In a big way, the Samsung YP-S5 is the most competitive MP3 player from Samsung, even more than their flagship YP-P2. It doesn't fill a room with sound, no surprise there, but it does use the speaker intelligently to back up some of the other bonus features on the device. The alarm clock, for one thing, was versatile and loud, with battery life that makes it great for travel. And the Bluetooth phone functions were a clever surprise, especially when paired with the speaker for speakerphone capabilities. We still think Samsung needs to think twice about all those touch buttons, and some serious interface redesign is in order, both on the device side and the desktop software. But with its unique capabilities, the Samsung YP-S5 fills a wide niche. And did we mention the music sounds great? Release: April 2008. Price: $170.
Pros: Excellent sound quality and battery life. Surprisingly good alarm and speakerphone features.
Cons: Small speakers still sound small. Interface could use redesign, and maybe throw in some real buttons. Samsung Media Studio needs serious improvement
Design - Good
The Samsung YP-S5 is a unique design for MP3 players, though it won't be so new to diehard Samsung fans. With its slide-out stereo speakers, the YP-S5 updates the Samsung YP-K5 player we saw more than a year ago, though the changes aren't too significant. We like the look of the new player better. While the K5 was a glossy obelisk, the S5 uses a glossy front with a soft touch black exterior around the rest of the player. The device is a bit smaller than its predecessor, and has a gentle angle to it, making it more visually appealing.
Unfortunately, Samsung stuck with the no-button theme for which they seem to be fond, and we think its time for the fat lady to sing on this design concept. The touch buttons are less responsive than hard buttons, and lack the acceleration and subtlety of the iPod's scroll wheel. Also, the player seriously needs a volume rocker. Instead, the only button performed two tasks. It turned the player on and it activated "hold," which kept us from pressing the touch buttons accidentally, which always happened when we tossed the player into our pocket without engaging the hold switch. It's a bad sign when a player's only button keeps you from doing things.
Interface - Good
Samsung's interface is simple and pretty, but it could stand some improvement. First of all, browsing long lists of songs was strangely both jumpy and slow. The imterface jumps page to page, but doesn't accelerate quickly through letters. Second, the organization structure could use some rethinking. Samsung players mostly share the same interface, which keeps secondary functions like Bluetooth phone controls and the alarm clock features hidden under submenus. That makes sense on other models, perhaps, but we think the S5 might be more useful as a Bluetooth speakerphone and travel alarm clock than as a player, at least for some customers. These important features should be high-level menu options, while pictures and videos, which should be a secondary feature on this device, could be buried deeper.
Sound - Very good
Samsung players have always impressed us with their sound quality, and the YP-S5 is no different, at least through a good pair of headphones. The included earbuds aren't horrible, they certainly weren't as bad as the torture devices included with the YP-K5, but they aren't the buds we chose to do our close-listening audio tests, either. The device couldn't handle advanced formats, like Ogg or any lossless files, but it played the standard MP3, WMA mix just fine. In fact, MP3 files encoded at a respectable bitrate sounded very good on the S5.
With the speakers, the sound was clean, but not very powerful. We didn't get much distortion, if any, at higher levels, but we also didn't hear much bass, let alone feel a nice thump. Alarm clock sounds, shrill as they are, were even louder than music, but as a travel alarm clock, the Samsung YP-S5 made a nice fit. When it was time to fill the room with sound, however, we turned to other options.
Features - Very good
The Samsung YP-S5 includes more features than it needs, but has some innovative ideas packed in that work surprisingly well. The player can handle music, JPEG photos and MP4 videos, and videos looked fine on the small, low-res screen, but this is more of a novelty act than the S5's real purpose. The alarm clock was a good feature, and we liked being able to set up multiple alarms on the device. But we wish we could have chosen different songs for each alarm. Instead, you assign one song as the alarm track, and that's the only song that will play on time, besides the included alarm tones.
The Samsung YP-S5 also has some of the Bluetooth phone features we saw on the Samsung YP-P2. When paired with a Bluetooth phone, the YP-S5 will not only stop playback during a call, it will actually let you answer, using the built-in microphone and your normal headphones to take the call. Also, the phone packs a primitive dial pad so you can even dial a call from the YP-S5, which then acts as a handsfree device for your phone. When the speakers are open, you can use the S5 as a Bluetooth speakerphone, which is an especially neat trick, and it worked pretty well in our tests.
Transfer - Good
Samsung's transfer software has not improved since we last saw it. The interface is confusing, and not at all intuitive. Transfers are painfully slow, especially when you have to encode a video for the device. The Samsung Media Studio has a cheesy mood reading tool that supposedly analyzes your music for your mood, but more time and effort should have gone into making an intuitive, pleasant interface that was easy to manage for music transfers and playback instead of these gimmicks. Of course, you can simply use Windows Media Player instead, but if Samsung, or Microsoft for that matter, wants to compete with Apple's iPod / iTunes one-two punch, serious thought needs to go into the synchronization and sideloading half.
Accessories - Good
The Samsung YP-S5 comes with headphones that did not cause the same immediate pain and discomfort we felt with the YP-K5's strange buds, but they were still oddly shaped and slightly uncomfortable. We managed a few hours of use without soreness, but why not go for something smaller? Sound isolating buds are pretty much the way things are going, anyway, and would be an easy way to one-up Apple, who sell their in-ear buds at a premium.
Otherwise, we're continually frustrated by Samsung's avoidance of simple mini-USB plugs. Like we've seen on Samsung phones, the YP-S5 uses a very proprietary looking cable. If you forget it, you're out of luck, as it's also the way the player charges.
Battery - Excellent
To end on a high note, Samsung's player's have always impressed us in terms of their battery life. Like it's predecessor, the K5, the Samsung YP-S5 manages a full day of playback, more than 24 hours, in fact, in a single charge. We stopped testing after a day, but that's what Samsung promises anyway, so we were more than satisfied. With the speakers on full volume, which was an annoying test to sit through, we managed just shy of five hours, so we imagine Samsung's five hour estimate is for a more soothing volume.
Comparison
Compare the Samsung YP-S5 with similar products
Who is the Samsung YP-S5 for?
Globetrotters
Outdoor enthusiasts
Video lovers
Price and availability
The Samsung YP-S5 is available now for about $170 at various retailers.
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