Samsung YP-Z5AB 4 GB Digital Audio Player (Black)

I bought one of these to take back to the UK after my holiday in the USA, arrived back in the UK - powered the machine up - dead as a dodo. Complained to Samsung UK, they were not interested as I had lost the international warranty card. They offered to repair it at my expense or I could send it back to Amazon, this latter option was not viable as I would have had to pay customs duty when the repaired or replacement item arrived in the UK so in effect I have a lightweight door-stop suitable for a doll's house or a door wedge. I will never buy another Samsung product as the quality control and factory checking on my sample was apparently non-existent.

This thing broke after 2 months. The real nightmare is the Samsung support. I had to send it in twice for repairs and twice it came back DOA. To add more stress, Samsung Service did not perform as change of address, despite a dedicated call I made to them for this purpose only. They sent it back the second time to the old address. I own several Samsung products (HDTV, DVD PLAYERS), which have turned out to be mediocre in quality and performance. I will never buy Samsung again.From now on, any electronics I buy will be bought locally and with extended warranties.

I bought it because it had the 2 features I found important-long battery life and durable for use out hiking/camping etc. The general view has been that the controls take some getting used to-I agree and wish I could have tried it before buying it. Also, I had an easier time putting music on my moms cheapo $30 MP3 player then I did with this one. Sound quality is good, havent used it enough yet to say much else. My biggest issue is not the product itself but the company. Samsung reps are RUDE. I called to inquire about a car adapter (unlike IPODs there are no "YP-Z5" accessiories) and was told that if I didnt have a cd player in my car I was out of luck. When I asked if there wasnt ANY adapter I could use since I dont have a cd player-the rep interupted me saying "listen lady" and "most new cars today have cd players" he ended up hanging up on me. In all, I am soured by the experience and will never order a Samsung product again.

(April 16, 2009)The only reason I chose to get this mp3 player as of this date is because it was the only good mp3 player (brand name and quality) that did not support video files as for I did not want that feature on my mp3 player. I did put the new firmware on this product (latest being 2.47) and everything seems to run fine. -If there was problems with this device, there isn't now i suppose.What I like about this product: not an ipod (no itunes), separate volume controls, user EQ custom configuration!, customizable wallpaper, fast response, great quality sound (Id say a level up from the Ipod), screen size is huge for a mp3 player (more items to view) :), no glare in sun, nice gold plated headphones.What I dislike about this product: Chrome outer design (dont like the feel/look).. would have loved all black, Red highlight of menu buttons on screen (most ugly red of all time cant be changed), screen is a bit inside the case (you can see the shadow of the casing on the screen when not lit up.. can make people think the product is cheap), Does not have the greatest screen (pictures do not show as good as you would want them to.. the resolution seems to be small). Thats about it.. they aren't bad enough to dislike what you get.Overall:I would not choose any other product then this in the category of quality music and structure mp3 player. The design is very strong and sleek, and the music plays perfect. If you are looking for an mp3 player that does not do mp4, this is your best bet. I am happy with my YP-Z5.Structure: 5 star (strong/tough)Design: 4 star (sleek but not perfect)Sound Quality: 5 star (great)Interface/menu: 3.5 star (not the most pleasant looking).. nice transition to other menus though!Battery: 5 star (big battery)User Friendly: 5 star (no itunes/can use explorer)Buttons: 3.5 star (you'll get used to them)