Samsung YP-S2 Review

While Apple seems to have abandoned its popular little Shuffle – it was largely ignored in the recent iPod refresh save for a few new colours – Samsung clearly think there’s plenty of life in the dirt-cheap, screenless MP3 player yet.

Its new YP-S2, AKA ‘the pebble’, carries on the Korean tech giant’s music player traditions of saving pennies on style and usability in favour of sound quality.

Limited storage
The negatives first – the YP-S2 only has 1GB of storage, which is enough for about 250 songs. This certainly isn’t an MP3 player to take as your sole source of music on a sabbatical.

There’s also like the Shuffle, no display, which may be a deal-breaker for some. Instead, you get a set of very basic play, pause and skip buttons. And Mac-heads need not apply – it’s strictly PC only.

Sound saver
Otherwise, there’s lots to like. The YP-S2 powers through MP3, WMA or Ogg files with more finesse and a less compressed sound than its Apple rival.

Even its earphones, which sadly include the option to wear the player pendant-style, are bearable, if easily beatable with an upgraded pair like Sennheiser’s CX300s.

But considering its price tag is on a par with your weekly shop, the YP-S2 is a steal and one of the best basic MP3 players we’ve heard.