For the totally pocketable choice, a 3 inch player is the perfect small and easy option.
As they say, it’s not size that matters but what you do with it so this feature will be taking a look at three 3-inchers and comparing the size, weight, features, interface and every other nook and cranny of these PMPs.

The player being put under the microscope are:

The 2GB touchscreen Nationite One Series OS-81
The 8GB touchscreen Onda VX series VX777LE
The 4GB Onda VX series VX555HD
and the mystery player…

Part one after the jump.

-First impressions-

Nationite OS-81

Out of the standard stylish Nationite packaging comes the player, an instruction book, a USB cable, a clip stand, a wall charger and earphones.

The player itself on first impressions has a refined light, slick and stylish look and feel to it.
The front is plain save for a small gap for the speaker and the back has simple branding text.

Onda VX777LE

With packaging sporting Chinese pop star and actor Jay Chou the actual box could have gone either way.
Given that he is inexplicably dress in armour with a huge sword and set against a dragon-filled backdrop it could easily just be a regular illustration, albeit one you might find on the packaging of a graphics card.

Out of the box comes the player, a set of earphones, a handy silicone case (iPhone style), the instruction manual, a driver disc, a stylus, a component out cable and a USB lead.
This is a pretty impressive selection of accessories including some, such as the case, which are not necessary so a nice inclusion.

The player’s design is similar to that of the iPhone, rounded edges and the screen enclosed in a black border. The back of the player is metal adding a little to the weight and is adorned with the Onda branding and a line drawing of Jay Chou’s sillouette which again isn’t garish and is easily ignorable, looking more like a graphic than an endorsement.
It is slightly shorter than the OS-72 but marginally thicker.

Onda VX555HD

The most recent of the 3 inch players on trial, the VX555HD packaging has the same Jay Chou dragon image but with extra information such as the holographic HD and Real Player stickers, alluding to the CC1600 chip which allows 720p HD playback.
Inside the box comes again the player, HD TV out, component out, USB cable, instruction manual, headphones and case.

The player again follows suit from the VX777LE in it has a simple and stylish front but this time there’s the Onda logo on the top left, the model number on the bottom right and a single round button on the right.
The back is a nice grooved metal that creates a nice light effect and there’s nothing but the branding and speaker.
In terms of length this is the smallest player but again the depth is marginally thicker than the other two. Also, despite being quite light, the added width does make it feel quite chunky in comparison.

Direct Size Comparisons

(Left to right: OS-81, VX777LE, VX555HD)

(Bottom to top: OS-81, VX777LE, VX555HD)

-Switching On-

The OS-81 and VX777LE both run on the Rockchip RK2706 and the VX555HD runs on the CC1600.
While this may be more important later on when testing the video and audio playback quality of the players, the startup time is a small but sometimes important factor to consider.

Nationite OS-81

Powered up by a convenient switch to the right of the bottom of the player, the OS-81 is on the main interface screen and ready to roll in 7 seconds after a quick display of the logos whist initialising.
This is a good few seconds sooner than the 4.3 inch OS-72. Let’s see how the others fare.

Onda VX777LE

After hitting the power button on the bottom left (if holding it in the default cellphone style) it’s just an impressive two seconds before the flashy intro screen clears and the main user interface is present.

Onda VX555HD

Another player, another flashy startup animation, this time lasting around 7 seconds while the player boots up, similar to the OS-81.

By these tests the swiftest player to boot is the Onda VX777LE by a long shot. How will it fare in the interface, audio and video tests?
Check back for part two of the battle of the three inchers which will also include the mystery competitor…

Discuss on the MP4Nation forum.