Introduction
Budget non-Apple mobile phones or tablets
Budget dedicated USB-C "MP3 players"with local FM radio
- WiFi capable
- no WiFi capability
high end digital audio players (DAP) but no FM radio

digital audio music players for camping (mp3) when there is no Spotify access

Introduction

when camping it is likely there will NOT be any internet so streaming services such as Spotify will not be available and lets face it, the iTunes-reliant music player on iPhones really sucks especially if you want to update your playlist for the camp - it becomes very onerous and time consuming - what you really need is just to copy music files to a memory card and insert them into a mp3 player, or, if you are desperate, record an audio source directly into the music player.
FM radio can be important if you need bushfire news or weather updates and there are no internet services but you probably should look at a separate radio for campers
this page looks at non-Apple devices to help you chill out with new music at your next camp

Apple iPhones are NOT great for playing music when camping
- require battery sapping Bluetooth to hear the music unless you get special wired solutions - battery life for your smartphone is important when camping!
- no FM radio to get news when there are no mobile services
- Spotify streaming will not function when there is no internet
- the in-built music player requires iTunes on a computer to add new songs and this is a real pain
- you can't just add a microSD card with all your songs
- if people ping you messages it interrupts your music playback
- they are very expensive and can be stolen if left near your speaker so you will want to keep it in a safe place

if these devices remain flat for a prolonged period of more than a week they may not re-charge easily
- try to ensure they are recharged each week
- if there are issues may need to try charging from a computer via USB-C cable, if that fails, contact the supplier
FM radio needs wired headphones plugged in to act as an antenna and generally does not work in these devices if Bluetooth is working

Budget non-Apple mobile phones or tablets

these are a potential option even if you are not using it as a mobile phone as they are not that much more expensive than dedicated MP3 players
select only ones which have a SD or microSD card so you can add as much music as you would like
they usually have WiFi (although not all do), usually have a camera, usually have Bluetooth and a headphone jack
obviously make a great back up mobile phone (if you have a Sim card or eSim) or GPS device
however they usually do NOT have FM radio which may be an important downside when camping without internet or mobile services - but perhaps they are the best option and buy a cheap FM radio separately
audio quality will probably not be anywhere as good as a high end dedicated digital audio player
eg.
- Opel Mobile Flip Phone 6 $AU99 32Gb, 1400mAh battery;
- Samsung Galaxy A05S 4G 128GB $AU268 4Gb RAM, 128Gb + up to 1Tb mSD , 6.7“ screen; 5,000mAh battery; 25W charging; 4 cameras; GPS; BT 5.1; no NFC;
- Samsung Galaxy A16 5G 128GB $AU349 4Gb RAM, 128Gb + up to 1Tb mSD , 6.7” screen; 5,000mAh battery; 25W charging; 4 cameras; GPS; BT 5.3; IP54; NFC;
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 11“ Wi-Fi 64GB (Graphite) $AU367, 1920×1200 display; 4Gb RAM, 64Gb + up to 1Tb mSD , 2cameras; BT 5.1; no mobile services;
  - doesn't support 1080P h265 codec for streaming; no NTFS HDD support; doesn't support Samsung's bluetooth dual audio feature (ie connect 2x bluetooth headphones at once)
  - 128Gb version is $AU479

Budget dedicated USB-C "MP3 players"with local FM radio

there are a LOT of these around, and they vary in audio quality, which audio file codecs are supported, screen quality, user interface, in-built memory and whether they also have WiFi and Bluetooth, some allow recording and other functions such as playing videos
Bluetooth obviously allows wireless headphones or speakers but dramatically reduces battery life - see audio cables, adapters, bluetooth speakers, karaoke for camping
most allow inserting a SD or microSD card to expand memory
most allow creation of playlists or a shuffle mode for a folder of music
those that have video playback may only support AVI files.

most of these are from smaller Chinese manufacturers and quality control and support can be major issues

WiFi capable

WiFi allows downloading apps if the device has app capability as well as allowing other functions
Innioasis G3 Mp3 smartphone-like player:
- 4” full touch screen; video playback; Bluetooth 4.2; 1500mAh 15hrs BT, 25hrs wired; Spotify player; popular audio book apps, including Audible, Audiobooks, Libby, LibriVox, and Kindle; voice recorder, FM radio, ebook, file transfer, clock, calendar, calculator, gallery, and file manager; BUT can not install apps that require support from Google player services,such as YouTube, YouTube music
- 136g; 2Gb RAM, 32Gb ROM; up to 1Tb mSD; Bluetooth 4.2 with two-way sending and receiving;
- reviews are mixed - some have buggy experiences - app download issues may be the parental control mode; can only download one Amazon music playlist for offline at a time.
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Innioasis-Bluetooth-Android-Spotify-Pandora-dp-B0C5T1JGRS/dp/B0C5T1JGRS $AU169
YFFIZQ MTK4.3-80GB Android smartphone-like MP3 player:
- 4.3“ 1080P multi-touch screen; 2.4G/5G WiFi; BT 5.0 dual mode; Android 9.0; Google Play apps and Spotify, Pandora, AudioMack and other major online streaming music platform; video play; pedometer; recorder; e-book;
- 3Gb RAM, 16GB ROM, 74Gb mSD max 256Gb; 2000mAh “31hr” battery but in tests in seems it is only 1000mAh; gravity sensor to switch b/n horiz/vert screen;
- two FM radios, the WiFi international version and the local version; USB-C;
- MTK6753 8-corel.3G A53 CPU but seems it tends to over-heat and get hot;
- reviewers also had issues with battery life, aux headphone ports failing, failure to start up, and bluetooth connection issues
- https://www.amazon.com.au/YFFIZQ-Bluetooth-Spotify-Portable-Download/dp/B0CTFB7B1V/ $AU102

no WiFi capability

small screen

Surfans F20
- 2-way Bluetooth 5.2, LDAC, AptX - can also connect with smartphones (to listen to music from smartphones) not just speakers; advanced DSD decoding;
- USB-C charging and file transfer; 2” screen;
- 10hrs battery BT or wired;
- 109g, includes a 32GB SD card but you can expand the storage up to 256GB via SD card or via USB OTG
- https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07VWK4FP3/ $AU187
- reviewers state poor sound quality, glitches, 6hr max battery life without BT on;
Joliker MP3 player
- 64Gb plus up to 128Gb mSD;
- 5.5hr BT, 20hr wired; BT 5.0; 1.8“ touch screen; FM radio; video playback; photo browser; alarm; pedometer; voice recorder; line in recording;
- 84g;
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Bluetooth-Portable-Touchscreen-Recording-Pedometer/dp/B09TW15W4D $AU49
- some reviewers have been far from happy - poor touchscreen, poor battery, failure to start
AGPTEK A02X 64GB MP3 Player
- https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0D5H21LP3/ $AU48, 210g, 64Gb plus up to 128Gb mSD, FM radio, line in recording, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C charging; no WiFi;
  - ?500mAh battery; 6hr BT, 52hr wired; https://www.amazon.com.au/AGPTEK-Bluetooth-M3-Speaker-Supports/dp/B0CWV77S73/ on the $AU59 version
  - lots of poor reviews
Innioasis Y1 Mp3 iPod-like player:
- looks like and functions similar to the old iPods
- 128Gb (116Gb usable); FM radio; 2.4” screen; custom playlists, shuffle, loop playback, and adjustable EQ settings;
- 64g; Bluetooth; no WiFi; 1250mAh battery 35hrs; no SD card slot?; USB-C charging and file transfer;
- https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DKT9PRKX/ $AU79 can get in bright yellow!
- reviewers have had issues with computers not recognizing it - so you cant do any file transfers, plus the buttons may not work
Mechen M30:
- professional DSP audio lC + imported DAC double decoding, however AAC files play in Mono not stereo and does not support DTS 5.1 multi-channel tracks
- 2“ 320×240 LCD; scroll wheel control wheel can quickly find the track function and is very responsive.
- 1500 mAh battery, which can be fully charged in 2 hours and play continuously for 25 hours
- no built-in memory but comes with 64Gb mSD card (can use up to 256Gb); line in; equalizer;
- no Bluetooth or WiFi; and ?no FM radio?
- can transfer files from a Android phone with OTG function via USB-OTG cable (not provided)
- 176g;
- https://www.amazon.com.au/MECHEN-Lossless-Resolution-Portable-Player%EF%BC%8CSupport/dp/B0B4NCSPNX/ $AU109

large touch screen

TIMMKOO Q3E smartphone-like MP3 player:
- 4” touch screen; apps; video player; photo viewer, calculator, clock, calendar, FM radio; voice recorder; USB-C fast charging; BT; 1800mAh battery 50hrs wired;
- 8Gb internal (6Gb usable) + up to 512Gb mSD;
- 80g; needs a screen protector;
- one reviewer stated no FM radio;
- https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09F69VJJJ/ $AU79

high end digital audio players (DAP) but no FM radio

usually have no video playback
Hidizs AP80 PRO-X
- BT 4.2, no WiFi,
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Hidizs-AP80-PRO-X-Portable-Bluetooth/dp/B09PTVSK2N/ $AU357
- some minor issues in reviews incl. BT
Sony NW-A306 Walkman
- Android 12; 3.6“ 1280×720 touchscreen; 113g, 32Gb, mSD, 18-26hrs battery, USB-C charging; BT 5.0; 10 band equalizer;
- 720p video playback possible via Android app but not optimised for video;
- https://www.sony.com.au/walkman/products/nw-a306 $AU499
Fiio M11s
- https://www.fiio.com/m11s
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004729581120.html $AU571 + GST
Fiio M15S
- https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005371018512.html $AU1410 + GST
Astell&Kern SR35
- https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0BZS29BVS $A1762
- awesome sound but ?BT issues according to some reviewers

Table of Contents

digital audio music players for camping (mp3) when there is no Spotify access

Introduction

Budget non-Apple mobile phones or tablets

Budget dedicated USB-C "MP3 players"with local FM radio

WiFi capable

no WiFi capability

small screen

large touch screen

high end digital audio players (DAP) but no FM radio