If you're in the market for a touchscreen portable media player but can't decide whether to wait for the upcoming Sony X1000 Walkman or choose from what's already available, then read on for an objective and subjective comparison of the top three contenders you can get today: the second-generation Apple iPod touch, Cowon S9, and Samsung P3.
The point of this article is not to start a war between fanboys or declare that one player is unequivocally better than the others. We're all different, so nothing will ever be perfect for everyone. But one might be perfect for you.
Let's take a look at the facts first.
Note: The Samsung P3 will be officially released in the US in May 2009 for $149 (8GB), $199 (16GB), and $299 (32GB). At the time of this writing, however, it is only available through an importer.
| Apple iPod touch 2G (firmware 2.2.1) |
Cowon S9 (firmware 2.10b) |
Samsung P3 (firmware 2.07) |
|
| Storage Capacity |
8GB ($229 MSRP) 16GB ($299 MSRP) 32GB ($399 MSRP) |
8GB ($199 MSRP) 16GB ($239 MSRP) 32GB ($299 MSRP) |
8GB ($149 MSRP) 16GB ($199 MSRP) 32GB ($299 MSRP |
| Expansion |
None | ||
| Size |
4.3" x 2.4" x 0.3" | 4.2" x 2.2" x 0.5" | 4.0" x 2.1" x 0.4" |
| Weight |
4.05 ounces | 2.7 ounces | 3.4 ounces |
| Display |
3.5" (480 x 320) Capacitive touch Accelerometer |
3.3" (480 x 272) Capacitive touch Accelerometer AMOLED |
3.0" (480 x 272) Capacitive touch Haptic feedback |
| Wireless |
802.11b/g Nike+ receiver |
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR |
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR |
| Input/ Output |
Proprietary port 3.5mm headphone Mono speaker |
Proprietary port 3.5mm headphone Mic hole |
Proprietary port 3.5mm headphone Mic hole Mono speaker |
| Hardware Controls |
Volume Sleep/Wake Home |
Volume Power/Hold Play/Pause FF/REW |
Volume Power/Hold |
| Supported Audio |
AAC, AAC-DRM, MP3, MP3 VBR, WAV, AIFF Audible, Apple Lossless |
MP3/2/1, FLAC, OGG, WAV, APE, WMA |
MP3, FLAC, OGG, AAC, WMA |
| Supported Video |
H.264, MPEG-4 up to 640 x 480 |
XviD/DivX (AVI) 480 x 272 recommended higher res supported WMV9 SP/MP SMI subtitles |
XviD/DivX (AVI) up to 800 x 600 H.264, MPEG-4 WMV SMI/SRT subtitles |
| Notable Extras |
Third-party applications TV-Out Safari browser YouTube App Store iTunes Music Store |
Widgets TV-Out Line-in recording Flash player FM radio/recorder Voice recorder |
Widgets Sketch BT mobile phone Flash player FM radio/recorder Voice recorder |
| Battery |
Audio: 36 hours Video: 6 hours |
Audio: 55 hours Video: 11 hours |
Audio: 30 hours Video: 5 hours |
For some people, a comparison chart like this is enough to make a decision. Want the thinnest player? Get the iPod touch. Looking for the longest battery life? Pick up the Cowon S9. Want to use the device to make/receive phone calls? Buy the Samsung P3.
For others, specs aren't enough to determine how to spend hundreds of dollars. They need subjective opinions about specific features, side-by-side photos, and other details that can't be gleaned from a sterile list of facts.
Design
The iPod touch 2G, Cowon S9, and Samsung P3 are all attractive players.
Show them to someone who doesn't follow DAP/PMP news (like my husband) and you might get a comment like "They all look the same." They're not identical, obviously, but they are variations of a very similar design.
Not taking into consideration anything but how the players look, if I saw all three on display under glass and didn't know they were made of different materials or branded by different companies, I would think the S9 looks the best. In contrast to the iPod touch's overly rounded corners and wide top "band" above the screen (where the sensor is) and the P3's too rectangular shape and touch strip beneath the display, I think the S9 has the most balanced and stylish design.
My Pick: Cowon S9
Build Quality
Though the S9 places first in terms of how it looks, it places last in how it's made.
All three devices are built well, but the S9's lightweight plastic body pales in comparison to the metal bodies of the iPod touch and P3. It's the lightest of the three and actually feels a bit toy-like and cheap. It lacks the "heft" often associated with premium products and just doesn't feel substantial enough.
On the other hand, the smooth matte plastic is less prone to scratches and doesn't show fingerprints, which are both ugly realities of the iPod touch (the perils of a shiny chrome back!). The P3's brushed metal backplate, on the other hand, is more scratch-resistant and better at masking finger oils and smudges than the touch.
My Pick: Samsung P3
Setup
When most people buy and unbox a new gadget, they want to start playing with it right away. Sure, some (like me) may charge it fully before turning it on, but most want to take the player out of the box, turn it on (it's usually partially charged already), and start using it. Everyone needs to connect the device to a computer to transfer media, of course, but most players can be enjoyed before that because of their extra features and preloaded content.
The Cowon S9 and Samsung P3 can be explored right out of the box. Users can watch and listen to the sample content, fiddle with settings, and familiarize themselves with the interface. There's a bit more to do on a factory-fresh P3 because the interface is more customizable (UCIs, which both players support, require a computer), there are preloaded games, and it has a built-in speaker (handy if you don't have immediate access to headphones or want to show off your new device to a friend).
The iPod touch 2G, on the other hand, can't be turned on without connecting to a computer, starting up iTunes, choosing whether to register the device, accepting or declining the MobileMe trial offer, viewing the license agreement, and setting up sync options first. Considering all of the extras the touch 2G has to offer (web browser, App Store, PIM functions, etc.), it's aggravating to have to go through all of these steps just to see the home screen. I can understand needing to run through the setup before loading the player with content, but just to get a look at the interface and try out some of the native apps? Ridiculous.
My Pick: Samsung P3
Touchscreen
The iPod touch 2G, Cowon S9, and Samsung P3 are all equipped with capacitive touchscreens made of glass. The touch has the largest display and is the only one of the three with multi-touch. The other two support a few gestures, but their screens aren't quite as fluid or responsive. They're incredibly good, that's for sure, but if they had to be ranked, the iPod touch would be on top.
Where the touch's screen comes in at the bottom, however, is screen quality: brightness, colors, viewing angles, and so on.
Have a look at the following images to see what I mean (left to right in all photos: iPod touch 2G, Cowon S9, Samsung P3).
Maximum screen brightness:
Minimum screen brightness:
Mid screen brightness:
Viewing angles at mid-brightness:
The reason the Cowon S9's display (which looks better in person than in photos, by the way) is the most vibrant and has the best viewing angles is simple: it has a 16M-color AMOLED screen. The advantages of an AMOLED, which iriver has been using on some of their players for several years (e.g., clix 2), over a traditional LCD are unlimited viewing angles, higher contrast ratio, energy efficiency, and quick response.
My Pick: iPod touch 2G (response), Cowon S9 (quality)
User Interface
Colorful finger-friendly icons arranged in a grid make up the user interface on all three players.
The main screens are equally self-explanatory: tap an icon to access the item and in many cases a list of options. Menu organization is straightforward on all three devices as well, though the S9 is probably the most complicated because of a few cryptic-looking icons that aren't immediately recognizable.
The iPod touch 2G has the easiest "pick up and use" interface: it's very simp le and there's no variation. Everything is uniform: pages, rows, icons. The S9 and P3, on the other hand, support widgets, which vary widely in size and shape. Widgets are kept on their own page on the S9 but are allowed to roam freely across five pages with other icons on the P3.
The touch has the most responsive screen and an interface that anyone can use without guidance, but it doesn't have the most responsive UI. Screen taps are registered immediately, yes, but launching applications and accessing various parts of the system isn't instant. You don't really feel the lag because of the visualizations, but it's definitely there. The Samsung P3's flash-based interface is the same way. It doesn't really feel like you're waiting, but you are; you're just distracted/entertained by the animation.
The Cowon S9 has the most responsive UI. It's flash-based too but there are less "flourishes" between tapping an item and getting where you want to go. For example, it takes 0.8 seconds for the S9 to display a screen after pressing the Music icon. The same action takes 1 second on the touch and P3. Two-tenths of a second isn't a significant amount of time, but the S9's UI is still 20% more responsive in this case.
My Pick: iPod touch 2G (ease of use), Cowon S9 (response), Samsung P3 (style/design)
UI Customization
All three media players have customizable interfaces, though the extent of the customizations vary.
With a stock iPod touch (i.e., not a jailbroken one), users can rearrange the icons across multiple pages and install/uninstall third-party applications.
With a Cowon S9 and Samsung P3, users can create new interfaces from scratch. Both companies provide UCI guides on their websites (Cowon guide, Samsung guide) and encourage people to share their creations with others. Without UCI, the P3's interface is more customizable because widgets and icons can reside together and be spread out across multiple pages; all that can be done on the S9 without UCI is to change the font/wallpaper, toggle between colorful and mostly black-and-white icons, and rearrange widgets on their own page.
My Pick: Samsung P3
Sound Quality
Audiophiles regard Cowon as one of the most well respected brands for a reason.
Both with and without sound enhancements (and according to my ears and Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 Pro), the Cowon S9 delivers the best sound quality. The touch and P3 don't sound bad, but compared to the S9, they're definitely lacking. The P3 needs to make use of its DNSe 3.0 audio enhancement technology to put it above the touch, which has muddy lows and lacks clarity without the EQ enabled.
How you hear the players depends on your headphones, music quality (bitrate, format, etc.), and personal preferences.
My Pick: Cowon S9
Extras
The S9 and P3 are no match for the iPod touch 2G when it comes to extras. The touch is in a league of its own with the Safari web browser, extensive third-party applications, App Store, iTunes Store, and general ability to function as a do-it-all MID. The S9 and P3 do have a few features the iPod touch doesn't like Flash, an FM radio, and Bluetooth (yes, the touch will get this with the 3.0 software update, but it isn't available yet–and the P3 will still support more profiles anyway), but the touch still has more to offer.
My Pick: iPod touch 2G
I won't tally up "the score" or assign points to the values in the specs chart because it doesn't matter. As you saw from the "My Pick" choices at the end of each section, there's no clear-cut winner. The iPod touch 2G, Cowon S9, and Samsung P3 each have their strengths and weaknesses, which I hope I've shown above. Only you can decide which player is right for you.
Get the Apple iPod touch 2G
Get the Cowon S9
Get the Samsung P3
I don’t really think you can compare these players as they are so different. The touch doesnt really have shit to stand up with against the S9 when it comes to music and own video content, and neither of the two other can do the other stuff the touch does at all. Touch is more of a gaming console/PDA device with music than it is a DAP, and the S9 doesnt do anything but music and video (not counting those wannabe-widgets). The P3 doesn’t win in either category so I don’t see who will buy it if they’ve done any research, as the P3 only has bluetooth to show
Yeah, that’s why I didn’t declare a hands-down winner. The players *are* different, but they’re currently the only ones for people to really consider if they’re looking for a touchscreen DAP/PMP. And based on the number of emails I get from readers asking me to choose which one they should get, I think laying out some of the pros/cons and comparing the players is useful. If nothing else, it’ll make responding to those emails a lot easier!
Had to run to the bus so didnt get to finish the comment. My bottom line point is that the problem with consumers is objective reasoning. If they arrive at these three for alternatives, something is horribly wrong with their reasoning as the only thing they have in common is capacitive touch screen. I dare say no person in the world has that as the most important feature in a dap, at least not objectively.
I too have gotten a few Qs about those in particular and I refuse to answer them since its a stupid question, frankly. Then again, consumer sales are seldom based on objective reasoning, which is an unfortunate truth. Having been using the bus a lot lately I study people’s rigs and I want to go over and lecture people when i see stupid choices.
I’m not saying one is better than another, all I’m saying is that if you’re (the consumer, not you Jenn) going to choose a device no matter what kind, an objective reasoning leading to a choice will always be definitively better than randomly choosing what other people think is “best” or what you subjectively think is best. In this case, the S9 is more of a pro audio user player, where the touch is more of a entertainment device than a music device. The P3 doesn’t really excel in any category except bluetooth. Doing generic categorizations like that is of course dangerous as well as maybe someone wants a device that has some games and use MTP, in that case the P3 would be the best choice, but to try to group the S9 and touch into two major user groups then audio only and general entertainment would be IMO the best ones. Then you can further expand on that and think “whats the best alternatives to the touch” and a netbook, MID, internet tablet are much closer competitors if youre looking for general entertainment combined with wifi. With the S9, cowon themselves have a lot of competitors in the D2, D2+, i7, O2 etc since theyre all much closer to the S9 than the P3 or touch from a audio standpoint.
Im not directing this at you Jenn since you know this and that is clearly shown from the article, just a add on comment to the people who asked the question in the first place.
Does the P3 really play AAC-Files? If yes, why doesn’t the Cowon 9? Because right now, I am looking for a PMP that plays AAC and is not from Apple…
Great comparison of the three players, and an interesting touch to leave out a final ranking.
I’m just commenting out of the blue, but thought I’d mention that I bought one of the limited-to-200 iriver p20′s that were released in Japan, along with the cardreader accessory. I know you don’t generally feature guest updates on the site – but I was wondering if you’d like me to write a quick report on my impressions using the format you generally do your reviews in? I know European, North American and proper-Japanese releases are still in limbo. I’m come across a few blog entries in Korean and Japanese, but haven’t come across any online reviews in English since CES. Lemme know in a comment if that might be of interest. Sorry to distract from the topic at hand. I wanted to thank you for years of great reviews!
Yes, the P3 really plays AAC. I don’t think it supports ID3 tags for that format, though. I don’t listen to or have anything in AAC so I haven’t double-checked (it may also depend on firmware version), but that’s what I heard.
Check your email for my thoughts on this.
I also get questions about which is better, and from now on I’m referring them to this review. Well done! I’ll generally answer that to get the best you have to buy all three. Now we just need someone to make a single player that has the best features from all three.
Great article, Jenn! I’m interested in the Cowon, but 16gb is a bit on the small side, any idea if/when there’s a 32gb version?
As an interesting side-note, the 16gb S9 is more expensive than the iPod 16gb in Norway. Probably a result of different companies using different dollar conversion rate, but still a bit annoying
Interesting comparison, it turns out there are cool touch screen device alongside the iPod.
But in my opinion, the fact that there is an App Store is a big plus. The iPod touch wins right there.
I just wanted to say what an excellent comparison you’ve made between the 3 devices. I get asked about these 3 myself, and the way you’ve left the decision open-ended for the reader is nice. I’ll be making references to your article in the future, and let me finish by saying keep up the good work and honest reporting.
But if one company did everything right, we wouldn’t have anything to complain about and/or wish for!
There’s *supposed* to be a 32GB model coming out, though where, when, and for how much are unknown. It was listed on the Cowon Germany website (it may still be there), but I’m not sure if any other country has mentioned it.
Thanks for the kind feedback and support, TheDarkSide. I appreciate it.
Nice comparison, definitely lays out all the pro’s and cons of these devices very well. I too was recently asked about which mp3 player was best. Now obviously there are clear cut winners in each category, cowon – sound quality, ipod touch – extras etc etc. However, when someone (who is not an audiophile, or particularly into their tech and on a budget) asked me what to go for I said the P3.
Over here in the UK there is simplay a huge difference in the price of these products. An 8gb samsumg p3 costs £109, an 8gb ipod touch costs £163 and an 8gb cowon s9 costs £169. The margin between the P3 and the other 2 for the 16gb meodels is even more. Now while the Samsung p3 does not have the sound of the S9 or the extras of the ipod touch it also doesn’t have the huge price tag. In addition the samsung p3 while not excelling in any departement in particular is basically a good all rounder and in this country anyway represents good value for someone who does not need stellar sound quality or apps etc etc and just want a relatively cheap solid day to day player.
I totally agree though, these devices are in essence very different beasts and as pointed out, should be chosen based on individual requirements. It is a shame that none of these manfacturers has the initiative take the best elements from each others products to create an outright winner with great sound, stunning/usable GUI, great screen, great file support/battery/conectivity etc etc.
With the focus more and more on covergeance devices it seems increasingly unlikely this will ever happen in the standalone dap/pmp category.
Personally I would probably opt for the Cowon, if I had to choose, however I have a whole laundry list of different ‘requirements’. It is a real shame we have not seen any decent daps/pmps with wifi web connectivity to date that can rival the ipod touch though, imo these other maufacturers really need to step up in terms of their GUI design and connectivity. Ipods will always have a list of inherent shortcomings base don apples ‘closed’ platform outlook, that I don’t feel other manufacturers exploit to their full advantage.
As for the Sony NWX1000…..as far as i’m concerned it’s dead on arrival. 400×240 3 inch display coupled with no support for flac/xvid and video at 320×240 has already killed it for me.
Its a Pandora or SmartQ MID for me or bust.
hmm. Great comparison article.. however I think that the Cowon q5w would have made a better rival for the Ipod touch. I know its been around for a while.. but its feature set is better matched for direct comparison. As far as my vote? well, when I look at a PMP Im primarily concerned with the quality of the sound and video. Cowon stomps the competitors in both respects with its S9. That and the fact the touch doesn’t offer flac and I’m not about to convert 7000 albums to apple lossless just because they feel like being proprietary gets them a serious check in the negative box for me. Thanks for the read though
Great article! However, price isn’t totally fair because the P3′s price is the price for the import. Do you (or anyone here) know when and for how much the P3 will be when it comes to the US?
US pricing hasn’t been announced yet. I thought the original release date was this month, but I guess not. It should be out soon, though.
Hopefully. Now that you mention it, I do remember “March” being mentioned somewhere…
Totally agree the conclusion, touch 2g is better in term of usefulness, not only as ipod player but also web, various games and apps. S9 shines on the screen, audio quality and codec support. As a owner of two samsung players (T10 and U3), I always feel samsung belongs to the 2nd tier in the playfield.
My conclusion is easy, get both touch 2g and cowon s9, their combination will become a perfect solution. Samsung P3 is basically an eye sore, i don’t know who really want to buy them if they price it over $100 USD, i will consider it only if it is dirty cheap.
***P3 PRICING****
$150(8GB), $200(16GB), and $300(32GB).
It will see the light of day sometime in May.
Yep, I updated the post yesterday (see note above specs chart). Pleasantly surprised by those prices.
I’m guessing this is the case only because Samsung doesn’t take the industry seriously at all compared to how much Cowon and Apple invests into developing their players. Heck, recently, more employees under Yepp were moved up the tree (to the cellphone department).
Wow, awesome prices. Do you have a source?
The prices come from a press release issued yesterday: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_viewnewsId=20090331005257newsLang=en
Yup. Anythingbutipod.com
See: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2009/03/samsung-p3-q2-u5-get-official-us-release-dates-and-pricing.php
They in turn got it from a samsung press release.
Lets all be true to ourselves, we all know that the iPod wins hands down. The real battle is between the P3 and the S9. if your looking for a reliable player and you really don’t care about the fine details just get the iPod touch. The thing that gets me is that SO many people own one, and in my opinion I want a great high quality player that when I walk past people they say WHOA, what is that? I prefer the Cowon S9.
iPod… well it depends on your criteria sam.
Touch will not win in price, durability, music playback and file transfer. You pay quite a premium for the internet connectivity that it’s almost a mismatch. Nevertheless, it has impeccable application suite going for it, even if you are tethered down.
Samsung is priced at par with Nano and this makes it a very dangerous opponent. Moreover, it is mechanically strong. Korean actually tossed it about and it feels like Samsung’s version of LG Secret in durability.
Cowon has also dropped the price to the point that it only demands a bit more from Nano and you get something much more superior. No nano can best either one of the two in features…
Wow great review Jenn K
Its well written and very detailed.. be nice if u could add the
X Series walkman to the comparison
(when its released that it)
The Samsung P3, priced at a reasonable $150 seems to be the best. Think about, the Cowon S9 and the touch are priced way up there, but the P3 isn’t. Which would you rather have, a Samsung P3 or an ipod nano? I think of what you get for the price in comparison to others in the same price range. I would rather have the P3 over a nano, it just offer so much more.
I have a 4GB P2 now and was going to upgrade to the 32GB P3 but after discovering the 32GB S9…I’m having doubts. All it comes down to now is sound. I keep hearing that the P3′s DNSe is “so awesome” and you can hear everything so clearly. Which has the better bass, the S9 or the P3 with the DNSe 3 technology?
my issue with ipod is its “fanboys” apple is known for screwing their customers over for a quick dollar. As for the people who said apple spends more time developing its product, COMPLETELY untrue. Think about it, how many versions of the ipod Touch came out in the last year? With how many firmware updates per Touch? Theyre rushing a product.. in fact, according to specs, apple spent the LEAST amount of time making an pmp….and most of the time creating an app-goldmine. The i-touch failed in clarity of music, transferring music, movie quality, and picture quality…which is what a pmp is made to do. Yet it excels because as they say “theres an app for everything”
The s9 has an impressive scoresheet but for some reason im just drawn to the P3. the s9′s style just turns me off with that rounded back and mcdonalds happymeal plastic. Although it has a better screen quality than both the i-touch and p3, and supposedly, sound.
As for the P3 itself, with the firmware updates (i think theyre on 2.10 now) all the P3′s issues have been resolved. extra apps have come around, people already have custom UIs available (for free i may add) and the P3 is loads better than when it was reviewed here. At this point, if the P3 had wifi…there wouldnt even be competition between the 3 players, HOWEVER the addition of wifi would jack the price up into the s9 and i-touch range to begin with…
iphone 3G + cowon S9 make the best of both worlds. =)
great article. I found it very helpful because I am looking to buy a new touch screen mp3 player (thats not an ipod) and I came across the cowon s9 and samsung p3. I was leaning towards the samsung because I have a samsung touch screen phone, but when I found the s9 I was kinda torn between the two. But this article helped me compare the two versus what they have and what I want. Right now the s9 is in the lead, but I still like the p3 alot…
just came across this review after having ordered my S9…this is fantastic! by far, the most objective and factual comparison of the three players I’ve seen – and I did a lot of reading before I bought. the vast, vast majority of reviews on any mp3 player other than an iPod can be boiled down to “how closely does this machine resemble an iPod?”, rather than comparing relative merits and flaws of each player by themselves.
Thanks for the great comparison. I was looking for a new MP3 player and here in Japan “everything” is ONLY i-Pod. As I dont want to merry to i-Tunies and be in jail with my music forever I was looking for an alternative. I tested the Touch and the S9 at the store (brought my own inner-ear-phones from Sennheiser). The S9 is a light-weight easy to carry inside your pocket. But most of all the sound is so much better. Clear heights w/o hissing, strong bass. Surely the best sound available now. You can set/select the sound with “JetEffects 2.0″ (Presets an 4 user settings: BBE, Mach3Bass, 3DSurround, MP Enhance, Stereo Enhance).
I don’t see why people complain about the P3′s sound quality – in all honesty, with BBE enabled on the S9 and DNSe 3.0 on the P3 they sound more or less the same. People tend to agree with others, so I guess it’s more general consensus rather than personal experience. I personally prefer the P3 over the S9, but in the end its personal opinion. Regarding hardware and sound capability, I don’t really think it can be judged.
I got the P3 because after checking out the S9, I was horrified. The interface was downright unintuitive. No matter how snappy it is, pushing loads of extra buttons is not efficient. It definitely felt like a toy compared to the Touch and P3 with the plastic cover, and was “bulkier” as well. The Touch is much more a personal multimedia center rather than an mp3, so for me the P3 was the optimal choice.
Awesome review best review I read so far. Way better than that cnet crap. Really lay out the 3 player strength and weaknesses. You just assure me that getting my P3 was the right thing to do. Since the S9 and the Ipod Touch is a bit on the pricey side.
Hey, ich habe mal ne generelle Frage zum Cowon. Ich tendiere definitiv zu diesem, da mir der Sound von AppleTouch noch nie gefallen hat, und ich mir den ITouch nicht nur wegen so nen paar Apps kaufen würde, da mir guter Sound wichtiger ist.
Nun zum Cowon S9. Ich würde generell zu der 32gb Version tendieren, aber habe gesehen, dass es die 16gb Version auch als CHROME gibt? Ist das dann eine veredelte Rückseite aus Metall, also nicht nur Plastik? Gibt es die 32gb Version nur als “Plastik”-Version?
CHROME 16gb:
http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Video-Player-Touchscreen-Chrome/dp/B001PTH12K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255194048&sr=1-3
“plastik” 32gb:
http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Video-Player-Touchscreen-Titanium/dp/B00267A7QC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255194048&sr=1-2
Danke im Vorraus,
Lg Anshelm
BTW: Netter Artikel^^
Sry, and again in english^^
Was surfing around on german sites.
Long story short? Did I get it right, that there is a 16gb CHROME version of the S9, so with metal like the IpodTouch?
I would prefer the 32gb, but can not find it as CHROME?
Links at questions above.
Thanks in advance.
BTW: Nice article.
I know this is a new post on an old thread but I’m currently deciding between the Cowon and the Samsung, though if I wait until December I’m sure more options will come out. The Cowon has a lot of good features that I’m wanting, but the Samsung is cheaper, and I don’t know how much Cowon’s plastic casing will irritate me. Can anyone who has the S9 say that they get over the “toy” feeling of it? I know in the scheme of things this isn’t that important, but I’m odd like that. Thanks.
The chrome version looks less toy-like because it’s so glossy, but I *think* it weighs the same as the titanium one. The “toy feeling” of the player being so lightweight and less substantial/hefty than you’d expect wears off after a while. A leather case is a good way to beef it up too.
All i’m gonna say is; the samsung is $50 dollars cheaper than the other two for the same gb. In my world price is a big consideration. Not having to use I-tunes is a bigger one, I just wanna drag and drop files into the mp3. My choice is the P3
I really like your approach to writing this.
Well my friends I think that we are missing the big picture here.
The question is how much yo can do with your PMP (Personal Media Player)? Today is not enough for a high end PMP to just listen to music and watch videos. I recently wrote an article call “iPod Touch vs. iPod Touch? in my blog ipodxpert.wordpress.com explaining this subject. Cheers!
Hmmm. I found this page while trying to compare itouch with Cowon products. I work in animation/design and was looking for something as a portable digital portfolio (jpegs animation, that type of stuff). As well as a quality music player.
Thanks.
wow..
this was made on march 22 09 ?
it’s still very useful. Thanks so much. This is the best review I’ve ever seen, very detail on the comparison.
I have an ipod touch, but seems the Cowon’s S9 fits me better. I’m an audiophile and videos are useful for miniscule leisure time. Games, application aren’t that important to me because those are for Playstation and Laptops.
Ipod touch is more expensive too.
Thanks again, Jenn K. Lee.
damn right bro
that’s some big bullsit man
about the sound quality – just you’d know the p3 has an amazing sound quality that stands right up in a straight line with the cowon s9
beside that , it has an amazing colorful display that feels like a fairytail or something..=]
my friend has an ipod touch and after he saw the p3 he said it’s much cooler and has so many options and stuff..it totally sold him out so…ya of cours its better than the nano
i almost bought the nano till i saw this little fucker and it blew me off..now i’m about to get one :-]
that’s some smart person!!!
i’m so feeling you i dont get how can you like the cowon better than the p3, i mean it has an unbelievable screen but i dont get why you should ask for better screen than the ipod ,espacially than the p3 witch is amazinggg!!!
and the sound is sure as good as the s9
and the display and interface are sooo living you know?
its the best i think as mp3 player no doubt
i wish they had the cowon S9 in 32GB WITH DMB [free korean tv]~
but i think it only goes up to 16GB with DMB so thats what i ordered online yesterday =D not to mention its cheaper to buy these players online [Gmart etc. 'korean online store'] i think i saved about 50 bucks then the original price on the korean cowon homepage <3
i tested one out before i ordered mines online since my host sister’s cousin owned one and all i gottah say is yeahh its light weighted and feel like cheap plastic but once yu see how good the player is yu wont even notice it~
I own a cowon i9 and a samsung p3, the sound enhancement on the cowon is a bit more synthetic and artificial than my samsung p3, but both sound great. Very adjustable.
I have seen iTouch and Cowon S9. I own a Cowon S9 coz I am audiophile and I think that someone who is more into gaming and wants to surf internet from his device, then iTouch is the only option. If someone loves music and videos and is hardly interested in gaming or internet surfing on hand-held devices, then Cowon S9 is the best. Audio and Video quality is mind blowing. Cowon clubbed with good earphones make the best out of any song you have ever heard. And display on S9 is like HDTV. Nothing can match the display of Cowon S9. I have never seen anything like that. And above all, battery life is a big plus for S9. Charge once a week and forget it. It just goes on and on…
Are the screens of the P3 and the Ipod roughly the same for video quality? (i.e. viewing angle, sharpness etc) I want to compare the Zune HD to the P3 but I can’t find anyone with the P3. Enough people with an Ipod Touch though.
Thank you so much for putting up this site and making it easy to compare the 3!
In my opinion, the only way to compare three audio players, is to test the sound quality that each can offer. And in that basic point, the S9 widely surpasses the other two. The iPod offers unparalleled functionality, thanks to more than 150,000 applications available, but amazingly, Apple refuses to make an audio player where the sound can be calibrated to suit the owner, which is a contradiction in itself . As the owner of an iPhone and now has a Cowon J3 (is very similar to S9), I think the choice is undoubtedly the Cowon.
And those who support the theory that the sound should be as flat as possible, confuse things: each device delivers a unique sound, based on internal hardware components, quality and costs of each. Precisely for this reason, no device accurately reflects the intention of the engineer who edited the sound in the studio.
yes the p3 has almost as good (if not as good) sound quality as the cowon and it still a great screen more friendly and costomizable UI better construction plus it is cheaper and is a great pmp!
Damn Every1 jus doggin the P3 the sound is good depending on what earphones you get. Im not gonna lie the Cowon is only in 1st because of its sound the other things the P3 can do. Personally i like an mp3 i can play around and have fun with. With desgining and customizing. The P3 has skin decals that can decorate the p3 and it supports flash games. all u have to do is jus copy a flash games from the internet and put it on the P3. So the P3 wuld come number 2 and only 2 cuz the s9 has far superior sound.
Interesting information, like Samsung copied Apple ideas
http://www.mobileme.com.ua/blog/rival/133.html
The s9 has an impressive scoresheet but for some reason im just drawn to the P3. the s9′s style just turns me off with that rounded back and mcdonalds happymeal plastic. Although it has a better screen quality than both the i-touch and p3, and supposedly, sound.
Guys, you are all missing the point. It was never about which is “better,” but rather, which one has features that are more useful to you, as an individual.
If you are looking for the best sound quality, and you’re a normal person with normal ears? Any of them will do. The average person is virtually incapable of discerning the minute differences in un-EQed sound quality between the iPod, Cowon and Samsung players.
Looking for the best sound quality, and the MOST CUSTOMIZABLE SOUND? The Cowon and Samsung BOTH trump the iPod, which tends to have several preset EQs, and that’s it.
Looking for the most video codecs supported? Cowon.
Looking for customizable interface? Cowon and P3.
Looking for the most intuitive interface? Apple.
Looking for the most options all-around? P3 and S9.
Applications and internet? iPod.
Ease of use in regard to loading songs and pictures? P3 and S9.
Slick design? I prefer the P3 to both, but I prefer the S9 over the iPod’s clunky brick.
Honestly, I think that unless you want the Apple store and internet, the real contest is between the S9 and the P3.
NONE of the Touch’s options are better than the P3 and S9, except the internet and Apple store.
The P3 and the S9 are almost even, but I suspect that the S9 has just slightly more internal options.
The P3 probably has an expansion slot, though. Right?
Take your pick.
At last, semoone who knows where to find the beef
我现在拥有的是P3，希望能拥有IPOD TOUCH 和S9