new version is over double that, at 24 hours. This makes the 3rd generation a much better choice if you’re planning to do very long journeys.

Better sound quality

The sound quality on the new version of the Yoto player is also noticeably better, being less tinny and significantly richer at the same volume than the old version.

Charger

In our opinion one of the best upgrades to the new version of the Yoto player is the change to the charging cable. The old charging cable allowed you to ‘dock’ the Yoto on top of it, but we found they broke very easily (we had to ask Yoto for replacements twice), and you couldn’t charge the Yoto via USB port, which slightly limits your options when travelling. The new 3rd generation comes with a standard USB-C charging cable, which is much more sturdy, less bulky and offers more flexibilty in charging on the go.

You can also buy a wireless charging dock for the new version of the Yoto, which could be a nice option to have at home.

Appearance

The new version and the old version of the Yoto look almost identical. The newer version has a rim around the front edge, which may make it slightly less prone to knocks, but you won’t even see it if your Yoto has an adventure jacket cover on. The back is slightly sleeker looking on the new version and the power button on the side has been moved up to make space for the new charging port.

Additional features

There are a few additional features on the new Yoto as compared to the old, including a toothbrushing timer and a room thermometer. We don’t think we’ll use these much but they might be handy for some families! The new version of the Yoto also has slightly more storage capacity, at 32GB, but I doubt many families would need so much storage.

Price

The new 3rd generation Yoto player is £10 more expensive than the old version, at £99.99. However, I still think this is an excellent price for what you’re getting!

Should I upgrade to the new 3rd generation Yoto player?

You might be wondering whether all of these new features are worth upgrading your Yoto player for. If you have specific issues with the existing 2nd generation player - such as the fact that you can’t use wireless headphones, or the battery life isn’t long enough - then it could be worth upgrading. However, the existing 2nd generation Yoto will continue to be supported by the app so there’s no need to rush to replace your existing player!

Where can I buy a Yoto player?

You can buy the Yoto player, accessories and cards on the Yoto website here.

The 3rd generation Yoto Player, Yoto Mini and Yoto cards featured were gifted to me for review, however all opinions are my own. This page contains affiliate links, which earn me a little bit of commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

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