So you just got a shiny new Android smartphone complete with a 32GB micro SD card to store your music collection. It’s a good thing that all Android phones come with a default music player so you can play your music files as soon as you’ve transferred them to your phone’s SD card or internal storage.
The bad news is that, Google may have forgotten all about this music player app and did not give it too much attention. The result is a basic music player that will probably make you crave for more features and functionality.
The good news is – there are several good third-party music player apps for Android. Most if not all of these apps are so good that you’ll end up confused as to which one to use to replace your phone’s default music player.
In case you still haven’t decided which third-party music player app to get, we’ve reviewed two of the most useful and possibly best music player apps for Android. Why two? We want to give you two of the best options – one is free and one is a paid app. And so we review PowerAMP and Winamp music player apps for Android
PowerAMP – Best Music Player for Android (Paid)
My experience with PowerAMP dates as far back as the time I got my first Android phone. While searching for a decent music player, I found PowerAMP to be one of the most recommended music player app on Android. Unfortunately, when it came to buying apps for my phone, I was too stingy back then. So, I never got the paid version and settled for the free version instead. But things are different now and believe me, after buying the paid version I find PowerAMP is worth every penny!
So What Makes PowerAMP so Special?
Features of PowerAMP Android Music Player App
Feature-wise, PowerAMP is definitely among the most feature-rich music app that I’ve ever tried. Save for iTunes syncing, which some of you might expect it to have, the app function as a very good music player.
Let’s see, it plays various music formats without the need to convert into supported format. Just upload MP3, MP4/M4A, OGG, WMA, FLAC, WAV, APE, WV, TT, MPC, AIFF to your phone’s internal memory or to the SD card and you can play them right away. No conversion required!
When playing music, you have ten options for its graphical equalizer, for all formats. You can also use presets and custom presets equalizer. The player also has separate bass and treble adjustment if you’re so particular on how you want to listen to specific types of music.
Another nice feature of PowerAMP is gapless playback. This means you can continue listening from one song to another without any noticeable waiting time. The app is also very fast at scanning your music files. Any new songs that you transfer to your phone are almost immediately available in your songs list.
The app also features lock screen option that lets you easily access your music, forward or backward even if your phone is in lock state. And for your albums without album art, well – PowerAMP has a very nice feature for searching the web for album arts. And that happens without interrupting your listening pleasure.
Other notable features of the app include – Four configurable widgets, headset support, scrobbling, tag editor and visual themes including support for third-party skins. You can search the Android Market for PowerAMP skins that you can use with your app installation.
As mentioned, PowerAMP is a pretty powerful music player for your Android device. No wonder, it has been consistently the most downloaded apps of this kind. After trying several music player for Android, I can easily say that PowerAMP is the best of them, oh well, at least among the paid music player apps.
New Features of PowerAMP 2.0
Recently, PowerAMP was updated to version 2.0. And what was once a very good music player app for Android has become even more useful and better than the previous app.
Some of the new features brought in to the latest version of the app include – direct volume control which results in volume level equal to the stock Android music player. The only difference is that PowerAMP has equalizer/tone enabled. Additionally, the app now ensures distortion-free sound, replay gain support for all supported music formats, stereo X expansion effect, and mix-to-mono balance.
Winamp – Best Music Player for Android (Free)
When it comes to free music player app for Android, one app that almost equalizes with PowerAMP, to a good extent, is Winamp for Android. In fact, Winamp has one feature that PowerAMP doesn’t even have – wireless iTunes syncing of your music files to your Android smartphone.
Features of Winamp Music Player for Android
When it comes to features, Winamp has similarities with PowerAMP. It supports most, if not all, of the music file formats supported by PowerAMP. The app also has a 10-band graphic equalizer, customizable home screen features, crossfade, gapless playback and replay gain. There’s also the lock screen player, album art support and more.
As for the features of Winamp which PowerAMP don’t have, these are iTunes syncing through Winamp for Mac Beta or Winamp for Windows, access to free music downloads via Spinner, and free music streaming via CDLP.
The iTunes syncing feature of the app was heaven sent for me. Since I get most of my music files from the iTunes Music Store, these files are naturally accessible only through iTunes. But thanks to Winamp for Mac Beta, I was able to easily make my iTunes music file available on my Android phone. The app even allows you to import your iTunes playlist easily.
While Winamp is also available in paid version, the free version has enough features and is a complete music player all by its native self. Also, it’s validity does not expire like PowerAMP, which lets you use the free trial version only for 15 days. After this period, PowerAMP will cease functioning unless you unlock the full version.
Final Thoughts
There you have it – two of the best music player apps for your Android devices. If you do not wish to pay for a music player app, Winamp is a one of the best options for you. But if you don’t mind spending for an Android app, especially one that will make listening to your music more fun, PowerAMP is a the best music player you can get. Which music player do you use?
Download the app from the Android Market:
Start a barcode (QR code) scanner on your phone and scan the QR code below. This will take you directly to the Android market to download the app. If you do not have a QR Code scanner app, choose one from the Best QR Code Scanner Apps for Android.
Get PowerAMP App from the Android Market
Get Winamp App from the Android Market
See Also:
