Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 –A Cheap Alternative to Apple iPod Touch

Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We test each product thoroughly and give high marks to only the very best. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own..

Last summer I  started spending more time working out at the gym and spending more time in my car traveling listening to music.  I found that using my phone for listening to music while running or working was shorting the life of the unit. At some point, it might even get damaged. So I decided it was time to pick up a dedicated MP3 instead of using my phone.

I have had several different MP3 players over the years, but they never lasted more than a few months to several years. Some were junk and some I was impressed with.

After my experiences, I decided I wanted more than just an MP3 player. I wanted something with WIFI access and a great OS.

I looked into the iPod Touch and even the iPod Nano (no WIFI option) and several other brands that offered MP3 players with smartphone features. Once again these didn’t work for me. iPod Touch prices were to high and didn’t have a way to expand the memory. As for the others, the reviews all pointed to the Samsung Galaxy Player series.

Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 Inch

After doing my research on the Samsung Galaxy Player, I started looking into purchasing one. I  found that the series never took off like the iPod Touch. But then again, the Touch or iPod Classic isn’t all that popular as the iPhone. So instead of keeping the Player around, Samsung started working on other projects.

I started looking around for the best deal on the Galaxy Players. I found that Amazon still had a quite a few sellers selling them at full price or with a slightly lower price than local stores. As for eBay, I found some great deals, but I couldn’t catch a break on any of the auctions. Then one day, WOOT! was selling refurbished ones for around $100 bucks. That’s $200 cheaper than the rest! Sadly, that was a limited time offer, and I haven’t seen it since.

But you can now pick one up from Amazon for under a $150 if you check all the Galaxy Player listings.

Samsung  Galaxy Player Specs & Features

• MEDIA TYPE – Internal storage (8 GB,16GB, 32GB, Flash  ) Micro SD
  • SCREEN RESOLUTION – 800 x 480
    • WIFI – 802.11 b, g, n
    • BLUETOOTH – 3.0 + HS
      • VIDEO PLAYBACK TIME – up to 5 hours
        • SCREEN SIZE – 4.2 inches
          • WEIGHT – 3.99 oz
          • SCREEN SIZE – 4.2 inches
          • RESOLUTION – 800 x 480
          • CONNECTIONS – 3.5mm Audio Jack, 2.0 (Micro-USB port, USB charging)
            • AUDIO PLAYBACK – up to 40 hours
            • VIDEO PLAYBACK TIME – up to 5 hours
            • BATTERY SIZE – Rechargeable
            • BATTERY TYPE – Li-ion (1500 mAh capacity)
            • Camera – 2 Megapixels, rear facing, front-facing VGA camera
            • GPS
            • UNIVERSAL REMOTE APP
            • GOOGLE PLAY ACCESS

Review – Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2

During my research, I found previous versions of the Galaxy Player, and they all seemed ok, but the 4.2/5.0 are the newest of the line. These two new players are the closest thing to the iPod Touch. At the time of release, their price tag was a little more.

But from what I found, the Touch had better resolution and the media player was better. But I never noticed a big difference when using my brother’s touch or checking out the demos at the store.

The Galaxy Player does have the Touch beat when it comes to storage and screen size. The Player has a slightly larger screen (5.0 is even larger) and it comes with expandable storage. The touch does not.

A Few Things to Think About

• It is a non flash, low quality camera phone. Its great for those instantagram / lomography styled images. Need to keep a study hand with plenty of light
• I found a lot apps do work with the player, but many crash a lot or bog down the OS.
• Running WIFI, Bluetooth, GPS, and listening to music can drain the battery in a few hours. Have a long USB charging cable handy.
• Not to many accessories for it. Took forever to find a good case and screen protector (no longer available).
• This isn’t going to be as fast as your new Android phone, its comparable to the ones that came out a few years ago.

Issues I Found Annoying

The main issue I have with Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2 is that it freezes all the time. It freezes anywhere from one or two times to five or six times a day. I know several programs are an issue and I removed those, so now it freezes less. But I find it freezes more often when the battery is low or its been on to long. So I find that rebooting the handset or just turning it off when charging it helps some.

The second issue I have is, that the reboot time is slower than my 5 year old computer. It takes almost a minute and half to load. It must scan the built-in storage and the micro flash card before you can do anything. This doesn’t seem like a lot but, it gets annoying knowing that my Google Nexus Table 7 inch boots up in about thirty seconds!

One last issue that just came up is, the 3.5mm audio jack is failing. Putting it in your pocket with headphones on isn’t the best idea with this device. But thin again, most people do. Normally I do not see this kind of issue on a handset for at least a year or two. I might try and call Samsung and see if they can do anything. But to work around that issue, I bought a Bluetooth headset and a device to convert my car radio into Bluetooth as well.

Final Thoughts

For an old Android device, this this isn’t a bad unit. In fact, I like it and would probably purchase another if mine died. But in reality, there is really no need to have one of these unless you want a give your child an internet device to play with. Just keep in mind, there is not any child lock outs on this handset. I’m sure there are a few apps you can get for though Google Play.

But for those looking for nice media player that is Android based and can still do many of things that your Android smartphone can (just not as fast or as well), this little guy is a great option. Plus you can pick up a Samsung Galaxy Player at a great price from Amazon.com

Please Note: The Galaxy Player Series has been discontinued and the prices listed in this article are only accurate for the current date. Prices can change daily on amazon. At some point the listings will be removed and you will have to purchase them through eBay.