SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (blue, 8GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk Part number: SDMX20R-008GB-A57
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- You can find smaller or cheaper MP3 players, but you won't find a better value than the Sansa Fuze+ in terms of dollars per features.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Once you know, you Newegg! |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/23/2012 |
 | | In stock Get free shipping on orders over $25.00 | as of 05/23/2012 | |
 | | In stock Earn 2% eBay Bucks on qualifying purchases! Backed by e | as of 05/23/2012 | |
 | | In stock | as of 05/23/2012 | |
| TheNerds.net | | In stock | as of 05/23/2012 | |
| Provantage | | In stock | as of 05/23/2012 |
CNET editors' review
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (blue, 8GB) price range: $55.26 - $97.79
- Reviewed by: Donald Bell
- Reviewed on: 09/21/2010
- Released on: 09/01/2010
The good: The Sansa Fuze+ comes in a variety of colors and capacities, at superaffordable prices. Features such as video playback, AAC compatibility, FM radio, photos, podcasts, Rhapsody support, voice recording, and Mac compatibility make it an easy iPod alternative to recommend.
The bad: The new touch-pad navigation is sluggish; screen resolution isn't great; audio quality is just average; and the all-plastic design feels cheap.
The bottom line: You can find smaller or cheaper MP3 players, but you won't find a better value than the Sansa Fuze+ in terms of dollars per features.
iPods aren't for everybody. The ones with all the cool features will set you back at least $150, and the ones you can afford don't do much. If you want to spend less than $100 for a portable media player that can handle music, photos, videos, FM radio, podcasts, and voice memos, your best bet is the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+.
Available in five colors (red, blue, white, black, and purple), the Fuze+ is available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities, priced to fly off the shelves at $79, $89, and $119. It should be noted, though, that the 16GB model is available only in black, and the white version (which reminds us of a "Star Wars" Stormtrooper) is available only in an 8GB capacity.
Design
Compared with the original Sansa Fuze from 2008, the Fuze+ is a bit longer and thicker, but benefits from a larger 2.4-inch screen, simplified user interface, and a universal Micro-USB connection that replaces the proprietary dock. It measures 2 inches wide by 3.75 inches tall by around a third of an inch thick, which we'd typically call out as being chunky, if the thing weren't so unfathomably lightweight.
Around the edges of the player you'll find a convenient volume rocker switch on the left, a power button up top, a Micro-USB port on the right, and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom. The back has a smooth, river pebble feel to it that fits naturally in your hand or pocket.
Flipping through the main menu using the capacitive touch-strip navigation pad (good-bye click wheel), you'll find options for music, video, photo, radio, podcast, voice recording, MicroSD card, and settings. The graphic interface is a far cry from the Windows 98-esque rotation of icons used on prior Sansa players, and borrows heavily from the Zune's "twist" philosophy of using horizontal swipes to switch between functions and vertical swipes to flip through content within each silo.
Overall, the new user interface works well and the logic behind the navigation makes more sense than ever before. That said, side-by-side with the original Fuze, it takes longer to work your way through menus with the new "film strip" touch navigation than it did with the previous scroll-wheel design, and pausing playback can no longer be accomplished by feel alone. Also, the main menu doesn't loop back on itself anymore when you reach the last item, forcing you to swipe your way back through seven menu icons to reach the music player again. It's a process that wouldn't be quite as tedious if the touch control were more responsive, but as it stands, your fingers can easily outpace the reaction speed of the controls. It's certainly not a deal breaker, but it is one advantage that higher-priced devices, such as the iPod Nano and flash-based Zunes, have over the Sansa Fuze+.
Features
All of the features SanDisk got right with the first generation of the Fuze are still here--only they're better. The audio player is one of the most flexible money can buy, with support for MP3, WMA, Ogg, FLAC, WAV, Audible, protected WMA (Rhapsody, Napster), SlotRadio content, and finally, AAC. One of our nagging complaints about the original Fuze was the lack of AAC compatibility, which is the format of choice for the nation's largest online music retailer (iTunes). Now that the company has remedied the gap in support, there's nothing stopping users from dragging their unprotected music files straight out of iTunes and onto the Fuze+--which is a big deal for any iPod expats.
The Fuze is now broadly compatible between Mac and PC, thanks to a flexible USB connection mode that can automatically switch between MTP and a generic MSC connection standard. It's a small thing, but it's still one less hurdle for anyone looking for an inexpensive iPod alternative.
On the video front, you can sync most standard definition content in an h.264, WMV, or MPEG-4 format. A free Sansa Media Converter application is included (also downloadable) that makes quick work of converting the majority of other common video formats, specifically including Flip camcorder footage.
Features such as photos, FM radio, and voice recording work just as you'd expect and we have no complaints, especially at this price. The radio doesn't offer the same "live pause" capability as the Apple iPod Nano, however, it does allow you to create recordings off the radio on the fly, and displays station call letters and other RBDS info. Recordings made either from the radio or the integrated voice recorder are stored as uncompressed WAV files, which can be easily transferred off the device and played on any computer.
Another noteworthy feature that SanDisk continues to support is memory card expansion. Granted, as one of the world's leading manufacturers of memory cards, it would be insane for SanDisk not to support memory cards. To this end, SanDisk doesn't skimp on memory support, allowing up to 32GB of extra MicroSDHC memory to be shoved into the side of the device for people looking to store as much music as possible. The feature is also compatible with SanDisks' own line of SlotRadio music cards, which offer a pre-loaded selection of music based around certain genres or themes (Billboard Hits, Classical, Workout Mix, etc.).
The Fuze+ features a dedicated main menu heading for podcasts, which is a great nod to podcasts fans like us. Of course, to download and sync podcast content, you'll need to use the Fuze+ with podcast-friendly software, like Songbird or Winamp, or even iTunes if you're comfortable with dragging and dropping content manually.
Performance
There are plenty of good reasons to buy a Sansa Fuze+ over an iPod, but audio quality is not one of them. Like any iPod, the Fuze+ includes a lengthy list of EQ presets to massage the sound, as well as a custom five-band graphic EQ--but nothing really worked to coax out a better-than-average sound. The included earbuds come with foam covers on them as a measure of comfort, but they offer no sonic improvement over Apple's ubiquitous white 'buds.
That said, the fact that the Fuze+ is sonically on par with the iPod Nano, and available at half the price, is no small feat. But if audio quality is of paramount importance, you're better off looking at players from Sony, Samsung, or Cowon.
Video quality on the Fuze+ is impressive. The screen's 320x240-pixel resolution isn't worthy of taking in a feature-length film, but the pixel density looks tight and crisp, image quality is smooth, and colors pop for both photos and videos. Our review unit had a pretty nasty viewing angle when held in landscape view and tilted towards the right, but if that's the only complaint we can make of the experience, we think the Fuze+ still comes out ahead.
SanDisk rates the battery life of the Fuze+ at 24 hours of audio and 5 hours of video, which is above average for the price. We'll update this review with battery results from CNET Labs once testing is complete.
User reviews
-
-
Great player for the money.
by saylerboi on October 26, 2011
Pros: Nice (though tiny) screen.
Durable - I've dropped it several times (with silicone case)and still works great.
Reads metadata accurately - not as common as you would think.
Seamless memory card integration - nearly unheard of.
Is not an Apple or MicrosoftCons: User interface has steep learning curve, requires light and accurate touch. It does weird stuff if you take your aggression out on it.
Takes outrageous amount of time to refresh memory if you've changed anything.
Used to occasionally freeze up and makeSummary: I have had my Fuze + for a few months and I am very please that I got it. It did take a while to get used to the UI but ...
Summary: I have had my Fuze + for a few months and I am very please that I got it. It did take a while to get used to the UI but I no longer even think about it. I had the previous Fuze, and I can navigate around much faster on the Fuze +. Took me a couple of weeks to get used to it though. Playlists are not buried AT ALL. The only things that are buried too deep are the EQ settings, but I figured out that with a decent pair of phones it sounds better with no EQ anyway. Most of my music is in FLAC format and I use iGrado phones and I am perfectly content with the sound quality. If sound quality is important, pay more attention to what actually goes on your ears and the quality of the music file than the gadget that's playing it back - within reason of course. Before I bought it I looked and listened to every mp3 player under $100 I could find, I shopped for months (really) and this was no impulse buy. For the same money, nothing else comes close.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
A Step Down From the Original Fuze Player
by AeidosNemisis on April 30, 2012
Pros: sleek, low price, many features, miniSD slot.
Cons: Bad interface, awful touchpad control, battery and power problems.
Summary: The touch-pad is often too sensitive - a brush with something will change the track - but at other times you will tap and tap, and nothing will happen. It ...
Summary: The touch-pad is often too sensitive - a brush with something will change the track - but at other times you will tap and tap, and nothing will happen. It is a pain to navigate the Fuze+'s menu, and it isn't easy to set up playlists or play them, for some reason they're buried and hard to get to. I've frequently had trouble with the batteries with the Fuze+, and had to return 2 units to the store before I found one that worked (that should have been my first clue!) I loved my Sansa Fuse before it's untimely death in my washer, and I thought I'd love the Fuze+ too, but now I wish I'd purchased something else.
-
Controls are out of control
by jwmeyer99 on March 10, 2012
Pros: Looks good, expandable with micro memory card, battery appears long lasting so far, charges with both outlet and USB chargers provided.
Cons: Hangs, jumps, crashes, freezes, locks up
Summary: I wouldn't recommend this unless you buy it in a way that allows for returns after you try it a few days. Mine has some major problem every day. ...
Summary: I wouldn't recommend this unless you buy it in a way that allows for returns after you try it a few days. Mine has some major problem every day. Controls can't be called "sensitive" because often nothing happens when I press them. Then it will jump 5 or ten places ahead. Also screen goes blank to save energy, fine, but then won't come back on no matter what you press, and it's just playing away, dark and out of control. This is dollar store type junk. Might be worth a try if you get a bargain and can return it after you try it.
-
Great performance for really good value
by newmi on January 11, 2012
Pros: nice looking, good sound quality, long battery life, really good value
Cons: UI is bad. It is hard to use. Response of touch buttons is slow.
Summary: Mp3 and video player for great value. Expect the bad UI, I like this player. Sometime it freeze for few seconds in video menu. Anyway the sound quality is better ...
Summary: Mp3 and video player for great value. Expect the bad UI, I like this player. Sometime it freeze for few seconds in video menu. Anyway the sound quality is better than at my previous mp3 (iRiver X20). You can' t expect great sound quality, great features, great UI, great screen for 62€. For that price you get the best :)
* You can' t expect great sound quality, great features, great UI, great screen for 62euro. For that price you get the best :)
Updated on Jan 11, 2012 -
WHICH OVERPAID EXECUTIVE LET THIS OUT OF THE FACTORY?
by 550wins on August 29, 2011
Pros: Sound quality and storage capacity are it's big selling points.
Cons: UNUSABLE Controls, NO recently added feature, I had issues with it crashing for no reason
Summary: SERIOUS downgrade from the Fuze. The Swipe technology for the controls is Extremely frustrating to use. If you tried to go just one step it goes 4 or 5 steps ...
Summary: SERIOUS downgrade from the Fuze. The Swipe technology for the controls is Extremely frustrating to use. If you tried to go just one step it goes 4 or 5 steps past. Or the lag was so bad you didn't think it registered so you swipe it again and it catches up and goes past where you wanted it. With a capacity of 3000 songs WHY!!! would you eliminate the recently added feature from the Menu??? You can add a song and Not hear it for a month unless you tried searching through the menus for it Good luck with that. I also had frequent issues with the system would play a song or two and just crash with a loud buzzing sound for no apparent reason. I had to hold the power button for 10-15 seconds to shut it off. When I turn it back on it would reload all the songs which took 4-5 minutes. Not worth the frustration. I finally whacked the screen and cracked the LCD screen inside the cover. I didn't even think I whacked it that hard. It was probably inevitable considering how many times I wanted to fling it down the street. I've liked the Clip, Clip+, And Fuze, But Fuze+ was a big mistake that looks pretty in the box until you expose it to the air and the gremlins come out of hiding.
-
Controls are too touchy. playlists are buried too deep.
by dustytrails on August 26, 2011
Pros: price. Volume can be adjusted with other controls locked.
Cons: I don't like the controls nor do I care for the sequencing within the menu. It uses a non standard USB cord. I guess it is the type used in some smart phones, but I never seem to grab the right cord when it is time to recharge.
Summary: I bought this player when my nano started having overcharging battery problems. I wasn't happy with what the current Nano has become. Price is right. If you have a ...
Summary: I bought this player when my nano started having overcharging battery problems. I wasn't happy with what the current Nano has become. Price is right. If you have a 32Gig mini SD, it will take it and vastly expand memory capacity, The boot up time with the my 2Gig SD card card approaches 2 minutes, for that holds my Italian lessons. Larger cards probably take even longer to mount. I think the controls are based on galvanic capacitance. Static electricity makes the touchy controls almost unusable. The video function has mis-identified several of my mp3s as video files. I don't use that anyway.
-
Quit On Me After 4 Days
by orly65 on May 30, 2011
Pros: Nice Screen
Cons: Buttons either are set off at the slightest touch or sometimes you can't get it to respond, just annoying as hell.
Summary: One day the battery died, plugged it to charge, and it never responded. Only had it 4 days and never dropped it or got a chance to use it outside. ...
Summary: One day the battery died, plugged it to charge, and it never responded. Only had it 4 days and never dropped it or got a chance to use it outside. Sony's Walkman is much better device.
-
worse thing ever navigation is almost impossible.
by iamheen on February 14, 2011
Pros: it is pretty looking
Cons: every function=on it really hard to use you have to sometimes pound the "pad" to making it work and even then sometimes it does and most times it dose not work then when it does it does something you don't want it to it locks at the worse times
Summary: there is so much that is just bad about the system tried for days to make it work out and it is just not happening. Both my Wife and Son ...
Summary: there is so much that is just bad about the system tried for days to make it work out and it is just not happening. Both my Wife and Son gave it a go it just got everyone upset by this little device. The last generation was so much easier to use wish it would go back to same system. If you buy this be prepared to get frustrated.
-
Sleek & easy to use, but has some bugs to work out
by kfree10 on December 25, 2010
Pros: This is an upgrade for me-my last player was a tiny flash player that didn't have a screen. Screen resolution is quite crisp.Haven't tried videos on it yet, but music uploads easily and the sound quality is good. I use Rhapsody to create playlists.
Cons: Sometimes the player has a hard time turning on and it takes me two or three times. Touch navigation is finicky. Sometimes the screen freezes.
Summary: I'm quite pleased with this player. It's not fancy, but that's fine with me. I will most likely never even use all the features it offers, but ...
Summary: I'm quite pleased with this player. It's not fancy, but that's fine with me. I will most likely never even use all the features it offers, but it's good to know they're there. The sound quality is good which is the most important aspect to me. Easy to use and looks nice. Wish the touch pad was a little less tricky.
-
Not as good as the last version of Sansa fuze
by LeeG99 on December 3, 2010
Pros: The screen is a little bigger, but not necessarily sharper.
Cons: The touch navagation is awkward. Sometimes the Sansa media converter program didn't recognize the media player, not sure why.
Summary: I preferred the scroll wheel navagation that the last version of the fuze had, it was easier. The touch navagation is hard to use, and doesn't always seem to ...
Summary: I preferred the scroll wheel navagation that the last version of the fuze had, it was easier. The touch navagation is hard to use, and doesn't always seem to work right. Importing videos, and images is not as easy as the click, and drag method of the Sony media player. For the next version they need to go back to the wheel navagation.
Although the Sony media players screen image is not that good, lots of glare.
Updated on Dec 3, 2010
Specifications
- Manufacturer: SanDisk
- Part number: SDMX20R-008GB-A57
- Description: The Sansa Fuze+ MP3 player gives you more player for less money. From its sleek and thin styling to its invisible touch control, the Sansa Fuze+ MP3 player delivers a great user experience and lets you do more than just play music files. Add a blank microSD card to expand your own music library or an optional slotRadio card for an instant library of songs - even listen to FM radio with the ability to pause or record stations or record your voice with the built-in mic. Sansa Fuze+ MP3 player is the newest in a long line of award-winning players from the inventor of flash memory cards.
General
- Product type Digital player / radio
- PC interface(s) supported USB
- Flash memory installed 8 GB Integrated
- Digital storage None
- Color Blue
- Available body colors Black,
Blue,
Purple,
White - Voice recording capable Yes
- Included accessories micro-USB 2.0 data transfer cable,
Earphones - Software type Drivers & Utilities
Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards MP3 ,
Protected WMA (DRM) ,
WMA ,
FLAC ,
Audible ,
Ogg Vorbis ,
AAC Built-in Display
- Audio system built-in display LCD
- Diagonal size 2.4 in
- Resolution 320 x 240
Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Additional features FM radio recording capability,
Built-in microSD/SDHC card reader Video Playback Features
- Video playback support H.264,
MPEG-4,
WMV - Still image format JPEG,
BMP CD System
- Digital audio standards supported MP3,
WMA,
Secure WMA,
Ogg Vorbis,
FLAC,
AAC,
Audible
Radio
- Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
- Tuner bands FM
Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included External,
1 x USB cable - - Connector type 1 x,
Hi-Speed USB - Slot(s) provided 1 x microSD Memory card
Battery / Power
- Battery Rechargeable Player battery
- Mfr estimated battery life 24 hour(s)
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: System Requirements] Internet connection,
CD-ROM - Operating system Microsoft Windows XP SP2,
Apple MacOS X 10.3,
Linux
Product series
-
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (purple, 8GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (red, 4GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (white, 8GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (blue, 4GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (blue, 8GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (black, 4GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 4 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (black, 8GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 8 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio -
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 (black, 16GB)
Manufacturer: SanDisk
Specs: 16 GB,
MP3,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WMA,
FLAC,
Audible,
Ogg Vorbis,
AAC,
2.4 in,
Player battery - Rechargeable,
24 hour(s),
Digital player / radio
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse SanDisk products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:SanDisk
- Address:
601 McCarthy Boulevard, Milpitas, CA 95035 - Phone: 1-866-726-3475
- Email: support@sandisk.com
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-fuze-mp3/4014-6490_9-34165623.html&x_breadcrumb=8900:6450:6490&x_arw_bkts=MAD:med_wireless_switcher){kind=small}