Samsung is set to unveil their new Galaxy Player next month at the CES 2011 and a lot of people who’ve heard of it thinks that this is Samsung’s direct response to Apple’s successful iPod Touch.
So can the Samsung Galaxy Player really compete with the iPod Touch? Initial specs revealed include a 4-inch SLCD display, Android 2.2 OS, 1 GHz processor, and 3.2 megapixel rear camera with a front facing one. It’s like a Samsung Galaxy S stripped off its call and SMS features.
Given those details, here’s our preliminary Galaxy Player vs. iPod Touch argument.
Display
The Galaxy Player’s 4-inch display is bigger than the Touch’s 3-5-inch. Bigger screen is better when you want to watch videos, play games or simply use an on-screen keyboard. However, Retina Display still trumps SLCD, not to mention that the Touch has a higher resolution despite it’s smaller screen at 960 x 640 as opposed to the 800 x 480 on the Galaxy Player.
I’m going with the Touch on this one. Bigger resolution is better than bigger screen for me.
Performance
Both devices have 1 GHz processor. Too bad we don’t know how much ROM the Galaxy Player will have as that will also affect the performance of the device. However, things just seem speedier on an Android than on an iOS platform so a 1 GHz chip will go a long way for Samsung here.
Samsung wins in this department by virtue of Android being more streamlined when it comes to its processes.
Camera
3.2 megapixel vs. 0.7 megapixel? You do the math. Samsung wins here hands down. I’m sure Samsung can replicate the good quality of the 5mp camera on the Galaxy S to the Galaxy Player. Video recording would probably be a tie though since the Touch can already do 720p HD recording which is sufficient coming from a portable device.
Platform (Android vs iOS)
Both mobile platform has its pros and cons.
There’s one big advantage of Android devices over iOS ones which I don’t think Apple will remedy anytime soon. Real Flash support! Not Flash Lite but Flash Player 10. I’ve seen it and used it in action and it works really really well on a mobile device.
Android users also get to enjoy widgets on their devices. This is particularly helpful for productivity apps so you don’t have to open applications just to check status, updates, events, etc.
USB disk drive feature is inherently built-in as well. You gotta love not requiring any software just to dump photos, music, videos on your device. And how big of an advantage is having an expandable card slot? More movies can be stored on a spare SD card which you can slap on your Galaxy Player any time you want.
The iPod Touch has a BIG advantage when it comes to apps though, especially quality games that an Android device couldn’t compete with just yet. You can also buy music from the iTunes App Store directly from your Touch as well.
Samsung Galaxy Player and iPod Touch 4G feature comparison
Samsung Galaxy Player | iPod Touch 4G |
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Conclusion
Apple marketed the iPod Touch as a gaming device which won’t creep into the iPhone’s market. I think the Galaxy Player is more of a media player device rather than a gaming device with the paltry selection of Android games compared to iOS games.
Android do have lots of nifty productivity apps on its Market but, and here’s a big but, would you rather buy an Android smartphone or a Galaxy Player? I know a lot of people owning a smartphone and an iPod Touch but I don’t think a lot of iPhone users will want something like a Galaxy Player. But who knows?
The iPod Touch is an all-in-one non-phone device that would suit a lot of people especially those into casual gaming on the go. The Galaxy Player is more of a super-PMP device that would really appeal for non-gamers who doesn’t need a smartphone. If the Galaxy Player is going to be priced cheaper than the iPod Touch then it probably might be able to compete with the iPod Touch.