Some people enjoy listening to MP3 players when they work out, so they don't have their phone with them. Whether that's also to keep calls and messages at bay or keep their phone safe. This could be a dealbreaker for some people, but if you only listen to music through streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal, these music players aren’t for you. For a few years, we were recommending the Astell&Kern AK70, which did offer Wi-Fi connectivity. Sadly, it’s now out of production. Storage: 128GB | Screen size: 4.1in | Battery life: 10 hrs Maximum file support: 32bit/384kHz; DSD256 | Dimensions (h/w/d): 12x7x2cm | Weight: 203g Bottom line, a music player you wear as often as your favorite sneakers have got to sound great. The Clip Jam™ player does. It delivers sound so rich and deep you’ll wonder how it can be so small or so affordable. As the name suggests, Lossless Audio doesn't sacrifice any of the musical information: the successors to the WAV format used in CDs, which is also lossless, use more advanced technology to take the audio information and make the file smaller without compromising on quality. There are several versions of Lossless Audio including Apple Lossless, FLAC and WMA Lossless, and as you'll see from our guide above you'll often find that the best MP3 players support at least some of those formats.

While some of the more premium players on this list are great, you don't exactly want to bring them on a run or to the gym. If you're looking for an MP3 player that is rugged enough to handle a workout but won't cost too much to replace if something goes wrong, the SanDisk 16GB Clip Sport Plus is your best bet. It supports a huge range of formats, including DSD(DFF, DSF, ISO), FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, APE, MP3, WMA, OGG and DCF. Music sounds brilliant and with Bluetooth, you can listen on a range of different devices. Although there's no Wi-Fi streaming available. Another reason is that not everything you might want to listen to is available on the various streaming services –and not everything that's there today might be there tomorrow, because songs and even artists come and go. By synchronising an MP3 player with your desktop music collection you can always be sure that you can hear what you want to hear. A big bonus for many people is that with your own music collection, you don't need to pay a monthly subscription to listen to it, or to listen to it without advertising. And there's style to match the substance, with manufacturers also competing on design to deliver players that look as good as they sound. Fan of brutalist architecture? Astell & Kern is the name for you. Something a bit more colorful? See SanDisk or Sony. Want something about the size of a matchbox? Cowon's Plenue D3 is the one – see them all in our guide above. Why do people still use MP3 players?Some MP3 players feature Wi-Fi and support for streaming services like Spotify. This varies from player to player, so keep this in mind while shopping if this is an important feature. Why would I use an MP3 player instead of my phone?

If you want to listen beyond your own music collection, don’t worry. The SE180 is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and supports a wide range of high-quality streaming services. Some, like Tidal and Deezer, are included out of the box, but you can install many Android music streaming apps via A&K’s Open APP Service. But most importantly of all, the SP1000m sounds almost transparently clear, utterly in control and entirely assured. No detail is too fine or too transient to elude it, and no bass frequency is too deep or too textured to defeat it. It communicates in torrents, but never in an analytical or show-off sort of way - it just paints a big, full picture and uses all the colours.Battery life is always a consideration when it comes to electronics. Since most MP3 players have long-lasting batteries, most will get you through long runs and workouts. However, if you want to cut down on recharge time, keep an eye out for something that lasts 30 hours or more between charges. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on long journeys, we’d opt for something with a longer battery life that also has more storage space. The Sony NW-E394 below should last you 35 hours, while three of the devices on this list come with a microSD slot for you to expand the amount of storage to accommodate even the largest of music collections. Can I use my MP3 player to stream music? If you need a device for your workouts, look for one that’s small, light and ideally water and sweat-proof. The Sony NW-WS415 in this list is a definite winner on that front, and can also be used for swimming if that’s more your thing. Speaking of phones, you may find the touchscreen to be a little sluggish, compared to what you’re used to, but with some patience, it’s easy enough to navigate for anyone familiar with the Android launcher. If you can overlook these minor flaws, the Sony NW-A306 is more than worthy of the Walkman legacy and a great way to enjoy your favourite music. It’s almost 10 years since iBasso developed the world’s first high-resolution Android portable music player (24bit/192kHz, numbers fans), and it’s been honing its range of players ever since. So by rights the new DX160 should represent the state of the midrange PMP art.

This ultra-small, wearable music player offers 8GB 3 storage, and comes with a built-in microSD™ card slot 4 so you can add even more songs or audiobooks. Many listeners who spring for a higher-end digital audio player use them with high-end headphones. The SE180 is prepared for whichever type of connectors your headphones use, with 2.5mm, 3.5mm, and 4.4mm connections. There is 256GB of onboard storage, expandable via microSD. On the budget end, they can go places that you might be afraid to risk breaking or losing your phone—and plenty of them are smaller than the standard smartphone to boot. You’ll get the best results using decent headphones and playing high-resolution files – lower-quality headphones and compressed files lose a lot of the detail, to the point where you may as well be using a smartphone. Storage: 32GB | Screen size: 5in | Battery life: 13 hrs Maximum file support: 32bit/384kHz; DSD256 | Dimensions (h/w/d): 11x7x2cm | Weight: 178gWhen you’re working out, dealing with wired headphones can be tedious, making an MP3 player with Bluetooth capabilities ideal for some active users, whether jogging outdoors or walking on a treadmill desk in the office. If you're using an MP3 player while studying, relaxing, or traveling, one that requires external headphones might not be an issue. We test dozens of hi-res portable music players every year at TechRadar, and that means we know exactly which features, specs, file support and wireless audio codecs to look out for.It's important for us to compare the performance of these players against the claims made by their manufacturers, which is why we take the time to make sure the stamina, durability, connectivity and sound quality claims are legit. There's lots to love here including an Android 10 operating system with a touchscreen that's smooth and responsive, a punchy, controlled and detailed sound and a premium build. Sony describes its NW-WS413 as the “ultimate training partner” and we’re not about to disagree – we gave it a five-star review when it came out. The unusual design is both music player and earphones in one, and while its head-hugging design holds firmly in place while jogging or cycling, it’s also completely waterproof to a depth of 2m so can be used in the pool. While a smartphone can do everything that an MP3 can (e.g. hold songs, podcasts, and audiobooks), the latter can give you the chance to get away—and in an increasingly connected world, disconnecting is sometimes necessary. Plus, since photos, messages, and other large files don't take up space on an MP3 player, there is more space for holding audio files like songs and podcasts. When considering purchasing one, keep this criteria in mind: battery life, bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity. We evaluated top MP3 players for these features, as well as design, size, storage capacity, and price. A USATF-certified running coach on our Review Board also reviewed the claims in this article for accuracy and how to evaluate MP3 players for running and working out.