Samsung YP-F1 Gives iPod a Run For It's Money!

(Update 10/16/2009: when this review was originally published, the Samsung YP-F1 was a personal MP3 player.  It appears epinions has changed this profile to describe a DVD player.  The review below is for the MP3 player.)

I was shopping for a birthday gift for my wife and came across the Samsung YP-F1 512MB MP3 player on sale. Ever since I acquired my iPod Nano 1GB my wife has been eyeing me with that jealous eye. Of course, when I've asked her if she wants one for herself, she says, "Oh no, honey, that's all right...you just enjoy your iPod." So I thought maybe she'd like an MP3 player. And since the starting price for iPods these days is over $100, I felt like the $49.99 sale price on the Samsung was a pretty good deal.

Now that she's taken it out of the box and let me play with it a little bit, I'd say this little MP3 player stacks up pretty well, even when compared to the iPod!

SIZE/PACKAGE

When I got my iPod Nano, I was impressed by its small size. Well, the Samsung YP-F1 is even smaller, at least the face. The face is about as large as two quarters stacked end-to-end. The body, on the other hand, is thicker than an iPod and it's about a centemeter thick. But you know what? That's still REALLY small. It's as small and portable as the 9 Volt battery in your smoke alarm.

The styling of the Samsung YP-F1 player is very simple yet attractive. It has a color plate that is easily removed and can be replaced with different color or patterned plates, much easier than my iPod with its non-removable face plate which requires slip covers or plastic sheets to change the look of the player. The back of the player is glossy black and has an integral non-removable clip that's made of brushed aluminum and frames the face of the player quite nicely. The clip works well and feels sturdy enough to last the lifetime of the player.

OPERATION/USE

The Samsung YP-F1 is pretty easy to operate once you read the instructions. There are 4 buttons, 2 on each side, which control playback and menu selections. They are thin but wide enough that it's not too hard to find and use them. On the bottom of the player is a chrome button/knob that controls the volume and can also be depressed to change the mode of the player. I found the operation of the player a whole lot easier than my iPod Nano thumbwheel.

The display is a backlit Black & White LCD. It's small but easy enough to read that I haven't had any problems. Still, the iPod has the Samsung YP-F1 beat in this category.

When you press play the Samsung YP-F1 will start playing the songs that have been loaded into the player. If you want to go to a particular song or playlist you can find these in the Navigator function. Again, the iPod has a much more intuitive and easier to navigate layout than the Samsung, but the Samsung is not so hard that you can't figure it out with a little tinkering (or reading the instructions, if you're the patient type).

FM RADIO

Ok, here's where the Samsung YP-F1 blew my iPod Nano out of the water! This thing has a built-in FM Stereo radio, and it works great. Not only that, but you can actually record music from the radio right into the player. So if that new song on the radio comes on and you want to have a copy for yourself, you just press Record and you'll have it in your player. Does my iPod Nano do that? Nope!

MEMO RECORDER

If the FM Radio wasn't enough, the Samsung YP-F1 has a microphone built in so that it also works as a memo/voice recorder. Does my iPod Nano do that? Nope!

CAPACITY

The version of the Samsung YP-F1 I bought has 512 MB of storage space. That equates to approximately 8 hours of music and about 120 songs, or about 10 full length CDs. If you need more space I know there is a 1GB version of the Samsung YP-F1 available as well.

MUSIC PLAYBACK

The music playback on the Samsung YP-F1 is great, and I cannot help but continue to be impressed of the great sound these tiny MP3 players on the market can put out. The maximum volume of the Samsung YP-F1 is pretty loud and I couldn't stand listening to it as I got closer to the max. The player has 8 preset equalizer settings plus bass boost so you can tune the player to compliment your music. There is even a manual equalizer built into the Samsung YP-F1. Does my iPod Nano have a manual equalizer? Again, I'm afraid to say the answer is no.

The Samsung YP-F1 uses a standard headphone jack and is compatible with standard stereo headphones.

HEADPHONES

The YP-F1 comes with an attractive set of black in-the-ear headphones (earbuds) with small chrome accents. I liked the fact that they match the black player, unlike my black iPod Nano with white headphones. The earphones are reasonably comfortable and come with 2 earpads that soften the earbuds. The sound quality from these headphones is pretty good.

ACCESSORIES

Also included in the box was the USB cable, software CD, full user guide, and a black necklace (for hanging the player from your neck, a very comfortable and secure way to hold the player). The player has a built-in lithium-ion battery that is recharged by your computer through the USB cable, so no batteries or chargers are needed.

PRICE

The $49.99 sale price I found my wife's Samsung YP-F1 is a great deal for the money. The base price was $109.99, a whole lot more and getting into iPod territory.

SOFTWARE

The software provided with the Samsung YP-F1 is not really of much use, actually. You don't need it if you have Windows Media Player or even Windows Explorer. The Samsung YP-F1 can be managed like a regular USB drive; just go into Windows Explorer, grab your songs, and drag them into your player. Comparing it to Apple's frustrating iTunes software, I'll take that ease of use any day.

OVERALL

So when it all came down to it, I had to admit that the Samsung YP-F1 I bought my wife was really, really cool. She loves it. She offered to let me use it the other day, I told her "Oh no, honey, that's all right...you just enjoy your Samsung."