A review of the Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 Player

The Creative Zen X-Fi MP3 Player is a state of the art piece of kit that gives the Apple iPods a run for their money. This latest addition replaces the Creative Zen and has added features such as wireless capabilities and X-Fi sound enhancement.

 

The design of the Creative Zen X-Fi is close to perfection with its minimal dimensions and credit card size appearance. The front has a 2.5" screen with 320x240 pixels and 16.7million colours and next to it is 3 rows of buttons which control the players functions. The front of the X-Fi is glossy black with a smart silver rounded edge and back. When in your hand it feels similar to hold to the Apple iPhone only slightly smaller. The earphones included are of a good standard, black in colour with silver sections. It also comes with a USB cable.

 

Creative have taken this opportunity to include all the necessary features to make this MP3 Player one of the best on the market and to create a highly competitive model. The X-Fi is available in 8GB (no Wi-Fi), 16GB and 32GB capacities and have a battery life of 36hrs for audio and 5hrs for videos. Video formats are WMV, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4/5, XVid and MJPEG and Audio formats are MP3, WMA, AAC WAV, and Audible 2,3,4. Other features include a built-in speaker, X-Fi Sound Enhancement, FM Radio, Calendar, Contacts and Task List.

 

We really like the design of the Creative Zen X-Fi as it fits perfectly in your hand and feels very solid and robust. The colours displayed on the screen are amazingly bright and accurate with great colour reproduction. The menu system used is the same as on all Creative MP3 Players and is very easy to use even for anyone that hasn't used a Zen before. The menu is clear and understandable and even allows to create your own menu with the function that you use most often and place them in the places that you want them to be. We found the task of transferring media very simple too, with the drag and drop system that most manufacturers employ it really is very easy. Sound is impressive with the Zen X-Fi and the X-Fi Enhancement is definitely responsible for this, it doesn't offer complete sound detail and can be a little shallow at points but nothing to really moan about. We can't help but think that a better set of earphones may help with this.