10:56
Aru2012
Samsung has continued its push of Android WiFi devices for the media consumption crowd with their all-new Samsung Galaxy Player
4.2 iPod rival. The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 aims to take on media players of
all shapes and sizes coming with great specs, a large screen, impressive
sound output and more all for a low price. This is everything a high
quality Samsung smartphone is, only without the phone parts. Read on for
our full review and conclusion.
Just like their tablets, Samsung has a wide array of sizes for Samsung Galaxy
Players too. We’ve reviewed a few (linked below) but today will be
focusing on the new and improved size and design of the Samsung Galaxy Player
4.2. Complete with decent specs and a simple user interface this device
is what Samsung hopes will reach the hands of Android fans needing an
iPod replacement.
Hardware
In a similar design fashion as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (thanks Apple) the speaker grills have actually been moved to the front. A design I’ve been wanting forever and that makes this device just awesome. The speakers on the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 really steal the show and make it a worthy purchase if you ask me. As far as hardware you’ll get a 4.2-inch 480×800 display, a 1.0 GHz single-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Unlike the iPod this however has a micro-SD slot so you can add as much space as you’d like.
In a similar design fashion as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (thanks Apple) the speaker grills have actually been moved to the front. A design I’ve been wanting forever and that makes this device just awesome. The speakers on the Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 really steal the show and make it a worthy purchase if you ask me. As far as hardware you’ll get a 4.2-inch 480×800 display, a 1.0 GHz single-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage. Unlike the iPod this however has a micro-SD slot so you can add as much space as you’d like.
As you can see above, the design is awesome and is a perfect blend of the Samsung Galaxy S III
and a tablet. Taking the same hardware home button and two capacitive
touch buttons for controls and tossing large and loud speaker grills on
both sides for optimal audio bliss. To complete the specs we have a 2
megapixel camera on the rear (no 720p video recording), a VGA front
camera if you care to use it, a decent 1,500 mAh battery under the hood
and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
The design is very sleek and simple. In the video below I compare it
to the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and the only buttons we have is the power button,
volume up/down on the right. Then the bottom gets the 3.5mm headphone
jack and a charging port. Very minimal — but in a good way. The only
downside to the hardware is the capacitive buttons seem a bit dim, and
the dedicated home button doesn’t feel extremely sturdy. Neither of
these are a big concern though, just me nitpicking.
As you saw from the video the phone looks great, but it also feels
great in the hand. The hardware is top notch although it uses the usual
Samsung cheapy plastic — but I’d hardly consider that a con. If you like
Samsung products and smartphones you’ll love the Samsung Galaxy Player. One
last time I must comment on the speaker and audio quality. Obviously
while listening through the provided headphones the device sounds great,
but while playing games like the pre-installed Need For Speed the two
stereo speakers sound amazing. Seriously it is that good, and beats any
smartphone or media players built-in audio that I’ve used thus far. I
was really blown away and enjoyed it immensely.
Software Specification
The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 sadly comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and will probably never see an upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS, but it doesn’t really need it. Obviously having the latest and greatest would be nice, but it runs great on 2.3 and has Samsung’s Touch Wiz UX changes to give it that extra polish. Running on a 1.0 GHz single-core processor the device runs quick enough. It’s no Galaxy S III but it doesn’t need to be. It handled all the games I tried with ease, daily usage was smooth and fluid, and it doesn’t need to be a powerhouse — especially at $199.
The Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 sadly comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and will probably never see an upgrade to Android 4.0 ICS, but it doesn’t really need it. Obviously having the latest and greatest would be nice, but it runs great on 2.3 and has Samsung’s Touch Wiz UX changes to give it that extra polish. Running on a 1.0 GHz single-core processor the device runs quick enough. It’s no Galaxy S III but it doesn’t need to be. It handled all the games I tried with ease, daily usage was smooth and fluid, and it doesn’t need to be a powerhouse — especially at $199.
As far as games go you’ve already seen a few hints from the pictures
or video above. Out of the box you’ll get a few classics like Angry
Birds and Tetris, but Samsung also added Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and
FIFA Soccer 2012 to the device for free — which is a nice touch. I found
NFS more addicting than I thought it would be. Who knew racing through
streets and running from cops could be so much fun. The loud sirens and
awesome sound effects enhanced by the stereo speaker grills probably
helped out here too.
Unlike some knock-off devices the Player 4.2 comes with full Google
support. We have Gmail, Google Play Store, Google Music, and everything
else we’ve come to expect on our smartphones, even Google Maps with full
GPS support so long as you have a WiFi connection.
As usual we ran a quick benchmark just for fun, because we know you
Android crazies love that stuff. Obviously running an older 1.0 GHz
single-core processor it doesn’t beat any records, but works great for
what Samsung’s intended it for.
Camera Specification
The Galaxy Player is mainly a media consumption device. To be nice Sammy added a front and rear camera to the device but they aren’t only there to complete the package. The 2 megapixel camera worked good enough for the usual Facebook photos, but I’d stop at that. Video recording wasn’t capable of 720p but it handled video quite well. Below is a video sample and a few photos using the Galaxy Player 4.2.
The Galaxy Player is mainly a media consumption device. To be nice Sammy added a front and rear camera to the device but they aren’t only there to complete the package. The 2 megapixel camera worked good enough for the usual Facebook photos, but I’d stop at that. Video recording wasn’t capable of 720p but it handled video quite well. Below is a video sample and a few photos using the Galaxy Player 4.2.
Battery Life
We don’t get the biggest battery life we’ve seen in a mobile device, but then it doesn’t need it. The Samsung Galaxy Player doesn’t have a huge 4.8-inch screen or a quad-core processor, nor does it have 3G and 4G LTE sucking away the battery. Instead Samsung’s added a 1,500 mAh battery that should last the average user plenty long. Obviously if you play games for 4 hours straight you’ll probably be pushing your luck but I’ve managed good battery life. I streamed music for 3 days straight, 72 hours without the battery dying. With average music streaming, a few gaming sessions, and updating a few apps I still managed almost 3 days of usage as you saw in the video. It’s safe to say battery life shouldn’t be a concern for this media player.
We don’t get the biggest battery life we’ve seen in a mobile device, but then it doesn’t need it. The Samsung Galaxy Player doesn’t have a huge 4.8-inch screen or a quad-core processor, nor does it have 3G and 4G LTE sucking away the battery. Instead Samsung’s added a 1,500 mAh battery that should last the average user plenty long. Obviously if you play games for 4 hours straight you’ll probably be pushing your luck but I’ve managed good battery life. I streamed music for 3 days straight, 72 hours without the battery dying. With average music streaming, a few gaming sessions, and updating a few apps I still managed almost 3 days of usage as you saw in the video. It’s safe to say battery life shouldn’t be a concern for this media player.
Wrap-Up
If we had to choose a Galaxy Player from the Samsung lineup this new 4.2 would clearly be it. The 3.6 and smaller options are too small now we are used to large screens, and the 5.0-inch model is a bit large and thick. Compared to the competition like the iPod Touch the Galaxy Player has a bigger screen, better sound, Android (of course) and unlimited amounts of storage thanks to a micro-SD slot.
If we had to choose a Galaxy Player from the Samsung lineup this new 4.2 would clearly be it. The 3.6 and smaller options are too small now we are used to large screens, and the 5.0-inch model is a bit large and thick. Compared to the competition like the iPod Touch the Galaxy Player has a bigger screen, better sound, Android (of course) and unlimited amounts of storage thanks to a micro-SD slot.
Coming in at only $199 for the 8GB Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 this is a hard
deal to pass up for anyone that needs a dedicated media device. I
currently just use my Samsung Galaxy Nexus, but I’m sure there are users that would like a separate media player. My only concern is once the rumored Google Nexus 7-inch tablet
and others start arriving for the same $199 price point will this be
priced too high? Or is the small portable MP3 player size just what
users are looking for. That my friends, is up to you.
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