First of all, be aware that this might not be the device you remember owning. This is not the Nextar MA933A, although it does look exactly like it. Let me show you what this device really is in comparison to the original it was based on.
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Quick Specs Table
A cheap AAA-powered USB-style MP3/FM player from AliExpress. It looks like the old Nextar MA933A, but the tested unit uses different firmware, requires a microSD card, and lacks working voice recording.
| Brand / Model | Unbranded; sold under various generic listings |
| Storage | No usable built-in storage on the tested unit; microSD card required |
| Power | 1 x AAA battery |
| Connections | Built-in USB-A plug; 3.5 mm headphone output |
| Radio | FM radio with automatic station search |
| Recording | No working voice recording on the tested unit, despite mic markings on the shell |
| Tested Features | Music playback, FM radio, EQ presets, sleep timer, USB microSD-card access |
Nextar MA933A Bootleg – And What It’s Missing
As already mentioned at the start, this off-brand device that you can find all over AliExpress and various other online outlets is NOT the Nextar MA933A which it seems to be directly modeled after.
It has different firmware, a different menu system, and a much simpler user interface, as well as differing base features. It also doesn’t support voice recording. If my memory serves me well, my old model also allowed me to change the display backlight colors. There might have been even more versions of this player design back in the day.
Both the described features and the differences in the menu interface are confirmed by taking a look at the original MA933A user manual and comparing it to what we have on hand.
But How Is It In Practice? – Is It Still a Reasonable Player?
As always, it’s time for some brutal honesty. The first thing I have to mention here is that my unit, after I used it for a while and then left it in a drawer for a few weeks, developed an issue with noisy audio and flickering display no matter what kind of AAA batteries or earphones/IEMs I tested it with. A bummer to be sure.
Putting that aside, my expectations for it were really high because I still remembered my good experience with the MA933A from around 10 years ago. This clone however, is nothing like it.
Not only does it feature a vastly different firmware with far fewer features than the original, but it also feels much more sluggish in terms of responsiveness. The backlight and display quality are also very low, although there are no problems with the interface visibility in reasonable lighting conditions.
Although you can see both the microphone holes and the “mic” markings on the case, the device doesn’t support audio recording like the original did. The only real useful features here are the FM radio auto station tuner (present pretty much on all devices like these), and a large set of built-in EQ presets. The software version information in my unit’s settings menu suggests that it’s a revision back from December 2020.
The audio quality (when the device still worked) was reasonable, but quite obviously, not even remotely comparable to higher-quality DAPs (digital audio players) you can get these days.
It can play audio files, seek through tracks with audible previews, use wired headphones as the FM antenna, shuffle tracks, and set a sleep timer. That is essentially its full feature set. And while that would be enough for a player in this price range, it’s certainly worrying that it stopped working correctly after so little use.
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The fact that it runs on a single AAA battery can be a benefit for some, but keep in mind that you’ll want to use rechargeable cells so you do not keep wasting money on disposable batteries.
As the device doesn’t have built-in storage like the MA933A did, you need to insert a microSD card into it and then later on use the USB port to connect it to your computer and copy over or organize your songs. So, in the worst-case scenario, it can at least act as a microSD card reader. The card has to be formatted as FAT32.
Would I Still Recommend Getting It?
With a device this cheap, even if it had continued working properly, I would still have a hard time recommending it on price alone, especially if it ends up in your e-waste pile a month or two later. Yes, it plays music. Yes, it has FM radio. And yes, it technically does what it is supposed to do (in my case, up until a certain point).
If your use case is simply listening to music, podcasts, or radio on the go, or you need a cheap and effective music player for your kids, this might be a reasonable choice both because of its form factor and ease of use. If, however, you want anything more capable, you’d be better off getting even one of the simplest modern DAPs.
In almost all cases, regardless of what your particular needs are, getting an actual second-hand Nextar MA933A in any of its available color options would be a better idea. There are still quite a few used devices available here, over on eBay. That’s what I would recommend any day over this bootleg device.
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