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6.5 out of 10

Creative ZEN

 

Information found in: from 127 sources in 29 countries

Great Deal: $39.99

  • User Score (1631)
    7.4 7.4 from 1631 reviewers
  • Expert Score (48)
    7.8 7.8 from 48 reviewers
  • Design (56)
    7.0 7.0 from 56 reviewers
  • Value for money (132)
    7.4 7.4 from 132 reviewers
  • Features (152)
    7.2 7.2 from 152 reviewers
  • Ease of use (134)
    7.4 7.4 from 134 reviewers
  • Performance (12)
    7.8 7.8 from 12 reviewers
  • Sound quality (200)
    7.6 7.6 from 200 reviewers
  • Reliability (51)
    7.3 7.3 from 51 reviewers
  • Overall quality (83)
    7.4 7.4 from 83 reviewers
  • Looks (37)
    6.7 6.7 from 37 reviewers
  • Battery performance (17)
    5.6 5.6 from 17 reviewers
  • Display (15)
    7.0 7.0 from 15 reviewers
  • Video quality (15)
    7.6 7.6 from 15 reviewers
  • Functionality (2)
    6.1 6.1 from 2 reviewers
  • Audio & image quality (13)
    7.7 7.7 from 13 reviewers
  • Ergonomics (7)
    7.3 7.3 from 7 reviewers
  • Speed performance (51)
    7.1 7.1 from 51 reviewers
  • Equipment (13)
    7.3 7.3 from 13 reviewers
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  • Best Deals

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In Stock (S) $39.99 SEE IT
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In Stock (S) $68.99 SEE IT

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  • Score Distribution

Experts:
9-10
(10)
7-8
(31)
5-6
(6)
3-4
(1)
1-2
(0)
Users:
9-10
(628)
7-8
(362)
5-6
(163)
3-4
(147)
1-2
(199)

  • Expert Reviews

  1. PC Magazine

    PC Magazine
    6.0/10
    31 October 2007

    Place it next to an iPod nano and the ZEN looks positively bulky, but it also packs a larger screen and more features. And unlike the nano, the ZEN comes in a roomy 16GB capacity. Read more

    • Bright 2.5-inch screen. SD memory card slot. FM radio and voice-recording capability. Supports unprotected AAC files.
    • Erratic start-up times. No FM or line-in recording. Plays only WMV video files. Poor battery life.

  2. PC World

    PC World
    8.0/10
    21 March 2008

    Gadget-lover's player may Read more

    • Feature-heavy, SD card slot for instant memory upgrades
    • One-handed operation a little tricky, Skimps on bundled accessories

  3. avecmobile.com

    10 January 2012

    Creative Zen Portable Media Center is best used together with a Windows Media Center PC (a special version of Windows with additional hardware for TV and audio in the PC). Read more

  4. Mp3.com

    Mp3.com
    8.3/10
    17 September 2007

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

    • The Creative Zen sounds fantastic and features a brilliant color screen capable of displaying photos and video. The player offers a smorgasbord of desirable extras such as an SD card expansion slot, an FM radio, a voice re...
    • The Creative Zen only comes in black, and it doesn't come close to matching the max 60GB offered by the player it's replacing.

  5. XtremeComputing

    XtremeComputing
    21 June 2011

    Founded in Singapore in 1981 and famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed Read more

    • Outstanding 2.5-inch colour LCD screen, 16.7 million Photo/Video display, FM Radio and Voice recorder, Upgradeable SD slot, USB 2.0 storage device, 25 hours audio playback, Accessories available
    • Not DivX certified

  6. Anything but iPod

    Anything but iPod
    25 September 2007

    There is much good to say about Creative’s new Zen. The design is durable and a comfortable fit in your hand. The interface is intuitive and lends to a very low learning curve (if any at all). Read more

    • Simple interface, Good sound quality, Customizable menus, Multiple playlist support and renaming., Solid and durable design
    • SD memory does not integrate into main library, SD media cannot use features., Video transcoding required, Bad top viewing angle, Limited Codec support

  7. CNET

    CNET
    8.0/10
    14 September 2007

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

    • The Creative Zen sounds fantastic and features a brilliant color screen capable of displaying photos and video. The player offers a smorgasbord of desirable extras such as an SD card expansion slot, an FM radio, a voice re...
    • The Creative Zen only comes in black, the control pad feels cheap, and it doesn't come close to matching the max 60GB offered by the player it's replacing.

  8. Hardware Secrets

    Hardware Secrets
    26 January 2009

    With great sound, a crisp and clear screen, and great video playback, and a good price, the Zen is a serious iPod competitor. Although the interface is not quite as sleek as the iPod, it is user-friendly and quite... Read more

  9. Techworld

    Techworld
    20 May 2008

    The Creative Zen 8GB lacks the Wi-Fi capabilities of the iPod touch, but has plenty else going for it and is a great choice for gadgeteers and audiophiles alike. A worthy award-winner. Read more

  10. REVIEW STREAM

    REVIEW STREAM
    5.0/10
    14 April 2008

    The keys were hard to get accostumed to and well the audio doesn’t go as high as with an ipod, it is smaller in size, lighter, but all made of plastic. i wouldnt buy the same model again. ever. Read more

  • User Reviews

  1. Headed the Wrong Way

    Amazon
    6.0/10
    Reviewer: Leslie Spencer, Amazon
    1 week ago See Product at Amazon ($39.99)

    Creative makes some of the best MP3 players around. My son went through 8 iPods in one year,until they stopped replacing them. He's disabled and drops his players a great deal. Read more or see product

  2. Creative Zen

    10/10
    Reviewer: anupbhargava, pcworld.com
    3 weeks ago

    I would recommend this over Apple Ipod, which is very expensive. Quality-wise , it matches ipod with less cost. Additionally 16 GB avaialable and additional can be added as sd card. Read more

    • Very good sound quality, good 16 GB internal built-in storage, can be added by inserting additional sd card
    • Wall adapter and protective screen should be part of the package. Otherwise NONE.

  3. "Works fine for an mp3 player, AWFUL tech support."

    CNET
    4.0/10
    Reviewer: Phainein, CNET
    28 December 2011

    I'm not sure what the cnet reviewer was smoking to say this player has good audiobook support. There is no selection from the main menu for audiobooks, and when I put them in with my music they were not recognized at all. Read more

    • You can use Windows Explorer to drag and drop music files and organize them however you like.
    • No audiobook support. Doesn't support many video formats. Freezes up intermittently. Tech support is just awful. Website has broken links, you're unable to submit support tickets, and no phone numbers for tech support that...

  4. great value

    Ebay
    10/10
    Reviewer: davem3800, Ebay
    2 January 2012 See Product at eBay ($68.99)

    great mp3 player for a great price my old one had smaller memory i love this newer unit w/ more memory i keep 90% of my music on this unit ihave several great videos and tons of pictures. great for sharing w/friends. Read more or see product

  5. cheaper than iPod

    Newegg
    8.0/10
    Reviewer: arnoldez, Newegg
    1 July 2009

    If you're looking for an inexpensive flash-based mp3 player, this is the way to go. It's small enough to easily fit in just about any pocket, without being too small to see the screen. Read more

    • It's cheaper than an iPod, it's small, it works well, and it supports audio, video, and AM/FM tuner.
    • It freezes up a lot, the included headphones aren't that great, and transferring music to it can be annoying, especially if you have xp64.

  6. Pretty player falls way short

    Creative
    4.0/10
    Reviewer: Creative
    3 weeks ago

    By The_Orion13 Creative has missed the mark with this little player. It seems really attractive at a fantastic price, which is why I bought it. Read more

  7. Nice MP3 Player

    6.0/10
    Reviewer: harveydog52, Ciao
    1 November 2011

    The Creative ZEN X-Fi2 16GB is a nice little mp3 player that plays videos as well as music. It has a touch screen which is quite nice to use. The whole thing is very small up to the mp3 player I used to have before. Read more

    • Small, light to carry, good sound
    • No volume buttons, no manual

  8. CNET

    CNET
    Reviewer: Kit Scotney, CNET
    18 August 2011

    Warning - don't buy creative!! My experience with 4 different players has been awful. The creative zen products work fine for a time and then - BAM! Read more

    • works fine for a time
    • dies and you can't recover it again

  9. Good All Round MP3

    Comet
    8.0/10
    Reviewer: DRSD, Comet
    28 December 2009

    Simple to use, easy to load, easy to manage the verious options from the menu. A good dispaly using standard info, title, album & artist. Read more

  10. It's a Creative Way to Listen to Music & Store Pictures

    epinions.com
    10/10
    Reviewer: Magick1, epinions.com
    22 August 2007

    I received the Creative © Zen MicroPhoto 8 GB MP3 player for Christmas, and have been using it for a Read more

    • Easy to use, small, battery can be changed without sending player away
    • touch pad very sensitive, hard to adjust to using

  • WikiFreak Description

Creative ZEN

The ZEN portable media player from the Singapore-based Creative Technology was unveiled in August 2007 and is largely considered as the successor to the ZEN Vision:M. When it was launched, this flash memory-based device came in 4, 8 and 16 gigabyte capacities while the 32 gigabyte unit was announced in December. The 32 gigabyte ZEN was the first flash-based player to reach that storage capacity. It is also the first portable media player from Creative to feature an SD card slot for SD…

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Creative ZEN

The ZEN portable media player from the Singapore-based Creative Technology was unveiled in August 2007 and is largely considered as the successor to the ZEN Vision:M. When it was launched, this flash memory-based device came in 4, 8 and 16 gigabyte capacities while the 32 gigabyte unit was announced in December. The 32 gigabyte ZEN was the first flash-based player to reach that storage capacity. It is also the first portable media player from Creative to feature an SD card slot for SD and SDHC memory cards. An optional adapter will enable the use of both microSD and miniSD cards.

The Creative ZEN is about the size of a credit card, measuring 3.26 x 2.16 x 0.44 inches and weighs in at 2.3 ounces. It sports a 2.5 inch backlit LCD screen running at 320 x 240 resolution and displaying 16.7 million colors. Powering the device is a non-removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery lasting up to 25 hours when playing music and up to 5 hours when watching videos.

Audio Player

The ZEN supports most audio formats out there including AAC, lossless WMA and WMA-DRM, WAV and Audible formats. The player’s equalizer comes with 8 presets and a customizable 5-band EQ. Other notable features include FM radio tuner and a built-in microphone for voice recordings.

Video Player

The vibrant screen of the Creative Zen is suited for video playback. It natively supports the following video formats MPEG4-SP, WMV9, DivX, XviD, MJPEG and, via transcoding, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats can also be played back. Creative’s included Video Converter software handles all the conversions of video files for optimal playback on the ZEN.

Photo Viewer & Personal Information Manager

Extra features include a photo viewer supporting JPEG formats natively and others via transcoding. The ZEN can also serve as a simple personal information manager. It can import contacts as well as calendars and tasks from Microsoft Outlook.

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  • Manufacturer's Description

Mix it up. When it comes to choice, the only difficult decision you need to make is which color displays your style? Will you clip black on your jacket, clip blue on your jeans, or clip red onto your bag? *Works with ZEN *Works with ZEN MX.

Specifications

  • Alternative names
    ZEN MX, Technology Zen, Zen 4GB, ZEN 8GB, JUKEBOX ZEN XTRA

Release Date

  • First seen
    31 January 2004

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