From a standpoint of a T.sonic 840 user, there is nothing in the 850 that will convince you to move to it. For anyone looking for a decent-value-for-money media player, the T.sonic 850 fits the slot perfectly.
The Transcend T.sonic 850 is an upgrade from the T.sonic 840. The styling has a few changes and the controls that were on the side with the 850 have returned to the front of the player. Transcend has also done away with the 840’s metal back—which we liked because it gave it a solid robust feel.
An 1.8-inch screen allows you to watch videos and read text. While listening to music, the screen is used to display the visualisation. The buttons feel good and the controls are really simple to get used to. The earplugs supplied are pretty bad in quality with a cheap feel to them. The player is capable of driving full fledged headphones as well.
The player can be used to view images and movie playback as well, but only one format—MTV—is supported. Conversion software is provided for this purpose. You can simply dump files in to the player, without the need of any syncing software. Books can be read as well, but only TXT files are supported. Data transfer rates are perfect and the player is able to skip through songs and fast-forward without any effort. There is a protection cover supplied with the player to prevent any fine scratches to the surface.
The player is available in 4 GB and 8 GB versions. We received the white 4 GB version, for testing and is priced at Rs 5,500, which we think is a little overpriced.