
Samsung YP-U3
Pros
- Great sound, slim design, looks great, drag and drop, impressive controls, nine-band eqaliser
Cons
- Nothing of note
Bottom Line
The YP-U3 is an absolutely fantastic music player. It combines everything you could want from such a device including brilliant sound quality, a great design, convenient transfer and loads of extra features. Those after a music player will be hard pressed to find a better device for their money.
-
Price
$ 119.00 (AUD)
With a slim, lightweight design and a four line OLED display, Samsung's 2GB U3 doesn't look like much, but housed within the slim black chassis is one of the best flash media players we've reviewed. Combining excellent sound quality with all the features we've come to expect from such a player, the YP-U3 is a great solution for those who want music on the go.
The best thing about the U3 is its sound quality. We've noticed a general increase in the quality of audio produced by flash based media players in the past year or so, and the U3 is a prime example of this. Its sound is quite laid back with quick bass that doesn't extend too deeply, giving a smooth tone. There is a lot of detail in the mid range and the highs are nicely balanced against the rest of the register. As usual we tested with a pair of high quality, third party IEMs (In Ear Monitors) for an accurate assessment, and to put it simply, this is one of the best sounding MP3 players we've heard.
As you'd expect, the U3 has a 3.5mm headphone jack. In addition to testing with our third party headphones, we gave the included headphones a quick run through. They sounded quite good for default earbuds, as Samsung's models tend to do, and should satisfy most listeners.
We were also impressed by the design. With a slim body and minimalist touch-sensitive controls, the U3 looks great. It also comes in a range of colours including pink, white, yellow, blue and black. Furthermore it weighs just 22.8g, making it ideal to carry when jogging or exercising. Despite being constructed entirely of plastic the unit is sturdy and should be able to handle more than the occasional knock with no trouble.
The controls are quite simple and very intuitive. Most of the unit's functions are controlled via the touch sensitive buttons on the face. There are track skip and volume keys that double as a directional pad as well as a menu button in the top corner. These are complemented by the record and play/pause buttons on the top and hold switch on the bottom.
As this is only a digital music player, the menu isn't all that complex and so these controls allow perfect, intuitive navigation which will be accessible by most people. The menu is broken up in a fairly standard tiered format, with tabs for music, settings, now playing radio and voice recorder. During our tests the voice recorder worked well however the real standout was the radio. It worked flawlessly both indoors and outdoors, providing crisp, clear audio with minimal distortion. Radio lovers will find the U3 suits them perfectly. The blue four line OLED isn't anything special, but it does the job just fine providing legible and bright text that is easy to read.
All the usual sound options are present including shuffle and loop modes and a variety of sound presets (rock, concert, etc). There is even a nine-band equaliser for those that want to take a more hands-on approach.
Another nifty thing about the U3 is its PC connection. For a few minutes after receiving it, we puzzled over the device, assuming the USB cable had merely been omitted from the package. However a quick glance at the scant manual showed us that a USB connection is actually built into the device. All you have to do is slide a switch on the side and it shoots out, ready to be insert into your PC. Combined with drag and drop functionality, this makes for easy sharing of music amongst friends. Of course software is included if you want to manage your music more efficiently; or you can simply synchronise the device with Windows Media Player. The U3 supports MP3 and DRM encrypted WMA file types.
Samsung quotes the battery life at 15 hours, which is about average for such a player, and during our testing this seemed roughly accurate. We achieved about 13 hours before needing a recharge. The device is charged by plugging it into your PC, eliminating the need for a charger.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 2 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 3 Alienware AW3423DW review: Quantum dot OLED renders rival monitors obsolete
- 4 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
- 5 Asus ROG Zephyrus S17 review: This gaming laptop oozes luxurious power
Latest News Articles
- Apple TV will serve as hub for remotely controlling HomeKit devices
- Sony Smart B-Trainer headset gives runners vocal advice
- The iPod classic plays its last
- Apple iPod Touch pricing slashed by up to 25 per cent in Australia
- Apple shows off iPod touch, nano updates
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Best Unlimited Internet Deals in 2022
- Microsoft’s universal ‘One Outlook’ client just leaked out
- Liquid Retina vs. Liquid Retina XDR: Which display is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies