SanDisk Fuze+ MP3 Player is an Affordable Alternative to iProducts

In the market for an MP3 / portable media player? Tech Savvy Daddy says that the SanDisk Fuze+ player is worth considering.

SanDisk’s Fuze+ is a small lightweight portable media player. It comes with 8GB of flash storage that can be filled with music, videos, photos, and podcasts.

Removing the device from the box, it was surprisingly light and felt good in my hand. It’s a glossy black case with rounded edges and a glossy screen. For those who don’t want black, it’s also available in a few different colors.

The power button is located on the top and volume buttons on the side, making the layout similar to many other MP3 players with a screen on the top and controls underneath. It has a touch-sensitive area under the screen with also a “go-back” arrow and a play/pause button. You can use your finger to swipe left, right, up down, and center-click the controls, moving between menus and from song to song. The interface is pretty intuitive and seems familiar after playing with it for a few minutes.

The player comes with a USB cable to attach to your computer. It’s used for charging the Fuze as well as for transferring media onto the player. To fill it with songs, the player mounts like a flash drive would on your computer desktop on either your Mac or PC. You can open the music folder and drag your music to it. It doesn’t automatically sync with iTunes, but I was able to easily drag files from Mac iTunes to the music folder with no issues. On the PC, the Fuze+ comes with the Rhapsody music player can connect to the Rhapsody music subscription service and also sync with the player.

After charging it for a little while and loading some content onto it, I gave it a try. It easily played MP3s ripped from CDs, purchased from Amazon, as well as non-DRM purchases from iTunes (iTunes+ content, 256kbps without protection).

From the main menu, swipe left and right to scroll through the different top level menus: Music, Video, Photos, FM Radio, Podcasts, the voice recorder, and a settings screen. Double-click the center of the control pad to enter one of the sections. The full color menus guide you through your content. For music, it displays cover-artwork in the menus as well as full-screen while listening to songs.

The music sounded crisp and clear, and the volume seemed to be plenty loud for just about anyone. When viewing videos and photos, the device switches to landscape mode (which is configurable). The Fuze+ doesn’t have a directional sensor, so don’t expect it to automatically rotate the screen if you turn the device 90 degrees. The default landscape mode is better for watching videos and looking at photos as the aspect ratio of the screen matches the dimensions of your media better. The screen is very bright and of a good size, and the video playback quality is good.

When scanning through photos, you swipe left and right to move forward and backwards through the pictures, as you would expect.

So what would you compare it to?

Well, it’s a very close comparison to the (now discontinued) iPod Nano 5th Generation players, which sold for $149, and like any Apple product, were never discounted. The new iPod Nano with Multi-Touch offering is still $149, but combines the touchpad and screen into a small touchscreen.

The Sansa Fuze+ has an MSRP of $90, and can easily be found for less. As many people point out, there is a premium for Apple products. Comparing the Sasa Fuze’s street price to an iPod Nano, the iPod costs almost twice as much. Ouch!

I’m not sure I could watch a video on the new iPod Nano, but I could easily see myself watching videos on the plane or while riding in the car on the Fuze+. The new iPod Nanos seem too small to comfortably hold in your hand long enough without putting your thumb over the screen, blocking your ability to watch it.

The Sansa Fuze+ has an internal rechargeable battery that lasts up to 24 hours (not verified). In addition to the internal storage (4 to 16 GB depending on which model you purchase, 8 GB tested), it also has a micro SD card slot where you can add a fingernail-sized flash card to expand the storage. Micro SD cards can be purchased at any electronics store ranging from about $10 for 4GB to about $80 for 32GB.

If you don’t have a massive music collection, the unit also accepts SanDisk SlotRadio cards. We reviewed SlotRadio last May, but you can purchase 1,000 songs of a particular music genre for $40. That’s only 4 cents per song!

Summary:

The Sansa Fuze+ portable media player is an elegant, lightweight, affordable media player. It would be suitable for jogging if desired since it could easily be kept in your pants or shirt pocket.

MSRP $90 with 8 GB internal storage. Available at your favorite retailer for less. Amazon prices currently start at $73.07 for a 8 GB black one and range according to color and storage.

Sansa Fuze+ was sent by Sandisk for review purposes. No compensation was received for this post. Images provided courtesy of SanDisk. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.