Samsung YP-U6AB U6 4GB MP3 with FM Radio and USB Slide - Black

My old MP3 player had been starting to play up so I wanted a new one for Christmas. I looked around and was torn between this one and the Sony NWZB153B B Series Walkman 4GB. I think, in my own opinion, I have the better of the two.

If you're in the same predicament here's my reason why I choose this and why I think it'll help in this review to help you make up your own mind.

1 - I had the build in slide USB connection. Granted so does the Sony however there isn't a cap to lose. Which is easy by all accounts. I check this out before hand in my local Currys store and the cap is easy to remove. I like something to have a firm fit and it's just a little too easy to remove. Where as the U6 has the slide USB connector. It's brilliant and has a great positive lock at the end, which you can feel under your thumb.

2 - Aluminium body. this feels great and give it a high quality build finish. The Sony feels great too but there's a bit too much plastic

3 - Display. The display is good as well. It's small but that's not a bad thing (battery life will not be as affected). It has a four line display with is sufficient to see what you're doing in the menus. Plus it's colour. I appreciate this isn't a deal breaker but you can add your person touch to it (text colour and even a little popcorn character which greats you when you turn on the device, and is present if there album art is missing.... oh did I mention you get the album art on the small screen too?)

4 - Easy to use. If you've ever used a USB flash drive then you're already qualified enough to use this. You plug it in, your computer recognises it and you can drag and drop in albums from your harddrive. It's so easy. you don't need a cable which you do with other mp3 players (iPods), you don't even need to install any fancy or hard to use additional software either. Although you can use Samsung's Kies software. I'd recommend not using this though. It's not that Kies doesn't work or it's hard to use... but why complicate things when it's really not that hard to drag and drop music on to it. I already use Windows Media Player or the Zune player software which recoginse the player but it's just a step that's not needed. Open up your music folder and drag the albums in that you want to play. This wasn't a huge deal break as the Sony player does the same but it's definitely something to consider if you're after a iPod nano or something like that. If I'm at a buddies house and they've got some new music I can put in on my Samsung U6 in seconds. If I have any other device I might needs cables or compatible programs

If you're not bothered about having an app for that, or being able to view pictures and watch movies, or you just want a simple to use, player that just plays music then I feel this little Samsung U6 is great. It's recommend it to anyone

NB. the ear phones are ok... I'd buy some different ones though. I have the Sennheiser CX 300 II ear puds and the work a dream. The SoundAlive software on the play helps to create a nice warm bass. I didn't mention this before but I also think the sound from the U6 is better than the Sony (it's also better than my old Creative Zen and iPod Nano)

ps sorry for any spelling mistakes

Rather than reiterate the well reasoned existing reviews of this player, I will concentrate on why I find I am using it.

Sometimes it is nice to have something that I can just slip in my pocket, not worry that it contains everything about me and also did not cost the earth.

For the real aficionado I dare say the software has shortcomings but for me to be able to carry around dozens of albums, listen to the radio, audio books or even record a few reminders is quite enough. There are times when I become fatigued by sheer versatility and prefer a simple pen knife to a Swiss army knife.

The fact that it is one piece (USB connector slides out) avoids the bane of my life - tops that come loose and/or extra charging cables. It can also be used just as a USB drive (and it was not so long ago that this capacity of USB stick would set you back the equivalent).

Ironically, this unit is seeing more use than my Itouch simply because I have less of a tendency to treat it with kid gloves and as a result carry it round with me more.

There is a fuller manual than the tiny supplied leaflet but you need to boot up the installed .exe file and view it on your pc. This gives a good run through for someone at my level (who has only just discovered that to rip does not just mean to damage).

My player also came packed with a leaflet for a 50 free track offer from Emusic - DRM-free (enabling playback on any MP3 player) - if this (Samsung) offer is still current it makes the package a real bargain.

I agree with other reviewers that the weak link at this level is usually the earphones and a separate good quality set from the likes of Sennheiser is a good investment. With premium earphones the sound quality of the underlying unit is good. In an ideal world I would like Bluetooth connection for a headset and perhaps some of that Apple style finesse but Uber elegance can tire after a while and this is a good, honest, sweet item of kit.

I don't think I will ever lose my awe at just how much can be packed into a tiny unit and the value for money represented by this type of unit, so maybe I am easily pleased. I do recommend you to read the other reviews because collectively they have provided a more thorough and well informed analysis from differing perspectives.

Firstly I was quite impressed by the finish to this device which is a nice matte black metal which feels sturdy but not weighty in the hand. I therefore think this would be ideal as a small commuting or fitness device as it is not only robust enough to cope with being carried around at the bottom of a bag for the day, or dropped whilst in the gym/outside training, it is also light enough to make a great portable device.

In terms of layout and design, the power button and lock, function and back keys are positioned on one side (the top when held to read the screen), with the volume, play, pause stop etc all positioned in a squared design on the main front panel as seen in other MP3 players in Samsung's range. The screen is positioned to the left of the front panel and whilst quite small it is both bright and readable. The headphone socket, built-in microphone and strap connection are on one end (the one closest the screen - to the left when held to read the screen) with the other end taken up with the retractable USB connector. The back is clear apart from the USB connection slider at one end.

The device also comes with the standard, and fairly basic headphones which are not the greatest quality, although this seems to be the industry standard these days and not unsurprising in a MP3 player in this budget. It also comes with some details for warranty and a quick start guide, although no proper manual which has to be accessed via the samsung website. Whilst this is increasingly common it does irritate me somewhat as this device is not the most intuitive I have used and I found it took me a little while to work out exactly what all the buttons did, and I frequently changed songs when I wanted to turn up the volume when I started using. Having said that, it is not a major issue for someone who has accessed to the internet and doesn't mind having to go and look through Samsung's website for the details.

On much greater concern for me was that it seemed to take an absolute age to charge for the first time and meant I had to leave my computer on, even when I had no reason to, as it only has USB charging. This would be fine for someone at work or on their home computer for significant periods at a time, but is obviously less convenient for a casual user, or if you are in a rush. I was also somewhat concerned by the retractable USB connector. Whilst Samsung make a big play about the fact that you don't need to remember the USB cap/cover, and it is a good idea, the connector on my device felt somewhat flimsy. I struggled at first to get it to lock into place and the USB slider on the back of the device is not the easiest to use. Even when fully extended and locked into place, I was concerned over the amount of wobble the USB connector has from the device and I could easily move the device in all directions even once it was connected to my PC/Laptop. I doubt it would be an issue for many people but I was left somewhat unconvinced by the quality of the durability of the USB connection which feels like it could break from the device with a fairly minimal amount of effort.

Despite these concerns, I have not actually had any connectivity issues with my device and it caters for a decent range of music formats unlike certain other MP3 devices. It also allows the user to determine what software they use to copy/download and transfer the music which is always good. It also has FM radio which whilst working fairly well, did not always get great station recognition from the auto-tune but this improved when I manually overrode the missed stations.

All-in-all this is a great little music device with a variety of functions, including a fitness mode, and with some great options for personalising the music. There are some frailties which has me slightly concerned but I have yet to experience any actual problems from any of these. I do like the retractable USB connection although, as stated above, I do have some concerns over the long-term durability but I feel the overall strong metal casing should provide adequate protection for everyday use. In addition to the great little screen, Samsung appear to actually allow the user the freedom to use the device as the user wants and allows the user to choose what music they put on the device, where they get that music, and what they use to transfer that music which is a major plus given the main competition to this device and the lack of all of these basic options.