Best budget MP3 players under $100
If you want a small, inexpensive MP3 player for the gym, reviewers overwhelmingly recommend the SanDisk Sansa Clip+. Even though it has been on the market for a while, experts say the Sansa Clip+ is good for budget shoppers. This 2-inch-tall MP3 player comes with a wearable clip and is available in 2 GB (*Est. $35 for 2 GB), 4 GB (*Est. $40) and 8 GB (*Est. $60) models. Features include a 1-inch OLED screen, microSD memory card slot, digital FM tuner and a 15-hour rechargeable battery. The Sansa Clip+ is compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
Reviewers say the Sansa Clip+ is sturdy and easy to use. It's a great value, and the player earns Editors' Choice awards from PCMag.com and CNET. Jasmine France at CNET raves about the performance of this tiny MP3 player, saying the SanDisk SansaClip+ has good audio quality as long as you get a pair of quality headphones. Tim Gideon at PCMag.com says the Sansa Clip+ is a clear winner among MP3 players under $100. There are a few downsides typical of budget MP3 players. Grahm Skee at AnythingButiPod.com says the FM reception could be improved, and others say the text on the 1-inch screen is hard to read. Music with lots of bass may sound a little flat. These complaints aside, reviewers say you can't do better than the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ in this price range.
SanDisk also gets high marks for the new SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ (*Est. $75 for 4 GB), a lightweight MP3 player that is available in 4 GB, 8 GB (*Est. $90) and 16 GB (*Est. $120) capacities in five different colors. It sports a 2.4-inch LCD display, digital FM tuner and a number of expansion options, including micro-USB and microSD slots. An update to the popular SanDisk Sansa Fuze, the Fuze+ has a sleeker design and touch controls for navigation. Most reviewers say it's a pretty good value, especially compared to MP3 players like the iPod nano. Battery life is excellent, lasting up to 24 hours in most tests. The SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ supports Sansa SlotRadio, which is basically SD cards pre-loaded with 1,000 songs, but reviewers say the cards aren't worth the money -- "it's a pretty lame concept," Nick Mokey writes at DigitalTrends.com.
Although they like the MP3 player overall, reviewers do have a few complaints about the controls. "The problem is that the Fuze+'s interface tends to either be too responsive when I don't want it to be (causing you to accidentally skip ahead or back), or not responsive enough, with the interface generally being just laggy enough to get on your nerves," Donald Melanson writes at Engadget.com. DigitalTrends.com notes the same problems.
For Apple fans, there's always the iPod shuffle (*Est. $50 for 2 GB). This diminutive half-ounce MP3 player has always received average reviews, but experts say the fourth-generation iPod shuffle has made some real improvements. It earns an Editors' Choice award from Laptop Magazine, and multiple reviewers say it's the best iPod shuffle yet for the lowest price ever. The shuffle comes in only a 2 GB capacity, with five different color options. Apple opted to add physical buttons back to the front of the player (the previous version had no buttons and was controlled by the earphone's remote). The shuffle is now nearly square instead of tall and thin like last year's version, and it sports an integrated clip.
Reviewers say the decision to reintroduce physical controls on the iPod shuffle was a good one. Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge.com, who called last year's shuffle the "worst iPod ever," has changed his tune, saying the fourth-generation model is "the best overall iPod shuffle yet." Controlling playback is much easier than relying on the small remote attached to the earbuds in the previous version. The shuffle now has a dedicated VoiceOver button along the top, which reviewers like. The VoiceOver features reads out song and playlist titles as well as remaining battery life. More than 15 hours of battery life is another plus. Reviewers say sound quality is good for a budget MP3 player.
However, several users say that it's hard to open the clip on the iPod shuffle without accidentally pressing one of the buttons – there's just not enough room around the controls to place your fingers. "Bottom line: clipping the 4G shuffle on your shirt just isn't as easy as with the 2G model unless you don't care about inadvertently pressing the previous-track button," Jason Snell writes at Macworld. (The shuffle does have an off switch, which may alleviate this problem.) Some reviewers also say they wish that the shuffle came in a higher storage capacity like the third-generation model, which was also available in 4 GB. CNET and PCMag.com say the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ is a better value, but the shuffle is still a good choice for those who want an iPod without spending much.
If you want an MP3 player specifically for running or the gym, experts also recommend the Sony Walkman W Series, a sweatproof, in-ear MP3 player that is designed specifically for gym goers. Tim Gideon at PCMag.com says sound quality is better than iPod shuffle. "If you're willing to spend a tad more money in order to get a better in-ear audio experience, the very gym-friendly Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 is a 2GB player built into far more secure, better-sounding earphones," he writes. The NWZ-W202 has been replaced by the very similar Sony Walkman NWZ-W252 (*Est. $55 for 2 GB), which gets high marks in one independent test.
The Sony NWZ-W252 holds 2 GB of music and is designed to fit snugly in your ears with a cord that wraps around the back of your head. The MP3 player ships with three sizes of earbuds, which makes it easier to get a precise fit. Reviewers say the player is comfortable and relatively easy to control with the buttons on each earpiece. The Sony Walkman NWZ-W252 sounds good too, reviews indicate. "Sound quality was very good, and was more than acceptable for a variety of music types as well as spoken work audio podcasts," Robert Nelson writes at Gadgetell.com. Grahm Skee at AnythingButiPod.com says the Sony NWZ-W252 isn't a good choice as a primary MP3 player, but it's a solid option for working out. "If you like the form factor and lack of dangling wires I do recommend picking one of these up," he says.
