Customer Reviews

Samsung S3 4 GB Slim Portable Media Player (Black)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Samsung's YP-S3 player is a great little MP3 player with high quality sound. When you purchase any stereo player of any type, there are at least 2 attributes you are concerned with: S/N or signal to noise ratio and frequency response. Samsung's S3 excels in both areas.

Samsung's S3 has a PDF manual available for download on their site and also on the included 8cm mini-CD. The manual claims a S/N ratio of 90 dB and a freq. response of 40Hz-20KHz which are excellent. With S/N, the higher the better and 90 dB is very good. Most stereo equipment never exceed 92 dB. A full freq. response would be 20Hz-20KHz which is the full range of the human ear. While many CD, DVD, and digital players are capable of playing all the way down to 20Hz, almost no home speakers are capable of outputting such a low response.

After listening to the S3 for several days, I can say Samsung delivers on their high specs. There is absolutely no machine noise or humming during music quiet spots. Also, I can hear the full range of the music, excellent. I use the "DNSe" settings which are quite good. DNSe allows you to set 3D and extra Bass effects. There is also a range of equalizer settings you may use. I use the 9 band user equalizer which is great. The specs say 7 band but it's really 9 which is better.

While the S3 delivers excellent performance, I cannot say the same for the included software: their Samsung Media Studio (SMS). SMS offers the bare minimum in features. For some reason, every time I start my Windows XP Pro SP2, SMS puts its icon on my TaskBar. I am NOT going to use SMS every single day (or even every week) so why does it load an icon on my TaskBar?! There is no option in SMS to prevent it from doing this. I am going to have to edit the Registry to remove the SMS startup entry! Also, every time I start SMS, it always attempts to connect to the Internet and there is again no option to prevent this.

Before I purchased the S3, I carefully named each of my own MP3 files I wanted to load starting from "001 Artist - Title" and on. I then discovered SMS has NO column for sorting filenames. SMS was totally worthless for loading my MP3's! Because Windows Explorer doesn't work for creating numbered folders on the S3, that's the only thing I used SMS for. I used Explorer for the actual loading process.

BTW, I called Samsung tech support and they told me the S3 would not list MP3's by filename. This is incorrect. They also said the S3 would show MP3's with no ID3 information as "Unknown." This is also incorrect. Just use "File Browser" or "Music Browser."

Samsung claims 4GB's is "enough space for 50 hours of music using 128 KBit MP3's." No one uses 128 anymore. If you do with the S3, you're going to be unhappy because the quality will be poor. Amazon sells their MP3's at 256 (they should really go to 320). Companies should really stop using the 128 KBit spec. Regardless, 4 GB's is plenty of space for even 256 KBit MP3's. As an MP3 player, the 4 GB S3 will store all your favorite songs and still have space leftover for any extra files you wish to transport to another PC.

As a video player, 4 GB is not enough space. If you wish to play video content, you should purchase the 8 GB S3: Samsung S3 8gb Mp3 Player - Black. For some reason, Amazon doesn't offer the 8 GB model. Even with 8 GB, you may not be content playing video on a small 1.8" screen. For video, you might want to opt for a different model, perhaps one of the OEM makers which offer 3" screens.

Samsung claims 25 hours battery playing time, again probably for 128 KBit MP3's. After you have gone through several recharging cycles, expect about 12 hours playing time for your 256 KBit MP3's. I haven't done this yet.

Finally, because the S3 uses Microsoft's proprietary USB MTP standard, it has some rather high PC requirements: minimum XP SP2 and WMP10. I upgraded my system to XP Pro SP2 (dual-boot system). Even after the upgrade, I was STILL unable to access the S3. I had not realized my SP2 disk only has WMP9. After wasting half an hour trying to find the problem, I realized I needed WMP11 and upgraded. Why the brand name MP3 player manufacturers don't use the universal USB UMS standard I don't know. If you use Linux, Ubuntu or other non-Window$ O/S, you will need to convert your S3 to UMS (probably voiding your warranty in the process). Visit AnythingButIpod and you'll find the Samsung BIOS and instructions.

Overall, after loading my S3, I can say this is a great little player. It costs LESS THAN HALF of iPod's. The S3 has very high sound quality and plenty of space. I have not been forced to recharge yet. Hopefully Samsung will improve their SMS software and then the package will be perfect. If you want to buy a better set of earbuds, try the JVC HA-FX66: JVC HAFX66B Air Cushion Headphones (Black).

i got this as a gift and i will have to disappoint the person that gave it to me because i would rather trade this in for something else. it has too many problems that i'll just list in no particular order.

1. the design is TOO sleek. it's small and slippery and has fallen too many times already and i would rather not risk breaking it permanently. it can snap into the case it's packaged in but it can't fasten to my shirt pocket?

2. the buttons are annoying because you can easily press the wrong things and i liked my old player because i didn't have to pull the thing out of my pocket to change the volume or the track i'm listening to. sometimes you just don't want people know you're carrying around an expensive mp3 player.

3. the program that comes with it is a piece of junk. it doesn't recognise the player half the time and the other half the time it starts working on something and then just stops halfway through. it doesn't freeze, it doesn't generate an error, it just STOPS like it's done. i can't even load a complete album without this happening and it is very time consuming and very annoying. the updated program (emodio) is an even bigger disappointment. i thought it was going to be neat to download rss feeds, convert video, and store pictures but the novelty wore off when it was too much of a hassle to get those things working. then i thought "phones and the internet already do this, why put it on an mp3 player?"

4. the file management on the device is confusing if not redundant because it has a file browser that works like a computer's file browser but the player also has a music/video/photo/text function on the pre-installed interface that shows SOME of the files IF you used the media manager (the SMS thing or the EmoDio junk) and IF it's tagged properly.

5. i don't know if it's the computer, the cable, or the player that's having problems but the connection just stinks between the computer and the player and i'm fed up with trying to troubleshoot it. right now i'm trying to uninstall the emodio thing from my computer and it's taking FOREVER...

6. reading the player's websites for support is a trip. frankly some of the copy for ads and promos for the product makes me think of engrish.com ("only happy, enjoyful, things happens to you next year" for example, check out samsungplay.com and emodio.com for more examples if you think i'm being stubborn about this).

i'm VERY disappointed with this player and i consider myself intermediate when it comes to being tech savvy (i used to work as a computer tech and i'm always a go-to guy when people can't figure out their gadgets or computer programs). i would urge others to research more and read ALL reviews for players and devices before investing in them. don't skip over a negative review because you could very well be the next dissatisfied customer with the same problem registering your disgust on the internet.

don't be thrown off by the sheer number of features or the kind of features but go for practicality, functionality, versatility, and useability. this player has none of those things in my experience.

I got this after my Samsung YP-K3 went kaput after an incident while working out on the treadmill (don't ask). I've heard a lot of good stuff about this device so I decided to purchase it. First, let me just say that I'm a simple gal with a limited budget. This means that I don't have the moolah to spend 300 bucks on an iPod (I don't care how AMAZING they are), nor do I feel the need to spend money on a device that has everything under the sun. I just want something that plays music. If it has some cool features like games and cool graphics under a reasonable price, then that's fine, too. Which is basically the S3. I got the 4GB one in green. It plays music, has some videos, can read text files, and have some games. I basically use it so far for the music only. Another plus for me is the fact that there's built in space for playlists. There are 5 playlists that hold up to 100 songs, which I think is cool. I have some issues with this however. In the beginning, after I charge it, the playlists would disappear, and then reappear after I add a song to it. That doesn't happen anymore though. It also doesn't recognize playlists I made in Napster. It would go directly to the File Browser but would then split apart the playlists and file the songs under the Artist's name. However, it automatically recognizes the ones downloaded from WMP. Odd.Haven't used the other features in length so I can't really comment on those. I will say that I'm glad I purchased this device, though I'm thinking of getting the 8gb one so I could download more music. All in all, this is a good device for those who don't want to spend alot of money on something whose sole purpose is to give you the pleasure of listening to music.

E.T.A.: One thing I like to add is that I wish there were available accessories for this device. I don't really want the silicone case because it reminds me of the one I purchased for my old sansa device that I had years ago, that ripped apart. It's sad that there's millions of accessories available for the iPod and Zune because these companies assume that those two are the only ones that everybody buys when it's just not true. So, I'm searching for suitable cover cases so that there'll be no more cracks. Any suggestions?

Pro's:
-Great audio quality.
-Has a 'hold' button on the side to keep buttons from being pressed while in your pocket.
-Interface is simple to use.
-Weighs nothing.
-Synchs with Media Player no problem. Fast data transfer.
-Good battery life.

Small annoyances:
-The case is highly glossy and leaves fingerprint smudges easily.
-You can't use the player while its charging.
-The data cable sits right next to the headphone jack, so you have to unplug the headphones to unplug the data cable.
-Bad engrish all over the player and software. (i.e. one of the help menus says, "Obtain the ingredients with clearing each object and then clear the stage when completing the number of burger which is stipulated each stage.")

Larger annoyances:
-I immediately noticed that the S3 is slim. Very slim. Almost too slim for big hands. Continued use results in cramped hands.
-Because its so thin, there is no easy way to hold it without accidently hitting a button.
-I find myself constantly hitting the wrong button and brushing against the buttons by accident. Buttons are highly sensitive.
-Software crashes a lot with the following error, "Error: " Descriptive, huh?

Cons
* The clock and calendar has to be reset every few days, because the clock and calendar are unreliable.
* Cannot play all the songs in a genre. I am using firmware 1.11 US.
* When playing files selected with the file browser, sometimes the genre is displayed incorrectly--a number.
* Cannot rename the music subfolders if already on the S3.
* A bit of noise.
* Cannot expand memory.
* Touchpad take a while to get used to. Often I accidentally press the wrong control.
* Supplied earbuds are OK, but you should upgrade to something better if you care about sound quality.

Pros
* Very good sound quality.
* Good nine-band equalizer. Lowest band is 60 Hz.
* Can browse by folders.
* Stylish.
* Boots in eleven seconds.
* Supports copy-and-paste file transfers--no need to use any software.
* Can record from FM radio.
* Can load a picture to use as wallpaper.

Actual usable capacity is about 3.68 GiB, and the S3 is made of plastic with metal plating for the trim. The SanDisk Fuze is much better.

I have an 80 GB video iPod and was forced to buy this little guy because someone gave me an 75$ circuit city coupan for my b'day. This cute player packs a lot of punch - great sound, ultra slim, games(yay!), can play wma (big plus) and also a FM recorder. And the price is half of nano as others pointed out.

The bundled software sucked on my WXP box with media center 10. My dell laptop wasn't able to recognize S3. But upgrading to Media Center 11 and rebooting solved the problem.

I subtracted one star for non Mac compatibility. Apart from that this player totally rocks.

just awful. i want to pull my hair out trying to get songs on to the player. I installed the software which so far is by far the WORST software ever. My computer keeps freezing up when i try to transfer songs, i need to keep shutting down windows and starting over. It does not recognize half of the mp3's i have already on my computer for some reason. it does not accept transfer of songs. I havent even gotten around to listening to it yet since i have spent 3 days trying to get music onto it. Just a piece of junk!

The YP-S3 player itself isn't the issue, but the Emodio softeware, the firmware and USB connection.
Half the time when you plug in the player the response is "USB device not recognized" and have to try it again.
The firmware for the player is not updated automatically. You must save the zipped file, unzip it, then copy the file from the unzipped location to the main folder of the player through the Windows Explorer. Much too involved for someone who isn't computer literate.
The single biggest issue is trying to transfer songs to the player. If you try and transfer more than a few songs, the program freezes up, EVERY time. You then have to close the program through the task manager, reopen it and try it again. Trying to load several hundred songs is an exercise in frustration.
Also, playlists you create on the player when it's connected to your PC DON'T show up on the player when you use it.
Considering the above issues, I wouldn't buy another Samsung MP3 player and wouldn't recommend one to others.

I have a Samsung T10 and thought I would get a more recent version (S3) for my teenager. Everything worked fine for several months, then licensing problems cropped up. At first, I thought it was the fact that the date wasn't set properly. That fixed it at first, but then the problem came back. Support from Samsung has been fairly clueless. I'm now forced to find something else. In this case, the latest was NOT better.

Bought this to use with Rhapsody to Go, and it has been nothing but a pain. The track licenses from Rhapsody are supposed to last for 30 days, but on this Samsung player the licenses disappear after about three days - so you have to get back on Rhapsody and renew the licenses every few days or nothing will play. Other people have noted problems with the clock - yes, for some reason it loses the date and time frequently - maybe that's what causes the track licenses to disappear.

After trying the fixes suggested by Rhapsody several times, I give up. I have had no success getting firmware updates through Emodio. Samsung please pay attention, this has turned me off on all your products.