Performance

Audio Quality:

Being a Samsung, I had high expectations from this player with regard to sound quality. One good sign was that they paired the player with the EP-370 earphones. These are the same ones that are found in high-end players like the YP-T10 or the YP-P2 .

Another plus is the incorporation of Samsung's proprietary DNSe sound engine. The result is that, in the under-3k range, this is one of the best-sounding player's I've come across. It's definitely better than the iPod Shuffle or the Zen Stone with their default earphones. The sound quality was pretty good overall. Not as good as the high-end Sammies though, thanks to the missing equalizer and other sound-shaping tools.

The volume range was good and the mids and highs were clear. Bass wasn't exactly thumping, but pretty decent nonetheless. I did not prefer listening to music on the two available presets (namely 'Studio' and 'Hall') and was rather happy with the 'Normal' preset.

Data Transfers:

While transferring via Windows Explorer, it took a little over 40 minutes to transfer 1 GB worth of songs. The same amount of songs were synced in 26 minutes using the provided "Media Studio" software. That's even less than 1 MB/s, which is pretty slow. This is mainly due to the 3.5mm earphone port being used to hook the player up to the computer. Thus, if you are planning to use the player as a pendrive, be prepared for painfully slow transfers.

Battery Life:

The stated battery life for this players is around 13 hours. While testing, it lasted me around 9 hours, during a span of a little less than a week (roughly a little over an hour per day). That's a pretty good battery life.

Conclusion:

The Samsung YP-S2 is available in two sizes - 1 and 2 GB. The 2GB is sells for an MRP of Rs. 2,750. Although a little expensive as compared to the Zen Stone and the Shuffle, the extra is definitely worth it. It's got the style and is pretty functional too (the necklace wearing arrangement, in particular). Also, the sound quality is good. Thus, with respect to screen-less MP3 players in the market, this one definitely takes the crown.

The Samsung S2 is meant for people who want their player to be very portable and stylish. Also it is for those who don't mind the absence of a screen and the basic add-on features (like FM Radio and a Voice Recorder).

Test unit sourced from Integral PR