SanDisk Sansa C250 MP3 player review

Is this the iPod nano killer we've been looking for?

11 April 2007 0:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

So you want an MP3 player, but don't want to go down the Apple route and although you quiet like the look of the Sony or Creative players aren't really that fussed about them.

SanDisk are hoping that if you've got one of their memory cards in your digital camera you'll want one of its cards in your MP3 player.

The Sansa C250 is its answer to the iPod nano and offers 2GB of memory in a compact size. If 2GB doesn’t sound enough you can expand the storage of the player thanks to the inclusion of a microSD card slot.

Taking centre stage is a 3.6cm wide colour screen that allows you to see what you are doing menu wise as well as view images, although with most mobile phone screens bigger and better quality, this shouldn't be a factor on your list of must haves.

Turn it on and it's business as usual with easy to use menus, good sound and overall a comprehensive package on offer.

The Sansa C250 supports internet subscription services like Napster To Go out of the box and the 15 hours stated battery life lived up to its claims.

Differing from Apple's players, Sansa includes an FM tuner as well as recorder so you can "Tape" programs either to the unit's internal storage or a MicroSD card to transfer elsewhere. Unfortunately there isn't a timer option that allows you to preset recordings.

Verdict

The Sansa 250 is a good solid performer however not without its gripes. While the screen is a useful addition to the player it is too small to do anything other than view the menus for track listings.

Likewise the inclusion of a microSD card slot is good but kind of defeats the point. Against mobile phones the Sansa C250 comes across as a rather large player offering something that with SanDisk's memory cards most mobile phones can do.

Seeing as the average person carries their mobile phone with them everywhere, carrying this player isn't as small as Apple's iPod shuffle to slip into the pocket. Likewise it doesn't offer as much storage as the iPod meaning it sits uncomfortably in the middle.

It won't dissapoint, but you might as well just get a memory card from SanDisk for your phone instead.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: SanDisk
Price as reviewed: £60
The good: Colour screen, ease of use
The bad: Screen not great for viewing images, not enough storage
Quick verdict: The Sansa 250 is a good solid performer however not without its gripes
Score