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Top 10 MP3 players for less than $100

There's nothing like low flash-memory costs to stir up a gaggle of great gadgets with ultracompetitve pricing. To help you sort through the clutter of budget MP3 players, we've collected our top 10 choices, all of which can be found for less than $100 online. Look closely and you may even find an Editors' Choice winner or two.

Jasmine France
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10. Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, green) - TIE

OK, so we couldn't manage to narrow it down to just 10 choices, which means you get a bonus pick in the form of the Creative Zen Stone Plus, an ultracheap player with a cute, compact design.

Editors' rating: 7.0

Lowest price: $49.95

Bottom line: For those who want a super small and cute MP3 player that offers more than just simple music playback, the Creative Zen Stone Plus fits the bill nicely.

Read the Zen Stone Plus review

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10. Sony NWZ-B105F (2GB, black) - TIE

There will always be a place in the world for a small, affordable, durable, intuitive MP3 player with great sound quality--witness Sony's gym-worthy NWZ-B100F series.

Editors' rating: 7.0

Lowest price: $59.95

Bottom line: If you're looking for an affordable, utilitarian MP3 player to take on the road or to the gym, the Sony NWZ-B100F is a solid solution with awesome audio quality.

Read the Sony NWZ-B105 review

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9. Meizu Mini Player (4GB, black)

The Meizu Mini Player is the classic underdog story: a relative unknown from China that won praise from industry experts and users alike.

Editors' rating: 7.3

Lowest price: $79.95

Bottom line: The Meizu Mini Player is a quality MP3 player with a sleek design, good sound, and useful features, but fans of DRM-hawking music stores should steer clear.

Read the Meizu Mini Player review

SansaClipSS1_440.jpg
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8. SanDisk Sansa Clip (2GB, ice blue)

Thanks to its position as a memory chip manufacturer, SanDisk is a master at cost competing in the portable audio space. The Sansa Clip is the perfect example of this mastery.

Editors' rating: 7.5

Lowest price: $54.04

Bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa Clip is an incredible value that's set to edge out the competition with a user-friendly interface, gym-worthy design, and great sound quality..

Read the Sansa Clip review

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7. Sony NWZ-S616F (4GB, red)

Sony's come a long way in digital audio, and the road hasn't always been smooth. The NWZ-S610 series marked the beginning of the great Walkman comeback, thanks to its competitive pricing, excellent performance, sleek design, and the fact that Sony finally got rid of SonicStage and ATRAC3.

Editors' rating: 7.7

Lowest price: $93.46

Bottome line: The Sony NWZ-S610 series Walkman doesn't bring anything striking or new to the table, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a quality MP3 player with nice extras and a killer battery life. Plus, Sony got rid of SonicStage--the best news ever.

Read the Sony NWZ-S616F review

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6. Samsung T10 (4GB, black)

The Samsung T10 might be the sleekest player on this list; it's certainly the only one with built-in Bluetooth, allowing for seamless connection to stereo-wireless headphones--a must for haters of cord clutter.

Editors' rating: 7.7

Lowest price: $64.96

Bottom line: The Samsung T10 won't satisfy audio purists, but users who value lots of features, a fun interface, and a player that will turn heads should give it a look.

Read the Samsung T10 review

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5. SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, red)

The Sansa Fuze may be a bit of a Nano clone with it's slim design and circular control wheel, but it also sounds good, offers plentiful features, comes in several bright color options, and is cheap as all get-out

Editors' rating: 7.7

Lowest price: $81.50

Bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value--a slim design, simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag.

Read the Sansa Fuze review

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4. Creative Zen Mozaic (4GB, black)

As a long-awaited refresh to the Zen V line, Creative released the Zen Mozaic, a uniquely-designed device with the company's signature sound quality and feature offerings.

Editors' rating: 7.7

Lowest price: $79.99

Bottom line: The Creative Zen Mozaic offers great bang for your buck as far as MP3 players go: you get super sound quality, a boatload of features, and a cool interface--all wrapped in a funky design at an ultralow price.

Read the Zen Mozaic review

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3. Sony NWZ-A815 (2GB, white)

The glorious return of the Walkman as a true contender in the MP3 player market was ushered in by the NWZ-A815, the first Walkman to ever win an Editors' Choice award.

Editors' rating: 8.0 (EC)

Lowest price: $79.95

Bottom line: The Sony NWZ-A810 offers a fantastic display, a sleek design and interface, and a stellar battery life--plus, it's one of the few MP3 players that sound great right out of the box. Users looking for the whole package (sans radio) will be pleased.

Read the NWZ-A815 review

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2. Creative Zen (4GB)

The Creative Zen may not be the coolest-looking MP3 player out there, but it offers exceptional value for the money. Plus, the gorgeous 2.5-inch screen makes it a reasonable option for portable video as well.

Editors' rating: 8.3

Lowest price: $79.99

Bottom line: We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a fantastic option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.

Read the Creative Zen review

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1. Creative Zen V Plus (4GB, black)

The cute and pocketable Zen V Plus has topped many a list. It's packed with features and continues to offer impressive performance, even in the face of more recent competition. It's still an excellent option for anyone looking for an ultracompact player. Get it while it lasts!

Editors' rating: 8.3 (EC)

Lowest price: $87.99

Bottom line: The Creative Zen V Plus is a superb choice for anyone looking for a compact and feature-filled flash MP3 player with great sound quality. If you're looking for a more sophisticated design (or have large thumbs), look elsewhere.

Read the Zen V Plus review

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