Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Sound quality Sound quality is great, noticeably better than any other mp3 player I have owned. The only negative I can give is no EQ settings.
- Video quality The video playback quality is great, but the screen resolution could be a little better. The video out looks awful on an HDTV, so I never use it.
- Ease of use The Zune PC client is great. Once you get everything set up it syncs everything automatically. The Player's UI is also well designed & easy to use.
- Portability It's a little bit on the heavy side due to it's hard drive storage, but not to the point of feeling cumbersome.
- Battery life The battery doesn't last as long as flash based music player, but it last long enough that I've never had any issues even though I use it a lot.
- Media support It has decent support for the typical mainstream music formats (wma, mp3, non-DRMed aac). The video format support is mediocre, but not horrible.
- Capacity If you need more than 64GB of space, it's either this or an iPod classic. I honestly think the Zune 80/120 series is the best choice for high capacity players.
Detailed review
The Zune 80/120 series is a great iPod classic alternative. It's a well built player that offers the same large, HDD based storage space as its iPod counterpart, while offering a larger screen, better sound quality, wifi, fm radio, and a great subscription music service.
The menu-driven UI is very smooth, clean and easy to navigate with the touchpad. The physical buttons make it very easy to use without taking it out of your pocket, unlike touchscreen based devices.
The sound quality is excellent. I've compared the sound quality to both an iPod Classic and a Nano using the same headphones, and the Zune is definitely better. Even the owners of the iPods agreed with me. There's no EQ at all on this device, but I've never felt the need for it since it sounds great.
The large screen makes it great for the occasional video, although it only plays WMV and MPEG-4 video files, unlike other more video-centric devices.
The FM radio is what you expect. I never really use it, but it's a nice little extra. You can also tag songs you like and download them later from the Zune Marketplace.
The wifi is a great feature, although sadly it is not used to its full potential. You can sync wirelessly through your home wireless network, and share music with other Zune users (if you can ever find one). I also love browsing the marketplace for new music from my device. If you have a Zune pass you can stream and download tracks straight from the Zune.
The Zune software, while a little to basic for my taste, is very well designed and easy to use. I don't like the fact that you're forced to use the software, but thankfully it works fine so it's not the end of the world. The Zune pass is a great subscription based service. If you like to experiment with finding new artists and genres, this is a great service. For example I discovered that I actually enjoy listening to Drum & Bass music, and I was easily able to download a bunch of albums to see what artist I liked, something I would have probably never done without the Zune pass. For about $15 a month you download as much as you want, and also get 10 bonus DRM-free MP3s you can keep forever. It is a great deal for music lovers like me.
I was a little hesitant to purchase the Zune 80, but I'm so glad I did. It's everything I wanted in a PMP. The iPod touch and upcoming Zune HD are clearly more advanced devices, but they lack in one major area: storage space. If you are a big music fan with a ton of music you like to carry around with you, you won't be disappointed with the Zune80 or 120.
The menu-driven UI is very smooth, clean and easy to navigate with the touchpad. The physical buttons make it very easy to use without taking it out of your pocket, unlike touchscreen based devices.
The sound quality is excellent. I've compared the sound quality to both an iPod Classic and a Nano using the same headphones, and the Zune is definitely better. Even the owners of the iPods agreed with me. There's no EQ at all on this device, but I've never felt the need for it since it sounds great.
The large screen makes it great for the occasional video, although it only plays WMV and MPEG-4 video files, unlike other more video-centric devices.
The FM radio is what you expect. I never really use it, but it's a nice little extra. You can also tag songs you like and download them later from the Zune Marketplace.
The wifi is a great feature, although sadly it is not used to its full potential. You can sync wirelessly through your home wireless network, and share music with other Zune users (if you can ever find one). I also love browsing the marketplace for new music from my device. If you have a Zune pass you can stream and download tracks straight from the Zune.
The Zune software, while a little to basic for my taste, is very well designed and easy to use. I don't like the fact that you're forced to use the software, but thankfully it works fine so it's not the end of the world. The Zune pass is a great subscription based service. If you like to experiment with finding new artists and genres, this is a great service. For example I discovered that I actually enjoy listening to Drum & Bass music, and I was easily able to download a bunch of albums to see what artist I liked, something I would have probably never done without the Zune pass. For about $15 a month you download as much as you want, and also get 10 bonus DRM-free MP3s you can keep forever. It is a great deal for music lovers like me.
I was a little hesitant to purchase the Zune 80, but I'm so glad I did. It's everything I wanted in a PMP. The iPod touch and upcoming Zune HD are clearly more advanced devices, but they lack in one major area: storage space. If you are a big music fan with a ton of music you like to carry around with you, you won't be disappointed with the Zune80 or 120.
good review!
3 people find this review helpful
review history
- 2010-08-10
-
Media support rating changed from 3 to 4
Edited comment on Battery life
Rated Battery life a 4
Rated Media support a 3
Rated Capacity a 5
Edited comment on Capacity
Edited comment on Portability
Edited comment on Media support
Edited comment on Ease of use
Edited comment on Sound quality
Rated Sound quality a 4
Rated Video quality a 3
Edited comment on Video quality
Updated detailed review
Rated Ease of use a 5
Rated Portability a 4