Which MP3 player is best for you? Read these mini-reviews some of the most popular models currently available. You don’t need to break the bank to put hundreds or even thousands of songs and hundreds of videos in the palm of your hand.
Not sure which type of player is right for you? Read How to choose a portable MP3 player.
While Apple gets more press on some of its other products its iPod Touch 5 lineup continues to get great upgrades that help keep it as one of the most desirable MP3 players available at an Adorama price of $399. It has increased its display size from 3.5-inches to 4-inches, has added its Retina display technology for 1136 x 640 resolution and it can store 64GB of data.
The 3 ounce MP3 player, running Apple’s most recent version of its operating system, iOS6, is one of the most multifunctional devices available. It not only stores and plays back music, but also can record and playback video at 720p with a 30 frames per second rate.
With an integrated 5 MP iSight rear facing-camera it can not only capture and store images but also has a front FaceTime HD camera capable of video recording (1080p) up to 30 frames per second with audio as well as video conferencing. The iPod Touch has Wi-Fi capabilities that allow a user to download music and videos as well as store the same in the cloud at Apple’s iCloud site.
There is very strong completion in this space and a powerful option is the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2. While its base configuration , at an Adorama price of $199.99, comes with only 8GB of storage, it is expandable to 32GB with an optional MicroSD slot card.
The 3.65-inch display has an 800 x 480 resolution and the MP3 player features a FM radio, GPS, a front VGA camera and 2-megapixel rear camera. Its Wi-Fi capabilities allow a user to also access business tools such as calendars, Email and other apps. The lithium-ion battery supports up to 40 hours of audio playback or 5 hours of video playback.
While the high end of this market has multifunctional devices, the entry level has a wide range of bare bones offering for a user that just seeks a device that can hold their music while jogging or otherwise engaged. A good offering in this area is the SanDisk 4GB Sansa Clip Zip MP3 Player with an Adorama price of $39.99.
The 4GB MP3 player is a no frills offering that can play music, podcasts and audio books and is compatible with the DRM-free iTunes AAC music format. It also has an FM Radio capability as well as a voice recording feature.
The Archos Vision 24c media player packs 8GB worth of flash memory in a low-cost package (Adorama price: $55). You use a 2.4-inch color display to navigate your tracks and the unit supports playback of MP3 and WAV files. It has an FM radio along with a recording feature that lets you record live radio to a flash card (the same feature can double as a voice-recorder). There’s even a camera for recording video and photos, though it’s very low resolution (0.3 megapixels).
