Great MP3 players for $50 or less

Donald Bell, Senior Editor June 8, 2009

If you're on a razor-tight budget, it's not hard to find an MP3 player for less than $50 these days. The problem is finding one that's any good. Most of the players you'll find in the sub-$50 price range are iPod Shuffle clones--small players with no screen, limited features, and scant memory. You can do better!

With the exception of the Sansa SlotMusic player, all of these MP3 players include FM radio, voice recording, and a screen for navigation. Each player also offers its own unique feature. The Creative Zen Stone Plus, for instance, includes a built-in speaker, while the Philips GoGear Spark uses a color display for album artwork. If you're a fitness fanatic, the workout timer included on the Samsung U5 is a cute bonus.

Finally, the Sansa SlotMusic player isn't flashy or chock-full of features, but you can't beat the value at just $20. Playback control is extremely basic, and you'll need to supply your own memory using microSD cards, but the construction is durable, and the swappable memory makes it easy to share the device between several people.

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