Creative Zen X-Fi

The basics

Measuring 22x83x12.5mm and weighing just 70g, the X-Fi is a portable media player that comes in 16GB and 32GB flavours and has a 2.5-inch screen. Creative has also included Wireless LAN support, an SD/SDHC card slot, FM radio and built-in speaker. Battery life is 25 hours for music and five for video.

The good

Small enough to sit comfortably in the palm, the Zen X-Fi is proof great things really do come in the tiniest packages. This swanky MP3 player squeezes in up to 32GB of storage, as well as an SD card slot for more room if you need it. There’s a decent FM radio too, and a built-in microphone for recording memos. It also boasts an advanced EQ, using Creative’s X-Fi (Xtreme Fidelity) technology to expand sounds and make them much beefier. The player comes with a pair of fantastic headphones too. They’re in-ear, and sound astonishingly good, considering they’re free. The control pad too, is very impressive, though a smidge confusing at first. Videos are quick to load and smooth. It’s 2.5 inch screen, while gorgeous, is a little small for watching lengthy TV shows or movies.

The bad

The Zen X-Fi packs in Wi-Fi, but it’s a flawed execution. Where the iPod touch lets you download new songs, surf the web and install applications, the Zen simply lets you stream content from a networked PC. There’s also a built-in chat application, which taps into Yahoo or MSN messenger, but the keypad is fiddly, and we quickly tired of it.

The bottom line

A tiny music player, with tons of storage, impressive sound quality and lots of added extras. Just don’t expect its Wi-Fi functions to rock your world.