Top 10 MP3 Players (Flash-Based)
There's no stopping the iPod, but Apple's latest players are edged out by the versatile, great-sounding Creative Zen X-Fi in our latest Top 10 list. New to the chart is the $80 Samsung S3, a sleek, pocketable 4GB player.
Edited by Ginny Mies
Bottom Line:
Despite new features and a capacity upgrade, Zune needs a redesign to keep up with other flash players on the market.
PC World Rating:
75.9 (Good)
- Built-in Capacity: 16GB
- Price When Reviewed: $179
- Screen Size (inches): 1.8
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No
- FM tuner: Yes
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
A good portable player at a low price, but it comes with a few quirks.
PC World Rating:
77.9 (Fair)
- Built-in Capacity: 2GB
- Price When Reviewed: $60
- Screen Size (inches): 1.8
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes
- FM tuner: Yes
Bottom Line:
A low price, deep feature list, and ultra-compact design makes the Sansa Fuze a very worthy Nano competitor.
PC World Rating:
78.6 (Good)
- Built-in Capacity: 8GB
- Price When Reviewed: $120
- Screen Size (inches): 1.9
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes
- FM tuner: Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
The Cowon O2 supports an astonishing number of formats, but lack of ID3 tag support is disappointing.
PC World Rating:
79.3 (Fair)
- Built-in Capacity: 8GB
- Price When Reviewed: $200
- Screen Size (inches): 4.3
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes
- FM tuner: No
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
With its sharp design and high sound quality, the Samsung S3 is a great value flash player.
PC World Rating:
81.4 (Good)
- Built-in Capacity: 4GB
- Price When Reviewed: $79.99
- Screen Size (inches): 1.8
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No
- FM tuner: Yes
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
Despite its new design, the fourth-generation iPod Nano is more of an evolution than a major overhaul.
PC World Rating:
81.6 (Fair)
- Built-in Capacity: 16GB
- Price When Reviewed: $199
- Screen Size (inches): 2
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No
- FM tuner: No
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
The NWZ-S738F is an audiophile's player, with top-notch earbuds and great sound, but it isn't the best choice for video.
PC World Rating:
82.6 (Fair)
- Built-in Capacity: 8GB
- Price When Reviewed: $180
- Screen Size (inches): 2
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No
- FM tuner: Yes
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
Gadget-lover's player may lack Wi-Fi but has lots of other features, wide format support and accepts SD cards.
PC World Rating:
82.7 (Good)
- Built-in Capacity: 32GB
- Price When Reviewed: $250
- Screen Size (inches): 2.5
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes
- FM tuner: Yes
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
The iPod Touch remains the class of the field, with beautiful design, useful apps, a touch screen, and built-in Wi-Fi.
PC World Rating:
83.4 (Fair)
- Built-in Capacity: 32GB
- Price When Reviewed: $399
- Screen Size (inches): 3.5
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:No
- FM tuner: No
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
Bottom Line:
The amazing Zen X-Fi has great sound, features, headphones, and storage options--and for a nice price, too.
PC World Rating:
84.8 (Good)
- Built-in Capacity: 32GB
- Price When Reviewed: $280
- Screen Size (inches): 2.5
- Voice Recording: Voice Recorder:Yes
- FM tuner: Yes
- Video Support: Video:Yes
- Photo Support: Photo:Yes
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