Gadgets that let you listen to your choice of music on the move aren't new, but they've come a long way since the first portable cassette player was launched. They are small, light and stylish, and can hold a lot of songs – and much more besides.

But as the market has matured, so has the range on offer, and price is not the only factor that should determine what you buy. You might also be surprised what an MP3 player can do, as its name is a legacy that belies its true abilities.

• What's my budget?
• How am I going to use my MP3 player?
• What quality music do I want?
• What else do I want to do with my MP3 player?
• How long do I want it to last?
• What else should I care about?

Click on any of these links to get some valuable advice, and tips on how you can use PriceRunner to find the perfect MP3 player.

Alternatively, go straight to any of these to read more:

• What is an MP3 player?
• Hard disk drive players
• Flash-based players (solid state players)
• MP3 CD players
• File formats
• Batteries and chargers
• Compatibility with your computer
• Screens

What is an MP3 player?

Before we look at how to choose an MP3 player, you need to understand one important fact: MP3 players don't just play MP3 files. Also, some "MP3 players" do a lot more than just play back audio files, but more on this later.

MP3 is a type of computer file that is used to store audio. The analogue sound waves are converted into digital signals and then compressed, so that they take up less storage space. MP3 is simply one way of compressing audio data (and decompressing to play the files back), but as it was one of the earliest options, it has become the generic name for this kind of device. You can read more about compression and file formats later on in this guide.

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What's my budget?

As with any new purchase, you should decide how much you want to spend before you investigate what's on offer. You should also decide whether you will stick to your budget or, perhaps surprisingly, consider spending less than you'd planned. That's because you may find an MP3 player that meets your needs for less than you were planning to pay, so decide now whether you will spend any spare cash on extra features you haven't got on your must-have list. Or you could consider buying two: a main player that you use most of the time and a cheap, small device for when you play sport.

You should also budget for accessories that will let you make the most of your new purchase. Different headphones and carrying cases are definitely worth considering, and you may also want external speakers or even an in-car set to maximise the amount you use your new player.

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How am I going to use my MP3 player?

Deciding how you are going to use your new MP3 player is your second step in whittling down your choice. That's because every MP3 player is based on one of just a few different technologies and these have different characteristics:

• Hard disk drives
• Flash (or solid state)
• Compact discs (CDs)

Hard disk drive players

Some MP3 players are based on hard disk drives, although these are smaller than the one(s) in your desktop or laptop computer. Even so, these players have lots of storage capacity and offer the best price per megabyte or gigabyte of all MP3 players. And they are most likely to meet your requirements if your priorities include a large screen and lots of features.

However, hard drives have moving parts, so although these players are fine in general use, they aren't good if they are going to be shaken around a lot, such as when you go jogging. They also tend to be larger and heavier than the main alternatives, which are flash-based devices. And almost all of them use rechargeable batteries that you can't change yourself, so when these stop working efficiently, you will need to pay to get them replaced or get a new player.

Some hard drive players now use smaller disk drives, so they are lighter and more compact. Their price per megabyte is more expensive than standard hard drive players but they still offer more storage and better value in this respect than flash-based devices, and you may be able to find one with a battery you can replace yourself.

Flash-based players

MP3 players that use flash memory (also known as solid state memory) have no moving parts, so aren't susceptible to vibrations. Consequently they are great if you want something to use while you are exercising. They are usually much smaller and lighter than hard drive players, and their batteries last longer. If you're worried about using rechargeable batteries, you can find flash players that use standard AA or AAA batteries.

The trade-off for the small size and weight is lower storage capacity, with the smallest and cheapest devices only storing one or two CDs-worth of music. A smaller device also means smaller controls and a smaller screen, or no screen at all, so some people find these models hard to use.

They can, though, offer a wide range of features and are more likely to have an FM radio included as standard.

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MP3 CD players

The least common type of MP3 player is actually a portable CD player, but one that will read data CDs holding digitally-encoded music as well as standard CDs. This greatly increases the amount of music you can take with you on one disc and the players tend to be cheap.

However, like hard drive models, these are more likely to jump if jostled. And, of course, they are large as they need to accommodate the CDs.

Summary of Differences between MP3 Player Types

Feature	Hard Drive	Micro Hard Drive	Flash-based	MP3 CD
Storage	Very high (up to 40,000 tracks)	Up to 2,000 or more	From minimal to 1,500 tracks	Around 150 MP3 tracks per CD-R disc
Cost per MB	Cheapest	Cheap	Higher than hard drive players	Cheap
Size	Relatively large	Medium	Smallest, but dependent on features	Large
Weight	Heavy	Medium	Lightest, depending on screen and size	Heaviest
Shock-proof	Not good with lots of vibration	Not good with lots of vibration	Good	Not usually good with lots of vibration but sports models are available
Batteries	Rechargeable; often not replaceable or need replacing professionally	Usually rechargeable; may need replacing professionally but some are user-replaceable	Either rechargeable or use AA or AAA batteries	Either rechargeable or use AA or AAA batteries
Suitable for	Car commuters; people wanting to store very large audio collections; storing and displaying video and photos	Time-poor commuters (quite easy to conceal and less time swapping tracks); travellers who won't be taking a laptop	Anyone wanting to listen to music while they exercise; commuters; travellers (especially if they can take a laptop with extra tracks)	People who want one device that can also play standard CDs

You may find some MP3 players with no built-in storage but where files are saved on removable memory instead, such as SD or MMC cards. Other models have slots so that these cards can be added to boost storage. Always check what is included as standard.

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Travellers

If you are going to take your MP3 player out and about, there are a lot of accessories you should consider budgeting for:

• a carrying case to protect your player
• armbands for joggers and belt clips
• portable speakers
• a cassette-style adapter or radio-transmitter for playing your music through your car speakers

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What quality music do I want?

A number of factors will affect the quality of music you hear from your MP3 player, including the file format used, the bit rate and even options for tweaking the sound using equalisers, which may be customisable and/or preset (such as rock, jazz, bass and so on).

File Formats

MP3 players get their name from the MP3 file format – a common way of compressing audio files into a file around one-tenth the size of the original. However, there are many other file formats now supported by so-called MP3 players, so it's important to check compatibility with any tracks you already have stored on your computer. Some experts even suggest you choose where you want to download tracks from first, and get a player that supports that music store's file format.

Some companies use secure versions of specific file formats in downloads from their online music stores, so check this out too.

There are a number of differences between the file formats, but the key thing is that some are 'lossless', which means that the codec (which compresses and decompresses the data) doesn't discard any of the 1s and 0s that make up the digital version of the audio file when it compresses it. This limits how much it can squeeze the data, so file sizes will be larger than for 'lossy' formats where some of the 1s and 0s are discarded. Most people can't hear the difference between lossless and lossy compression, but if you do or you plan to work in future with the music stored on the player, be sure to check what formats the player can support.

These are some of the more common formats you may come across:

Summary of Music File Formats

File Format	Source	Details
AA	Audible Audio; from Audible.com	Mainly used for spoken content such as talk radio and audio books.
AAC	Advanced Audio Coding; developed by Dolby	Part of MPEG standard but high profile as used in iPods. Apple and Real use secure AAC in downloads from their sites, with the Apple iTunes version (m4p files) being restricted and only compatible with iPods.
AIFF	Audio Interchange File Format; Apple	Uncompressed audio format, so very large file sizes. Commonly found on Macs.
ATRAC, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus	Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding; Sony	Said to sound better than MP3 at the same bit rates.
FLAC	Free Lossless Audio Codec; open source.	Not widely used but a lossless format that may be popular with those who are happy to trade larger file sizes for optimum sound quality.
MP3	MPEG-1 (Motion Pictures Experts Group) Audio Layer 3	Very common, even if not the best.
MP3 Pro	From Thomson	Better than MP3 but not widely supported.
OGG	Ogg Vorbis; open source	Not yet widely supported but offers good sound quality.
WAV	Waveform audio format; Microsoft	Uncompressed audio format. Most commonly found on PCs.
WMA	Windows Media Audio; Microsoft	Part of Microsoft's Windows Media framework and competitor to AAC. Said to sound better than MP3.

The 'bit rate' is also important as, along with the type of compression used, this determines the sound quality and file sizes. The higher the bit rate – or bits used per second - the better the sound quality, but this comes at the expense of larger file sizes. Some codecs allow you to encode files in the same format at different bit rates: around 128 to 192kbps is a good compromise.

Finally, if you care about audio quality, check the frequency response (the range of frequencies the player can actually output) and signal-to-noise ratio (the ratio between useful and background noise) – higher is better.

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What else do I want to do with my MP3 player?

Most people buy MP3 players to listen to music, but as they are, in essence, digital storage devices, you can use them for other things as well. Even the cheapest and simplest devices can often be used as file storage and transport devices, letting you move files from one computer to another. Plug-in players don't even need a cable.

The growing trend is to use larger MP3 players to store photographs and even video clips. If you want to do this, check that the player can support relevant formats, such as JPEG or BMP for photos, and look for a decent screen. If your player has a suitable memory card slot or adapter, you can even download images directly from your camera.

Another feature to look for is a radio tuner (which will usually be FM only) in case you get tired of your own music or like to be able to check the news while you are away from home.

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How long do I want it to last?

If you handle your MP3 player with care it should last a long time, but if it uses a rechargeable batteries then ultimately this will limit its lifespan, or you may feel it has simply gone out of date.

Batteries and chargers

Your choice of battery type is to some extent determined by what kind of player you want. Hard drive players tend to use rechargeable batteries because they draw more power than flash-based players. Rechargeable batteries deteriorate over a few years, after which you will need to get them replaced or get a new player. Some hard drive players have rechargeable units you can replace yourself.

If you're considering a player based on standard disposable batteries, remember to consider the cost of regularly replacing them and their ecological impact. There's a convenience factor, though, as sometimes it may be easier to buy new batteries than to find somewhere to recharge your player.

While you are thinking about batteries, remember to consider the recharge and maximum play times, if the figures are available. These may be important if you travel for a long journeys without access to a computer or power supply, and then only have limited time to recharge the player.

Also find out what power supply and charger options you get as standard. If the batteries recharge automatically when connected to your computer, you might find you have to pay extra for a mains charger. To be safe, buy the manufacturer's own charger so that you can be confident the polarity and voltage will be OK. Car users should consider getting a cigarette lighter charger too.

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Upgradable Firmware

Most users aren't aware that some manufacturers now let you upgrade the software on their players after you've bought them, to let you to improve the player's features or fix any bugs. While many users won't ever bother with this, it's worth considering as it can extend the lifespan of your player and save you buying a new device just to get one or two extra features. The product specifications can show you if this is an option.

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What else should I care about?

Compatibility with your computer

There's no point in buying an MP3 player if you can't use it with your computer. Most reasonably new PCs and Macs should be fine, but you need to make sure you have the right connection and software. Always check the specifications.

Connectivity

The main options for connecting your MP3 player to your computer are USB and Firewire. There are two USB standards: the older, slower 1.1 and the new, faster 2.0 (which is on a par with Firewire in terms of speed). You may also find Ethernet, WiFi or Bluetooth options on new models.

Make sure that whatever you are considering matches the connections on your computer, bearing in mind that you can upgrade some computers if you are confident enough and want to spend the extra money (a Firewire card for a PC will only cost around £20).

You should also look at a docking station for automatically synchronising your player with your computer's music collection.

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Software

Most MP3 players come with bundled software that you can use to rip tracks from your own CDs, download music from the Internet and organise your tunes. However, others don't include any software, so if you can't use drag-and-drop to copy files (or want more flexibility than this), you will either need to download the manufacturer's software or some other solution from the Internet. There are some good packages available, but if you don't have a broadband connection, find out what the file sizes are as the download times may be an issue if this is the only way to source the software.

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File management and playback

Some file formats include tags that hold details about the artist, song title and album name. You can use these to organise your songs, create playlists and so on, although not all MP3 players support this or have a screen that will show such details.

If you want to be creative, look for the widest range of options, including song-rating which increases the number of times a tune is played within shuffle mode.

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Screen (display)

Some MP3 players have no screens, while others have screens with resolutions to match small televisions. Check the specifications to see what's included, bearing in mind that a backlit screen will be easier to read but will use more battery power. If you want to use the player to view photos and/or videos, check the reviews to get an idea of their quality.

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Earphones/headphones and speakers

The quality of the earphones included with an MP3 player is somewhat dictated by price, but you should read the reviews to check what they are like. In many cases you'll be better off with different earphones or headphones: for example, you may prefer sound-isolating headphones to cut out train noise or noise-cancellation headphones if you travel by plane.

See our headphones section for a huge choice and read the reviews.

If you want to listen to your music through your stereo or through dedicated speakers, you shouldn't have a problem with sockets. See our MP3 player accessories section where you can find a wide range of dedicated speakers. To play music in your room when you're travelling, consider budgeting for portable speakers.

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Extra functions

Date, time and alarm functions can save you having to take an alarm clock away with you. Some MP3 players also have limited organiser-style features and games or special shuffle function.

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Remote control

A remote control can be useful if you want to use your MP3 player with external speakers, for example. This may be included with the package or you can buy them separately. Others feature 'line-in' remotes, which sit in the middle of the headphone cord and save you having to take the player out of your pocket or bag. Again, have a look at our MP3 players accessories section for remote controls.

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Recording

Some MP3 players have a small internal microphone that can be used for recording memos or conversations, while others will let you attach an external mic. An audio line-in connector will let you record directly from a CD player or stereo, or use a powered microphone. If you do want to record live music, check the reviews to get a suitable model.

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