Conveniences like a touchscreen aren’t necessarily as important, since sweaty fingers and touchscreens don’t really mix. The best workout music players emphasize practicality and durability over bells and whistles so they can put up with time at the gym, drops on a run, or tosses onto the floor.  Workout music players are ideal for anyone who regularly walks, runs, or performs other exercises like weightlifting or cycling. They’re also useful in outdoor conditions since they’re more durable and include ergonomic features such as clips that attach to your clothing. Here are some of our best picks. The buttons and screen are also very small and are hard to get to when you’re in the zone. But if you just want to set it and forget it, you’re good to go. The 16GB of onboard storage gets you around 4,000 songs, though the lack of a MicroSD slot is a downer. Of course, if the music you loaded onto the player isn’t what you’re looking for, the included FM radio might have something you like. Overall, this is a solid choice because of its size and additional features. Reviewer Erika Rawes appreciated the color screen, and she saw it from a distance despite its small size. Erika took this music player with her on a walk and the clip stayed securely fastened to her clothing as she listened to an audiobook of “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.” Display: 1.44 inches | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA (No DRM), AAC, (DRM free iTunes) WAV, FLAC | Battery Life: 20 hours | Water Resistance: IPX5 Aside from that, what you’re essentially getting is a 4-inch iPhone that runs the full suite of App Store apps, including Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. That’s very powerful for a package that costs a lot less than a modern iPhone. It’s fairly large for a workout player, though. Even with a 4-inch screen, it’s the largest on our list. It has no SD card expansion, but it comes in a variety of colors and storage options up to 256GB. Overall, this is a great multi-use player that gives you a lot of the same functionality as your smartphone at a fraction of the price. Our reviewer Jason Schneider appreciated the design and versatility this device offers, noting the metal backing provided added durability, and that there’s an array of features available beyond those you get with a traditional MP3 player. Display: 4 inches | Audio Formats: AAC-LC, AAX, AAX+, Apple Lossless, Audible 2, Audible 3, Audible 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, FLAC, H.264, HE-AAC, Linear PCM, M-JPEG, MP3, Protected AAC | Battery Life: 40 hours | Water Resistance: N/A That certification also includes the bundled earbuds, so you actually can take this device with you while swimming. You get around 10 hours of playback for the 2,000 songs it holds (via the 8GB of storage). The tiny device also has a 360-degree swivel clip on it, which means you can attach it just about anywhere. Since there’s no screen on this little guy and the buttons are a bit smaller than we normally like, it works better for continuous play than for individually selecting songs from your playlist. But, those are perfectly fine compromises when you consider this music player can go anywhere with you, including the pool. Our reviewer William Harrison noted the waterproof earbuds were some of the most comfortable he’s encountered, and when he tested the sound quality underwater, the audio was clear and vivid. However, William’s testing also found the Stream 2 didn’t get very loud even at full volume. Display: N/A | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, FLAC, APE | Battery Life: 10 hours of playtime | Water Resistance: IPX8 With its focus on overall wellness, the Series 6 is an ideal option for those who want more than just fitness tracking features. There are plenty of third-party apps supported, a solid operating system with reliable updates, and options for music controls and notifications. You can sync content from your iPhone to the Apple Watch, and then listen to music and audiobooks with a pair of Bluetooth earbuds when you’re away from your phone. Hardware hasn’t changed dramatically since the previous version, but you have some new color and style options. The screen is as bright and colorful as ever, and the performance is slightly improved with the dual-core S6 chip. However, if you have the older Series 5, the upgrade likely isn’t big enough to warrant the splurge. But otherwise, for iPhone users, the Series 6 is one of the best accessories available. Our reviewer Andrew Hayward still had 40-50% battery capacity remaining after using the device all day, so this is a good choice for those who want a wireless option that offers a long battery life and additional fitness features. Display: 40 to 44 millimeters | Audio Formats: N/A | Battery Life: Up to 18 hours | Water Resistance: Up to 50 meters On the downside, such a tiny package comes with compromises. A thousand songs isn’t a lot for a modern music player, nor is the five hours of playtime the device provides on a single battery charge. Display: N/A | Audio Formats: Offline streaming | Battery Life: 5+ hours | Water Resistance: IPX4 It supports lossy and lossless formats, and there’s a tiny screen for displaying song lyrics. However, the screen is monotone, and our reviewer Erika noted it’s quite difficult to see the small screen from a distance.  On the plus side, the battery lasts for up to 30 hours, which is impressive for an MP3 player in this price range. During testing, Erika was able to get 14.5 hours of straight music playback before running out of battery. The Agptek clip supports Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, as well as e-books in the .txt format. This is an ideal choice for someone who wants a cheap device they can use while running or at the gym, as it costs less than $30 and includes several accessories. Display: 2 inches | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, APE, FLAC, WAV, AAC | Battery Life: Up to 30 hours | Water Resistance: Sweat-proof case The controls take some getting used to. There’s a five-way rocker for navigation, along with buttons for home and options. There are switches on the side as well, for volume and locking the player (so you don’t interrupt a workout). All of these buttons on such a small frame can make this player a little unwieldy. But that also means the player has a lot of functionality, so there’s definitely a trade-off. This player comes with earbuds, and they actually sound good, but the Walkman doesn’t clip onto clothing easily like some of the other models on this list, so this might be a better choice for walking or light exercise. Display: 1.77 inches | Audio Formats: PCM, AAC, WMA, and MP3 | Battery Life: 35 hours | Water Resistance: N/A headphones The headphones are waterproof, meaning you can take them in the pool up to two meters deep. You can take them in saltwater too, which is comforting for those who like to surf or exercise on the beach. On the downside, these headphones don’t have Bluetooth connectivity like many of the others on the list. What you store on the headphones is what you have to choose from. That’s an understandable compromise, but we still miss it. Overall though, if you know what music you like to work out to, these might be a good fit. Display: N/A | Audio Formats: MP3, WMA, Linear PCM, AAC | Battery Life: Up to 12 hours | Water Resistance: Up to 2 meters

Physical Controls

When you’re working out and sweating, touchscreens tend to be difficult to use. Physical controls are important because sweaty hands can have trouble controlling a touchscreen.

Storage

This refers to how many songs you can keep on the device. The longer your workout, the more songs you’ll listen to. Variety is the spice of life, so in terms of storage, higher is always better. If the device has a low amount of storage, see if it supports MicroSD expansion.

About Our Trusted Experts

Erika Rawes has been writing professionally for more than a decade, and she’s spent the last five years writing about consumer technology. Erika has reviewed roughly 150 gadgets, including ones on this list. She is an expert in consumer and smart home technology, and she currently writes for Digital Trends and Lifewire. Jason Schneider is a writer, editor, copywriter, and musician with almost ten years’ experience writing for tech and media companies. His areas of expertise include Apple iPhones, iPods, and accessories, and he reviewed the iPod Touch on this list. William Harrison has written for Lifewire since January 2019 and is an expert in portable audio equipment. He has reviewed several of the products on this list. Andrew Hayward is a Chicago-based writer who has been covering technology and video games since 2006. His areas of expertise include smartphones, wearable gadgets, smart home devices, video games, and esports. He reviewed the Apple Watch Series 6 on this list.