Samsung YEPP YP-Z5 (4GB, black)

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars
    Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)

Excellent

Average User Rating

5 reviews

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Samsung YEPP YP-Z5 (4GB, black)
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CNET Editors' Review

CNET Editors' Rating

4.0 stars Excellent
    Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
  • Design: 8.0
  • Features: 7.0
  • Performance: 9.0
  • Reviewed by: Eliot Van Buskirk
  • Released on:
  • Reviewed on:
  • Updated on:
Edited by: James Kim

The good: The PlaysForSure Samsung YP-Z5 outputs clean and punchy sound and won't hog a bunch of real estate in your pocket. Its relatively large, bright color screen is great for viewing photos and navigating well-designed menus. We also like its solid aluminum chassis, sturdy dedicated controls, and extensive sound settings. Battery life is exceptional, though it's much less than the rated 35 hours, and you can simultaneously view photos and listen to music.

The bad: The Samsung YP-Z5's touch pad, due to its varying degrees of sensitivity, can be difficult to deal with, especially when scrolling through menus. The Z5 also lacks some extra features, such as an FM tuner, audio recording, PIM functions, and on-the-go playlists.

The bottom line: If you're looking for a tiny, well-built, color-screen MP3 player with excellent sound, the Samsung YP-Z5 is a great choice. Just make sure that you're comfortable with the touch-pad controller before you buy.

Review: We've been waiting to see whether the flash-based Samsung YP-Z5 deserves all the hype it received before its release. Now that we have it in hand, we can say that although it's not perfect, it warrants consideration as an alternative to the iPod Nano. The YP-Z5's main selling point is the same as the Nano's: a thin, compact profile that doesn't compromise on features. The YP-Z5 sounds great and boasts excellent battery life, and its physical design and its innovative GUI have their advantages, though there is a learning curve for the inconsistent touch pad. ... Expand full review
We've been waiting to see whether the flash-based Samsung YP-Z5 deserves all the hype it received before its release. Now that we have it in hand, we can say that although it's not perfect, it warrants consideration as an alternative to the iPod Nano. The YP-Z5's main selling point is the same as the Nano's: a thin, compact profile that doesn't compromise on features. The YP-Z5 sounds great and boasts excellent battery life, and its physical design and its innovative GUI have their advantages, though there is a learning curve for the inconsistent touch pad.First, we must point out that the Samsung YP-Z5, available in 2GB ($200) or 4GB ($250), is a good-looking piece of gear. It comes in two different tones of silver, with a 1.8-inch color screen for navigating menus and viewing photos; there's also a black model. It has a modular design--two sides are joined by a metal collar that wraps around the circumference of the device. Although the YP-Z5 is much thicker, in fact, than the iPod Nano, your pocket will scarcely know the difference. It's nearly as tiny at 3.5 by 1.6 by 0.45 inches (the 4GB version is 0.48 inch) and a mere 1.8 ounces. In addition, the screen is bigger than the 1.5-inch Nano's.


The 4GB Samsung YP-Z5 next to the 4GB Apple iPod Nano: The Nano is quite a bit thinner, but the YP-Z5 has a bigger screen.


The 2GB Z5 measures 0.45 inch thick (the 4GB version is 0.48 inch). All versions of the iPod Nano measure only 0.27 inch thick.

On the lower half of the Samsung YP-Z5 sits a square touch-sensitive control that requires you to lay a fingertip gently on the top half for scrolling up or the lower half for scrolling down. Once the proper item is highlighted, you click the middle of the touch pad to select it. There's a slight lag before the cursor starts scrolling, and if you press too hard or softly, nothing happens. Furthermore, it'll take some dexterity to get your touch just right, and you'll often find yourself scrolling past the intended selection. After a few days of use, most people will get used to it, although it's clearly not as intuitive and easy to use as Apple's competing Click Wheel.

We appreciate the Samsung YP-Z5's dedicated buttons for back, fast-forward, rewind, and play/pause/power. They surround the touch pad while the dedicated volume buttons are placed on the side for easy access with the right thumb when the device is in your hand. With its dedicated volume and play/pause (more on this later) buttons, the YP-Z5 bests the iPod, which has neither. A handy hold switch on the top and a recessed reset button on the bottom round out the controls. You will notice two screws on either side of the player, and presumably, you can replace a dead battery yourself, though we wouldn't recommend it.

All of the Samsung YP-Z5's buttons feel solid, and the device's aluminum case is pleasantly cool to the touch. The YP-Z5's overall build quality appears to be quite high, and its screen is nowhere near as scratch-prone as the Nano's. We dragged a key right across it, and it didn't scratch until we pressed hard.

We should mention that the Samsung YP-Z5 utilizes a proprietary dock/USB port, much like the iPod Nano. There's no word yet on YP-Z5 accessories, though the unit ships with white earbuds, a proprietary USB connector, an installation disc, and a manual (both paper and electronic).


The Samsung YP-Z5 features a proprietary dock connector for file transfers and optional accessories. Don't lose your USB cable!

The Samsung YP-Z5 is compatible with MP3 and WMA (purchased and subscription) files, though not OGG, as it states on the Samsung Web site. Unlike the iPod, the YP-Z5 does not support Audible files. Hide Review

Average User Rating

4.0 stars out of 5 user reviews

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star: 2
  • 4 star: 2
  • 3 star: 1
  • 2 star: 0
  • 1 star: 0

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Most Helpful User Review

4.5 stars 4 of 4 users found this review helpful

"Looks and acts and sounds superb!" By wastedyuthe

Pros The control system for navigating music, the display, the album art, the sound quality, the extremely small gap between songs, very fast

Cons having to use WMP10 or drag and drop, some album art doesn't show, picture viewing control not as user-friendly as with music browsing

Summary What a superb player. I have the 4gb and my wife has the 2gb. I have had to do a bit of fiddling around with some of our albums in order to get the album art displayed on the player- but the majority did without any problem. There are at ... Expand full review

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Specifications

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Quick Specs

  • Digital Storage / Capacity: 4 GB
  • Flash memory installed: 4 GB
  • Digital player supported digital audio standards: MP3 Protected WMA (DRM) WMA

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