Build and Design

Build

The YP-U2's body is made completely of plastic. The surface is glossy, and is definitely a fingerprint magnet. I've yet to actually scratch the surface though, like other glossy players I have. The player is very small and lightweight. Although it's made of plastic, it still feels well built, and has certainly taken a beating so far from me.

Here's a diagram of the player and its parts:



Design



The right side of the player is where you'll find the power button, which doubles as the pause/play button, and the recording button, which also has a double purpose as a customizable button.



The left side (or bottom depending on how you hold it), has the headphone jack, and hold button. These buttons are all black, and blend in nicely with the body.



The top of the player is where you find the USB plug. It has a clear plastic cap over it, which gives the appearance that it's made of glass. The cap is removable, and is easily misplaced. The cap has a neck-string hole in it, but as I said earlier, you'll have to supply this accessory yourself. This is also where you will find the player's blue led lights, which I will discuss in more detail below.

The bottom of the player is where you will find the microphone, and reset button. I think the mic placement is very nice, since it allows you to hold the player like a real mic when doing recordings.

Finally the screen is a bit on the small side, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Everything is still easy to read on the display. One thing that might be annoying to some are the holographic words "Digital Audio Player" underneath the screen. That seems like a common trend with a few DAP companies (Cowon, MPIO, etc..)

Headphone Jack Placement



What were they thinking? Placing the headphone jack on side of the player was a bad move. It limits the way you hold the player, since gripping it usually leaves the headphone plug pushing right into your palm. It's even worse with an L-shaped plug! It would be much nicer if it was placed on the top of the player.


That "flashy" Blue lighting




Samsung decided to equip this player with some flashing blue lights, that glow through the USB cap at the top. Why did they put effort into this? I have no clue. Those lights don't serve much purpose, and get really annoying after about 5 minutes. The LED lights even have different settings, such as "random", which I imagine is what a schizophrenic would behave like if they were in light form. It's definitely a gimmick, but fortunately, it can be turned off.

Build and Design Score: 75

article index
page 1 : Introduction
page 2 : Package Contents
page 3 - current : Build and Design
page 4 : Comparison Pics
page 5 : Controls and Navigaton
page 6 : Graphical User Interface (GUI)
page 7 : Extras
page 8 : YP-U1 vs YP-U2
page 9 : Sound Quality
page 10 : Battery Life
page 11 : Conclusion