I owned the first generation clip, and the new 8gb clip+ retains everything that was great about the first while adding all around refinements.
Pros:
- Overall build quality has improved, but especially with the clip mechanism.
- Files on MicroSD integrate seemlessly with the on board memory.
- The volume and power buttons have more ergonomic placement on the device.
- Sound quality remains great.
- Audiobook files can be sped up slightly to save some "reading" time.
- The interface is a little smoother and nicer to move through.
- The square trackpad makes it easier to navigate without looking at the player. (good for runners)
Cons:
- No cap on the MicroSD slot, so that could potentially get dirty.
If you don't need gimmicks such as touch screens and web browsers, then this player is quite possibly the best on the market for value, size, and quality. The Clip+ is definitely worth the few extra bucks over what the first gen clip is selling for now.
UPDATE: Having used the product for a while the one thing I'm disappointed with is battery life. The meter drains down to 50% at the expected pace, and then goes from 50% to 0 quite fast. I haven't timed it but i'm sure the battery life (using all default settings) is quite less than the advertised 14-15 hours. SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 4 GB MP3 Player (Black)
If all you are looking for is a great sounding, small, cheap mp3 player with a display and expandability options, then the clip + is your best choice. This is very similar to the old clip with the following major differences:
- two minor button placement changes (improvement)
- UI is a bit smoother (menus scroll now)
- volume normalizing/gain
- micro-SD slot for up to 16 added gigs (which is huge)
- a little thicker, probably due to SD support
- clip is no longer removable (depending on your preference, this is a good or bad thing-guess you could just rip it off and file it down if you wanted to)
As always, it sounds great and blows away the iPod Shuffle in terms of value. So light and small--great for the gym. If you need your mp3 player to play games, surf the internet or serve double purpose as a grocery list, then this isn't for you, but if you're on a budget or just need something that plays music and does so well, this is the one.
So recently, because I love my Sansa Clip so much for exercising, and I thought I could use one more, I picked one of these up at Bestbuy. I have used it for about a week so I can't say anything about the longetivity of the new Clip Plus, but I can tell you about everything else. First I will give you the cons since there is only one and that is also only about preference. I personally LOVED the sleek look of the original sansa clip, but that has been replaced with a sort of glittery finish on the front. That is about it and to add to this, everything else from the outside such as the plastic used has been revamped to feel better in your hands and is just overall better quality. Now on to the most important part, the features. The main thing that sets this apart from the original clip is the addition of a microSD card slot. This can take up to a 32gb microSD card, so if you were to pair one with this, you could potentially get a 36(!)gb memory for this puny little item. That is the next thing I will get into, the size. If you haven't ever heard about the original sansa clip, basically, Sandisk designed this line of Sansa for portability and mainly for exercise. It feels really good in the hand and the non removable clip on the back can clip on to virtually anything. Next is the display. The menu remains much of the same, but Sansa also added slotRadio compatibility and a nicer flow to menu if you're into that. Finally we'll go to the placement of the buttons. On the old sansa clip, there was a button the side for power and hold, but a lot of clip owners including me found that uncomfortable. To cope with this, Sandisk put the power button on the top and put the hold funtion to holding the home button for about 3 seconds. So overall, this is a fantastic MP3 player in any category, but if you are in the market for one for the gym, pass up the Ipod Shuffle for 79$ with no screen and counter-intuitiveness(in my opinion) and get this really nice compact MP3 player for only 50$ for the 4gb, 40$ for the 2gb and 70$ for the 8gb. Thank you and I hope this review helps.
This is my second Sandisk Sansa. I had an 8gb Fuze, which my wife is now using because she wanted the video capability, and I never used it. This 8gb Clip is just awesome. I love the Sandisk line anyway, and this is an upgrade (imo) from the one I was using, which I also love. This thing is tiny, has expandable memory, FM and several features to fine tune your music delivery, as well as some basic EQ features. Downloading music from Windows media player is as simple as it gets, as well as being able to use MAC OS (although for me, not as easy).
All in all, this little player has just enough features to make it easy for everyone, and also enough to keep most experienced users happy as well. While I have not had a chance to really stretch the battery life, my other one lasted waaay longer than I ever needed it to, and I suspect this one will do just as well. The charging cord (also used to download music) is very short (very very short). At first I was wondering how I would like that. I now actually prefer it to longer cords. Much easier to distinguish from all of the others. :)
Update: Well, sadly, the "clip" on my new player has broken. I've only used the actual clip one time, and the little hinge broke (not all the way off, but it can no longer be clipped on). I had no plans to use the clip (I just drop the player in my pocket most of the time), but was a little surprised at this. The battery is great, the player still functions great, but this clip seems a little weak. I'd still recommend the Clip+, but be very careful with clipping it to your clothing. Not sure it can handle it.
12/23/09 Update. I have used this player everyday since owning it. I have never overcharged it, and always use it on the most "power friendly" settings. Sadly, the battery life is far below Sansa standards, and frankly well below the claimed battery life. I should not compare it with my Sansa Fuze 8 gb, but that little player (awesme) will outlast the clip by 4 times over on battery life. I am saddened that I will not be able to use it for my intended purpose (long motorcycle rides), so it will just be my "workout" player. I will use my other player for the motorcycle. Oh well, can't win them all.'
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