M3 Purchase Decision

I've recently been on the looks for an mp3 player (currently have a 1st gen shuffle which has served me well), and I found this site (and the M3) by pure accident. Previously I'd been planning to save up for the 8gb nano, but having found the m3 I think I've saved myself a lot of time (saving) and money!

I definately like the look of the M3 (ie 1st gen nano) look much better then the 2nd gen aluminium shell.

I've lurked here the last few days reading opinions and the main things I seem to have come up on are:

1. The back/forward button is stupid/weird/good.
2. There will be a hardware refresh soon for the M3 adding the back/forward buttons to the main strip.

Was just wondering if I could get peoples opinions (and any info on the hardware refresh... how far away would it be? Purely the change of the buttons? New price?)

Should I be getting an M3?????

If you dont mind using the back/forward button (i dont) then yes its a great player. I really enjoy the sound it makes. The radio works well and i havent had a problem. If you are gonna get a regular m3, you could wait until the new m3se comes out and the m3 prices might drop.

For the price you should buy the m3.

Originally Posted by Hoppes

If you dont mind using the back/forward button (i dont) then yes its a great player. I really enjoy the sound it makes. The radio works well and i havent had a problem. If you are gonna get a regular m3, you could wait until the new m3se comes out and the m3 prices might drop.

So the M3SE won't be replacing the M3 ala new generations of ipods?

Originally Posted by Scapegoat

So the M3SE won't be replacing the M3 ala new generations of ipods?

It won't replace it. It will be almost the same, just with the ugly aluminium shell. Well the button will be bigger.

I love my Meizu M3. It is my fav player by far. Get it, and you wont regret it! Get also a crystal case to protect it. It does look sleek & sexy as a iPod nano 1st gen, even nicer a bit! If the price will drop, it will drop a lil bit, so get it.

Originally Posted by DimaMP4

It won't replace it. It will be almost the same, just with the ugly aluminium shell. Well the button will be bigger.

I love my Meizu M3. It is my fav player by far. Get it, and you wont regret it! Get also a crystal case to protect it. It does look sleek & sexy as a iPod nano 1st gen, even nicer a bit! If the price will drop, it will drop a lil bit, so get it.

It says on the website that it has some film coating to protect from scratches, blah blah... so I take it from recommending a case that it's just marketing nonsense?

Also, how is album art display managed? ie album art images can be huge (I look for at least 500x500), do you need to add small versions to be shown on the screen? Are you able to get full screen album art display while playing? Not very important aspect but thought I'd ask, none the less.

Yes, the front is protected with a film. The back isn't, and it is very easy to scratch. The crystal case is very usefull, you're player is very protected with it.

I don't know much about the album art, but it has some probs atm, which should (and will) be fixed in future firmware.

I don't think you will regret buying the M3. I was also going to buy a 2G Nano, but the M3 is just much more value for money then the Nano is.

The protective film on the front does offer some protection, but it is very soft so it scratches easily. The crystal case is made out of hard plastic and does a much better job at protecting the player. Just make sure you check the inside of the case for moulding left overs that could damage the protective film.

I find the crystal case quite poorly designed. As "Elementis" has pointed out there is a small protruding fault in the molding that has left a mark on the face of my M3.



I also found that removing the case the first time was extremely difficult and ended up with a small hairline crack at the base of the touch strip opening. The <> button has a small plastic cover that limits the functionality of the touch sensitive button as well, although it can be removed it does not help as the opening itself is raised and far to small to allow operation even with the tip of the pinky finger. I ended up enlarging the opening with a countersink drill bit which worked great but an unnecessary hassle that could have been avoided with a more user friendly design.
I ended up ditching the crystal case in favour of a generic cellphone case with belt clip that although a little bulkier is very easy to slip the player in and out of and allows me to enjoy the sleek and splendid feel of a nude M3.



Album art is displayed 50x50 pixel and once setup with correct ID3 tags and image names I find works without problem on firmware version T2.001.3 but T2003.3 and T2.003.4 seem to have a problem rendering some of the album art and just displays a white square, hopefully this will be rectified in the next firmware release. Strangly enough T2.003.2 that came installed on my M3 was far more stable than the latest releases but alas it was never a public release.

Originally Posted by /\/\@D/\/\@/\/

I ended up ditching the crystal case in favour of a generic cellphone case with belt clip that although a little bulkier is very easy to slip the player in and out of and allows me to enjoy the sleek and splendid feel of a nude M3.

Sorry for the off topic comment, but that's a nice case. This will protect the M3 much better.

I'm also looking for an alternative for the crystal case.

Scapegoat, I read post after post here at meizume.com for over a month before finally purchasing my own M3 Music Card. Since it arrived last week, I have only been impressed.

It is amazing what this little machine can do and what it's rival, the nano ipod, cannot do. All this and it's about $90 cheaper than the nano!

I had my doubts about the "<>" button, thinking it would be awkward and annoying, but it really isn't. In fact, you may even find that you don't even need to use it that often as you can easily hit the "M" menu button to go back to the song list for the album. Holding down the "<>" button to reverse directions for Reverse/Forward is very responsive and takes virtually no time at all - not annoying like I thought before purcashing!

I recommend it. It can do a lot, and it is very affordable in comparison to similar mp3 players. I too am on the lookout for the all metal M3 Music Card. Though the buttons may change slightly (all-in-one), I'm not sure that this is necessarily an "improvement" just a different design that some may/may not like. Like I said, the "<>" works very well.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by serleomar

I too am on the lookout for the all metal M3 Music Card. Though the buttons may change slightly (all-in-one), I'm not sure that this is necessarily an "improvement" just a different design that some may/may not like. Like I said, the "<>" works very well.

The metal music card looks very good and if it was available I would have bought it. One disadvantage is that (according to Engadget) the M3SE has a 500 mAh battery instead of the current 700 mAh one.

I also think that the M3SE will be more expansive because of the use of metal (I also can't find any extra functions compared to the current M3).

Ouch, the M3SE will be crap. A worse battery and ugly. They shouldn't really copy it from apple. I love battery time, that's why I got a Meizu. I do want a M6 SE edition. But the battery won't be the best in M6 SE.

Originally Posted by Elementis

The metal music card looks very good and if it was available I would have bought it. One disadvantage is that (according to Engadget) the M3SE has a 500 mAh battery instead of the current 700 mAh one.

I also think that the M3SE will be more expansive because of the use of metal (I also can't find any extra functions compared to the current M3).

Actually the M3 only has a 460 mAh battery.

Originally Posted by /\/\@D/\/\@/\/

Actually the M3 only has a 460 mAh battery.

...................:eek:

well.. think about it... it only has to power a tiny screen unlike the m6s 700 battery that needs to power the 2,4 inch display

The M3 simply needs less power to have en equal batterylife...

I love the M3 in fact I have hardly touched my M6 since getting it. My only dissapointment is the battery. Despite the 23 hour rating by Meizu and tests I have seen on Meizu BBS reporting just over 20 hours playtime I have only managed to squeeze just over 13 hours to a charge. This is using no sound enhancement, 5 second LCD off, 128k MP3's, 50% screen brightness and volume set to 10.

Originally Posted by /\/\@D/\/\@/\/

Actually the M3 only has a 460 mAh battery.

Ouch I hope not

Because iPod nano(1st gen) has 400 mAh, and the battery life is like 8h. :/

Sorry to bring back on oldish thread, but does anyone have any recommendations on where I can purchase an M3?

I've seen House of DAP mentioned here before - are they safe/trustworthy? They currently are out of stock of the 8GB black M3s - anyone know how long they take to restock?

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

house of dap are the best! definitely recommend them. great customer service. they usually restock pretty quickly too. Keep checking in the next couple of days