Review of the Samsung 4GB Yepp YP-Z5AB MP3 player

For starters the whole device has a metal solid metal construction, which feels nice to touch and hold. It oozes good quality from first sight, in our opinion, it looks knocks the socks off the Nano. With dimensions 42.2mm W x 89.8mm H x 12.3mm D, the YPZ5 is slightly bigger than the Nano, making it a little uncomfortable in a front trouser pocket, but it’s perfectly comfortable in the rear. The device is available in pink, white, black and silver, and we much prefer the latter design. The first thing that catches your eye is the 1.8-inch large TFT LCD screen, which has a 128 x 160 resolution, to provide you with a bright and incredibly sharp performance. A few other design features to mention, are a large rocker volume control, situated on the side of the device, which is perfect for sport, and the two-dial controller system. This type of controller system works well, with the more central ring requiring just a light tap of the finger to navigate around the well organised menu system, and then for the more important functions, like turning the power on and off, the outer ring needs a firmer push.

The YPZ5’s most important features to mention, are its 4GB memory, which allows you to save around 1000 songs, and the fact that it is a flash-drive means it is completely free of moving parts, making it the perfect sporting companion. It also allows you to view photos, with use of a slide show, and zoom options. It supports MP3, and WMA, PlayForSure, and uses Samsung’s media studio software. An important factor to mention is that the YPZ5 requires Windows XP to function. If you lack this at home, either install it before you buy the YPZ5, or choose another MP3 player. On switching the player on, you’ll enjoy the distinctly well organised menu system, offering you to search for songs using genre, title, artist, or album options. It also gives you play mode options, just like the Nano, like play-all, repeat, shuffle, or repeat A-B. Samsung get brownie points for supplying the YPZ5 with an FM radio, putting it well in front of the Nano. And whether you are listening to the radio or your uploaded tunes, you’ll enjoy choosing the pre-set equaliser settings to enhance what you hear. These settings include normal, rock, classical, jazz, house, ballad, R&B, and dance. One downside to the settings is that they cannot be changed or personalised to your liking. If you do like personalising your device though, the wallpaper can be personalised, so you might choose to put one of your photos up.

We had a mixed bag of opinions regarding the control system that Samsung have chosen for the YPZ5, but the general consensus was that we liked it. However, to do anything other than change the volume, you have to physically look at the player, which became a pain. After getting used to using a Nano, and having the option to change tracks without having to look at the menu, having to look seemed like a huge inconvenience. On a more positive note, the extensive and easy-to-use menu was a pleasure, and the volume control was very responsive too. Uploading music was quick and easy using a 2.0 USB, managing to transfer 911 MP3 files in 4.25 minutes. The manual included makes perfect sense (even to the over 40’s) of everything, including getting your music and photos onto the YPZ5, and removing them too. We personalised our device with a favourite photo, and it gave the device a much more fun look. The YPZ5 can really take a beating too, we certainly put it to the test, out running in the rain, and accidentally on purpose dropping it a few times, and still, it remained strong. The most important test of an MP3’s performance is of course it’s sonic ability, on this occasion we were only slightly impressed. The equaliser settings struggle to enhance the audio performance, which is a real shame. But the volume is powerful with just enough bass on the normal preset - for example, running next to a busy main road didn’t test the volume levels of the YPZ5. We would suggest that you invest in some better headphones, as these little beauties give an even poorer performance than the dreadful iPod ear-buds. We chose to plug in the …………., which worked well, especially on the move. Also kicking the iPod Nano’s ass, is the YPZ5’s battery-life. We managed 31-hours of audio and flicking through a few pics, compared to the miserable 13-hours provided by the Nano.

As far as design is concerned, there is no way the Samsung Yepp YP-Z5 is second to the Nano, and in our opinion, the performance it gave isn’t far off that of the Nano either. The only area the Nano excels more than the YPZ5, is in equaliser settings to provide a bit of a sonic boost. If you don’t want to be a sheep this Christmas, be original and get your hands on the equally as competent YPZ5 for the same price as the Nano.