The M3 was named keyboard of the year at the Musik Messe Awards in Germany in early 2007.

[2] At the end of Q3 2008, Korg released a major update to the M3's operating system, which changes the unit to the 'M3 XPanded'.

It runs on the same EDS sound system as the M3, but it has less polyphony, no support for expansion cards, and no sampling capabilities.

The Korg M50 also lacks a Karma engine, but it can still be used if bought separately and installed on a computer.

[6] The 88-key version, which featured the RH3 graded hammer-action piano keys, is the lightest 88-key keyboard Korg has ever made.