Samsung YP-P3 review

Touchscreen MP3 players and portable media players are all the rage, and it's no wonder: the migration of controls to the display of a device makes it possible to dedicate most of a player's surface area to the screen. Thus, you can have larger screens on smaller gadgets. The Apple iPod touch is testament to the potential success of this set-up, and Samsung's first foray into this arena, the YP-P2, was no slouch, either, drawing praise from critics and consumers alike.

As such, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Samsung's follow-up, the YP-P3, is an impressive device, packing a wealth of features and some of the best sound to be found in a portable media player. Better yet, the P3 is priced to sell at around £110 for the 8GB version and £150 for the 16GB version. For those who are keeping track: that's the same price as the iPod nano, not the iPod touch.

Design
At first sight, the P3 doesn't look strikingly different from its predecessor, the P2, and, in fact, the design updates are far from massive. However, the few changes Samsung has made give the device a more polished feel. Firstly, the P3 is slightly thinner, measuring 51 by 102 by 8mm. Also, while both the P2 and P3 are constructed mainly of metal, the P3 lacks the shiny clear coating that gave the P2 a more plasticky appearance. All in all, the P3 comes across as sleeker than its predecessor, and it also feels more durable than the iPod touch, although whether or not it actually is tougher is up for debate.

Like the P2 and the iPod touch, the P3's face is dominated by a bright, full-colour touchscreen, this one measuring 76mm (3 inches) diagonally. The display, a 480x272-pixel WQVGA number, is undeniably gorgeous. We almost feel guilty muddying it up with our fingerprints constantly -- a necessity given the fact that the screen controls most major functions, such as menu navigation and media playback.

Here's how the P3 compares to the iPod touch and nano in terms of size

Samsung does include a few tactile buttons -- a power/hold key and volume controls -- on the top spine of the device. You'll also find a tiny mono speaker in this area, which allows you to listen to music without headphones, as well as use the P3 as a speakerphone when paired with your mobile phone (more on this feature later).

While the iPod touch has rather cornered the market as regards touchscreen functionality, Samsung implements it quite well on the P3. You can tap, double tap, swipe and drag to move through and among the various menus.

While we're on the topic of menus, it's worth mentioning that those on the P3 are laid out well. The main screen displays icons for all the chief features of the device -- music, video, photos, settings and so on. You can then swipe left or right to enter the two side screens, which contain icons for the various widgets.

Tapping on any icon takes you into the respective submenu, where, for long lists (such as songs), you can drag or tap to move speedily through the selections. All in all, we found navigation to be quite intuitive, although, as with any touchscreen device, becoming proficient at accurate tapping may take some practice.

Features
Initially, it's tempting to compare the P3's features with those of the iPod touch. After all, that's the most obvious competitor in the design and interface department. But the P3 is actually priced to square off against the iPod nano, and the Samsung player clearly has the advantage when it comes to extras. In fact, there's little the P3 can't do -- all that's missing is integrated Wi-Fi and elegant podcast support.

Naturally, the P3 offers extensive multimedia playback. It supports MP3, WMA (including subscription), AAC, OGG and FLAC audio; WMV9 (including Amazon Unbox), MPEG4 (AVI, SVI), and H.264 (MP4) video (some conversion required); JPEG, BMP and PNG photo; and text files. You can even create your own memos (in TXT format) on the device, using virtual buttons that mimic a standard telephone keypad.

If you tire of your own content, the P3 offers an excellent FM radio with autoscan and up to 30 presets. In addition, the player includes both FM and voice recording. Other fairly standard features consist of support for Windows, Mac and Linux; slideshows with transition effects; a clock with an alarm function; a seven-band user-customisable EQ; and Samsung's DNSe 3.0 sound-enhancement technology. Plus, there's a file browser for those who prefer to navigate content by folders.