With touch sensitive controls and a slim, slick look, the Samsung K3 looks a lot like Apple's popular device. Is the Samsung player the true bargain?
Review summary of the Samsung YP-K3:
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 It is easier to describe what the YP-K3 isn't, instead of what it is. It isn't the Samsung YP-T9, which was a bit smaller, cooler looking, and packed more features, including voice recording. It isn't the YP-K5, which had attached speakers and a great alarm clock. It also isn't an iPod nano, though it has all the sound quality, it lacks that player's robust file handling, easier navigation, and better software. Still, you can have the YP-K3 for $30 less than a similar iPod nano, so for bargain hunters, it may be worth the price. Release: May 2007. Price: $120.
Pros: Great sound quality. Nice interface. Slick design. Touch sensitive controls better than most.
Cons: Few features. Design is obviously derivative. Transfer software is subpar, and unfriendly. Slow connection makes for long transfers.
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Full review of the Samsung YP-K3:
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Design - Good
The Samsung YP-K3 looks nice, if not very familiar. More than any similar competitor, it mimics the iPod nano, with a glossy slab front, chrome accents on the side, and the headphone and proprietary USB port on the bottom. The glossy front hides touch sensitive controls, and we usually aren't fans of these controls, but on the YP-K3, they worked fine. Still, hardware controls always feel more sensitive and responsive to us, and the touch buttons couldn't speed up the process of scrolling a long list of song titles.
The interface is standard Samsung fare - menu icons made up of tiny dots that morph from one to the other. The screen itself is disappointing, a 1.8-inch OLED display. Colors seemed a bit washed while viewing JPEGs, and even the visualizer was unexciting. Navigating the menus is very easy, and with few features or customization options, there is little to expect from this simple player's interface.
Sound - Very good
We tested the Samsung player with Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville," ripped straight from CD, and a slew of Barenaked Ladies live tracks we downloaded from Napster, which the player supports. All the music we listened to sounded excellent, just as we expected from Samsung, whose players have never disappointed in terms of sound quality. Highs and lows sounded clean and crisp, and even the equalizer, which has five presets, wasn't overbearing. FM radio quality wasn't as impressive; we had some reception issues, and the player had trouble locking into all of our favorite New York-area stations.
Features - Mediocre
The Samsung YP-K3 doesn't do much. It plays music and radio, and you can view some pictures on its screen, but that's about it. For file types, the K3 doesn't play AAC files, so even DRM-free tunes from iTunes are out, and there are no options for uncompressed files, though the 2GB player handles compressed tracks better than average. There are no recording options for the K3, neither for voice nor recording from the FM radio. JPEG quality was disappointing, on some of our more abstract pictures, it was very difficult to determine the subject. Colors also seemed a bit faded.
Software - Mediocre
The YP-K3 uses Samsung's Media Studio, which does its job, albeit slowly. The player has a few idiosyncrasies, and viewing options as well as drag-and-drop options are inconsistent, sometimes available and sometimes not. To fill the 1.84GB of available space on the player took about 25 minutes, which is pretty long, so we're guessing the proprietary cable is not USB 2.0. The software only works with Windows, so Mac users can look elsewhere (does Apple make a player?).
Accessories and battery life - Mediocre
The included headphones are white earbuds, just as you'll find with the iPod. They sound find, though we'd never give up our noise isolating, high-end phones for them. As we mentioned, the cable is a proprietary USB, and it also charges the player. For battery life, we used the player for about three hours a day for a work week and never had to recharge. That's pretty good, probably close to the claimed 20 hours of playback. Without a removable battery, though, you'll want to keep your laptop close on long trips.
Price and availability
The Samsung YP-K3 is currently available for $120.
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