Pros: Small, inexpensive, nice display, good battery life, FM tuner, Voice Recorder, and great sound quality!
Cons: Location of the input jack for the headphones is a minor drawback.
The Bottom Line: I highly recommend this budget mp3 player for those that want to easily listen to their favorite audiobooks, music, or podcasts. Sound quality is great!
flashfriday's Full Review: SanDisk Sansa Clip (2 GB) MP3 Player
I have purchased 3 of the Sansa Clip's (with 2gb) in the last year so I feel that I am quite qualified to give a very fair and truthful review of this product. Before I begin my full review, let me briefly explain who I believe is the target audience for this device. The Sansa Clip is perfect for anyone that wants a very small and inexpensive mp3 player for the gym, car, jogging, hiking, etc. During my review, I may compare some of the Sansa Clip features to the iPod Shuffle which I feel is the main competitor to this product.
Positives of the Sansa Clip
The first thing you will probably notice about the Sansa Clip is its very small size which allows you to easily and securely clip it onto your clothes. It's about the size of a small book of matches! The iPod shuffle is slightly smaller but when it comes to price, features, and capability the Clip blows the iPod shuffle out of the water. The Sansa Clip has a very nice display which allows you to navigate all of your music, podcasts, and audiobooks with ease. The number one complaint about the iPod Shuffle is the lack of a display. I know several people who have purchased iPod Shuffle's and this is always the number one complaint.
In addition, the Clip comes equipped with an FM tuner and voice recorder whereas the iPod Shuffle does not. You may not think these added features are useful, but for many people they are essential. I don't use the radio very often, but it does come in handy when I am at the gym because it allows me to tune into the FM frequency of the TVs. Very handy! I have also used the Clip's recorder to quickly make a quick grocery list before I head out the door. If I forget the items I need to purchase, I simply play back the recorded list. I also used the voice recorder to record a poem for my wife on her anniversary. She was pleasantly surprised when she turned on her Clip and heard my poem!
The battery life of all three of my Clip's has been very good. I have heard that the battery life can vary greatly but that has not been my experience. All three of my Clip's get at least 10 to 15 hours of playing time with a full charge. My wife says that she can go for a solid week without having to charge her Clip. This is saying a lot because she listens to tons of audiobooks. I also don't mind the fact that you can't replace the batteries because even if I only get 1 or 2 years out of the battery it is still a great deal. Besides by that time a new Sansa Clip with the same memory will probably be half the price.
The controls and navigation of the Clip is very easy and intuitive. My wife and I have no problem scrolling through our playlists or quickly selecting a Podcast versus an audiobook. As others have suggested, you can easily use a freeware program such as MP3tag which will do a very good job of organizing your music. Downloading files to your device is as easy as plugging it into your computer and dragging and dropping files to the device. It also synchs great with Windows Media Player.
I also love the placement of the button that allows you to lock your Clip. Just slide it down and the Clip is safely locked. It is also very easy to adjust the volume using the button on the right side of the device.
Finally, the sound quality of the Sansa Clip is very good even at very high levels. The included headphones are cheap (which is common for mp3 players in this price range) but they still sound surprisingly good. For the average user the sound quality should be more than sufficient.
My One Minor Complaint
The only thing that I didn't really like about the Sansa Clip was the location of the input jack for the headphones. I really wish they would've put it the top like they do for the iPods. However, I can also understand how this may cause the heaphone cord to come out more easily. This is a very minor complaint since overall the price and features of this device are incredible.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40 Recommended for: Audio Book Listeners - Download Audio Books and Radio Programs
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