Samsung P2 MP3 player review

Can Samsung's MP3 player impress?

20 February 2008 9:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

The Samssung P2 offers a 16:9 touchscreen display big enough to enjoy videos on the go. So should you sign up? We get watching to find out.

To say that the 3-inch touchscreen dominates proceedings when it comes to the P2 is an understatement. The entire front of the display and the screen and touch area all moulds into one rather than having a distinct screen. And if that wasn't a design statement enough there are no buttons on the front of the super-slim device.

Even the buttons that are present are around the side of the unit and kept to a minimum.

The model, which is available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions will come in black, wine red or white and users "touch" their way through the controls and access video, music, pictures, and listen to radio via the unit's 480 x 272 OLED WQVGA screen.

In our brief use, we were pleasantly surprised at the touch performance, in our longer play here the screen lives up to our First Look.

The whole experience is helped by the menu system which is easy to use and navigate. The buttons are big enough to let you press them comfortably even if you have got big fingers and everything has been simplified to make choices straightforward rather than menu after menu.

Hoping to make the most of that screen, videos and pictures are automatically played in landscape mode and controls quickly fade out of sight so you can get on with enjoying your content. There is even a kickstand keyring included in the box.

The only confusing element, in fact, was a light on the front of the display used to denote when the unit is charging - for the first couple of minutes we though it was a button that did something.

Not intent on just giving you a headphone jack to connect the included headphones, the Samsung P2 also sports Bluetooth 2.0 meaning you can ditch the cables and get one of those wireless headsets instead.

It also means that you can transfer files to and from it from other people's mobile phones easily.

Supported files include MP3 and WMA music formats as well as WMV and MP4 video files. It is also compatible with subscription services via Windows Media Player 10.

Battery life, thanks to that OLED, is a whopping 35 hours of music playback and in our tests we achieved this easily.

Verdict

Samsung has produced a really good offering here that provides plenty of features like Bluetooth, a radio and a screen that, although small, is still suitable for watching video, as well as a device that gives good rounded sound.

With no issues about software compatibility (it's drag and drop), this is a great alternative to Apple's current iPod range.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Samsung
Price as reviewed: £140
The good: Touchscreen, design, radio, Bluetooth
The bad: Screen smudges easily
Quick verdict: Samsung has produced a really good offering here that provides plenty of features
Score
Winner