Samsung YP-U6

Its a well designed and well built little mp3 player. Sound quality it exceptional but there is one huge flaw that makes turns the player into a paper weight and nothing more. It wont accept playlists! It only uses some silly samsung format playlists but when you put them on the player it wont read them. So you have to choose each song individually at the end of each song. Complete waste of money, i would recommend buying the iRiver T9 or Sony B series instead.

Review for Samsung YP-U6 MP3 player

I work in an office that is surrounded by metal and wanted an MP3 player with radio that would pick-up a decent signal in that environment that wasn't expensive, easy to use and charge-up.

This Samsung YP-U6 MP3 player fulfilled all of those criteria and more. It's made from aluminium with a non-scratch coating, no external knobby bits to break which means I can just chuck it in on my desk or in my bag when I leave work without too much care. It has a pop-out USB connector built in to charge it and connect to a PC, no fiddly connectors or bits of wire to break or loose. It takes a couple of hours to charge from flat on a PC and for me lasts 2 or 3 days playing the radio, or MP3 files. The interface is really easy to use, a bit small but the whole unit is only 27 x 86 x 12mm so the screen is bound to be small.

Does it work? Yes it does and it does it well too, I can listen to almost any FM radio station, mine's the 4GB version so I have loads of music files on it and a really good point is it has a standard head phone jack; you can use any head set you like.

Sound quality is better than expected and it has a voice recording feature included, I will probably never use it though.

All in all a very satisfied customer and can recommend it if you want a simple quality reasonably priced MP3 player with radio

Abysmal user interface. The worst user interface of any device I have ever seen or owned - anywhere - completely unintuitive. Decent functionality however, and has already proved robust, as I have hurled the device against the wall out of frustration of the totally rubbish UI. As a software engineer, I like command lines, and this device doesn't have one. Perhaps the younger generation will be able to work this awkward device.

- Design

The aluminum body looks very sturdy. While the previous version, U5, was more of a cute design with round shapes and in plastic, U6 has a sophisticated and simple design, rate in low-end products. Same as iPod Shuffle, products with metallic design certainly give a more luxurious feel. The tactile button is simple and easy to use. Looking at the design of Q3, which is launched together with U6, it seems like all MP3P of Samsung will use the same tactile button design.

- USB Port

Different from U5, the USB port has changed from cab type to sliding type. With cab, there is always the risk of losing it. Sony's USB MP3Ps are also in cab type. I really don't understand why the manufacturers stick to a design that consumers find very inconvenient - maybe because cab breaks down less frequently than sliding type. Well, anyhow, Samsung does seem to quickly react to consumer complaints. I think the USB port is what distinguishes it the most from U5.

- Sound quality

Proprietary sound effect technology 'SoundAlive' is really awesome! Just as the reviews on U5 and Q2 on Amazon reads, consumers give thumbs up when it comes to the 'SoundAlive' function. Well, U6 is not a premium product and its affordable price leaves the customers not expecting much from its sound quality, but you will be surprised. You can also play FLAC file, which is a Lossless Audio file. In particular, low and high tone are played very vividly.

- Fitness Mode

No, you cannot expect something like the 'nike+' function of iPod touch. I mean, we are talking about a tiny mP3P of a finger size! However, all the core functions you need when you workout are all provided. Set the target weight and input the calorie consumption goal and an audio guide will inform you of the calories burnt while you are working out. You can also compare your record. The functions are just right for a product like U6 which is a good size to use when you are working out.

On top of these 3 functions, a cute character icon called 'Popcon' is something that kids will surely like. It's not a critical function or anything, but it's quite cute if you see it in a small display. If you create your own character, it will dance when you listen to music!

Samsung's YP-U6 trimmed complex functions and only offers the basic functions necessary to listen to music. Shaped like a long bar, U6 has a very simple design and a one tone color. It's made of aluminum and the corners are rounded that it falls nicely into your hands. The 1 inch display is in color LCD, not black and white!

Although in compact size, U6 offers a wide variety of functions like other mp3 players. You can manage the files in artist, album, genre, and you can also browse the music. Without connecting to the PC, you can select the music that you like and create a playlist directly on the device. You can have up to 5 playlists.

Also the Soundalive function, which offers a 5.1ch surround stereo, is one of the key highlights of U6. Soundalive adds richness to the tone and supports various freeset EQ such as vocal, instrument, tweeter, big-bass and concert hall. You can also set your own EQ. In this case, you can set the 3D and bass in 5 stages and the 7 band EQ to 5 stages.

While the high and low notes are played excellently, medium tone is a little weak. The low tone is not as heavy but has a unique vibrancy. The beat and delicacy is not bad and the details of the notes are nice. I think with such function, you can fully enjoy music.

Also, if you set the exercise time along with the type of exercise (such as walking, jogging or cycling), you can calculate the calories burnt. If you insert your weight, you can check the calories burnt more accurately. An audio guide will tell you how much you have worked out - perfect if you like to exercise!