I tested six different popular MP3 players currently available on Amazon and was very pleased with the UI that the TIMMKOO Q5 provided.

My two finalists that I tested were this MP3 player (Q5) and the very similar Louran M4. They almost seem like rebrands of each other but there are some significant hardware and software differences between the two:

Hardware wise
a. The M4 casing is glass and aluminum (increasing the weight and potentially reducing durability); the Q5 is lighter as the casing is plastic (also has more case colors available)
b. The mic is much better with the Q5 vs. the M4.
c. The FM antenna is much better with the Q5 vs. the M4
d. The home and back buttons are much easier to see on the Q5 vs. M4. That being said these buttons should have been backlit as they are still difficult to see.
e. The screen is more vibrant with better viewing angles on the M4 vs Q5
f. The Wifi antenna is slightly better (DL speed of 18Mbps vs 14Mbps) with the M4 vs. Q5 (though they both aren't great; I was getting 5x better WiFi DL speeds on my Samsung S6 when testing at the same location compared to these units).
g. While the specs indicate the Q5 has a larger battery (1800mAh vs. 1500mAh), I didn't see any difference in battery capacity when testing both products after leaving the screen on for 30 minutes at full brightness and both the WiFi and BT antennas turned on.

Software wise
a. The web browser is better for the M4 vs. Q5. I couldn't figure out what browser the M4 uses, but it allows downloading files and YT video watching; the Q5 uses the VIA browser (ver. 4.3.6) and does not allow downloading files (stalls out and then fails) or YT video watching
b. Different media players are installed (M4 uses generic media player app which I can't seem to identify) and AMP, the Q5 uses the HyByMusic app)

Other than that they are identical in terms of the other apps that are loaded on (eBook Reader, Dictionary, Calendar, Calculator and Clock) as well as the Android OS version they are using (both are using an extremely limited version of KitKat using the same kernal version; 3.4.67).

In the end I actually prefer the Q5 over the M4 as I prefer the HyByMusic app over the music apps the M4 provides and I like that the Q5 has a much better FM antenna (I couldn't get any stations with the M4 and could get many with the Q5 using the same wired headphones I used when testing both). The Q5 also would seem to be more durable and due to its plastic casing is lighter in weight.

I was shocked to find that the TIMMKOO really handicapped it's OS by disallowing unknown sources to be installed (i.e. no app side loading allowed) and providing a browser that both does not allow video watching on YT or downloading files of any kind. That being when reviewing the Amazon Q&A of the Louran M4 product I noticed that a Louran CS rep answered a question about side loading apps with the following message:

"Hi. The current M4 is a basic version, with only 8GB ROM and 1GB RAM. In order to maintain a smooth user experience, we have to disable the downloading and installation of other apps. In the next season, we will be launching the M4 Pro with 32GB ROM and 3GB of RAM, and at that time we will release the app downloading and installation. Thanks for your understanding and patience."

For this reason I'm going to be sending the Q5 back and wait until the Louran M4 Pro comes out (hopefully this will be soon) as I think having the ability to sideload apps will be a real game changer for this product (for podcast playing and web music). Hopefully TIMMKOO is also planning to release an updated version of the Q5 that allows for side loading to compete with the Louran M4. Unlike the specs for the soon to be released M4 Pro, TIMMKOO really doesn't need to upgrade the storage or RAM hardware on the Q5 MP3 player as it is very responsive with the current RAM on board (1GB) and storage space increases can be easily done by adding a SD card. It would be great if TIMMKOO would just release a firmware patch to upgrade the Q5's OS rather than releasing a whole new player to compete with the M4 Pro. If TIMMKOO does decide to release a "Pro" version of the Q5, I hope the price doesn't change dramatically as I think $50 price point for a medium size MP3 player is the most the average consumer would pay since all of the capabilities on the Q5 are even low end rated phones already.

I wanted something that isn't a smart phone for my alarm clock, that is small/portable, and that plays MP3s for the hour I'm getting ready in the morning. Bluetooth support a big plus. This little device has fit that need perfectly:

I keep a pair of wired computer speakers in our bedroom. At night they plug into this device (which is also plugged in so it's fully charged the next day). In the morning, after I turn off the alarm I typically select some music to help wake and start the day. When I'm ready to move from bedroom to anywhere-else, I switch on my battery-powered portable stereo wireless bluetooth speakers. ($15 at Ace Hardware with sound more like $40 speakers.) The music automatically switches to these and I move those with me as I start my day.

Here is why this device's specific features work well for me as a replacement clock-radio:

* It's an Android (based on 1.x or something really old but I don't care) but without the Play Store. Since I deliberately wanted something limited this was a feature, not a bug and I immediately knew how to use it.
* It has the stock Android clock application with its nice flexible alarm clock application.
* The MP3 player is quirky but once I got used to it I found I like it a lot. It's not any of the stock Android MP3 player applications but a third-party app. As other reviewers have noted, it works well for collections organized by folder. Note that you'll have to go hunting for a setting that turns this feature on. It's apparently licensed demoware but the vendor didn't turn the nagware banner off. That's annoying. And because (again) the Play Store isn't available, there's no way to even pay to turn it off. I hope they fix that in a future version of this product.
* The FM radio works well. I don't use it a lot but it's a really nice bonus to have it and I've gotten good reception out of it. (You have to have speakers or headphones plugged in to use it.)
* The sound quality is very good for the price, both over Bluetooth and via the headphone output.
* The built-in speaker is usable as an alarm clock, countdown timer, or for listening to lectures. Its quality is painful for listening to music.
* I've never fully discharged the battery, even with playing constantly over Bluetooth for somewhere between three and four hours. I'm really happy with the battery life for my purposes.

Some overall thoughts:

* I like that this setup is completely modular. If a speaker system fails I can replace it independently to everything else, etc.

* I don't use the web browser or video feature at all. It's really not designed for that use. But the settings allow you to hide applications you don't want to access from the home screen and I use this to remove icons for these applications. I really like this feature.

* At around $50, I didn't expect high-end phone build quality so I wasn't disappointed that the device is plastic. But it has held up fine for my use. And plastic doesn't crack like phone screens can. It does need a wipe from time to time with one of my leftover lens cloths (from an old pair of glasses) to remove fingerprints.

* The clock application doesn't have any setting to keep the display on when the device is plugged in. This would be nice, but it's hardly a deal-breaker. The clock and alarm are still reliable and that's what counts.

Overall, except for the nagware banner I can't remove I couldn't be more delighted.

I should say up front that this is the first mp3 player that I have had since my ipod shuffle gave out years ago, so I do not have much basis of comparison. Also, this is a full featured player, but I am using solely for its mp3 functions. That said

On the positive the sound is great, even with the earphones that came with it. I do not have issues with accidentally hitting buttons while I put it in my sleeve, which seems a little thing but I find it frustrating otherwise. (To note, I bought the Ailzos Sports Running Armband to use with it and the player fits well in it.) On the positive the side buttons are tactile enough I can adject volume without taking it out of the sleeve.

Also, battery life is great. Though, I turn it off completely between uses, which extends life much. The negative to that is when you turn it on it will take a minute or two for the player to recognize all the songs/albums on it (I am used a 125 GB card.) You have to be patient with it there.

Loading music on it simple enough connecting it to my computer. Occasionally it spontaneously disconnects, but not enough to be aggravating.

On the negative: the screen is wholly blanched out
in sunlight, so you are going to have to find a shade tree to use it outside.

Worst on the negative is the instructions are not terribly helpful. I pretty much had to learn to use it entirely by trial and error. Now, it could be it is exactly like every other mp3 player so any experience will make it easy. But it took me a bit of fumbling about. Nonetheless, in the end, I've figured out all I need to.

To note I use it entirely to play albums. I have no idea how things go with folders and playsets.

And it has many functions beside being an mp3 player, none of which I have used so I cannot speak to them. But they are there. There are things I wish I knew now to do: things like add images to albums that presently do not have them. But I've only experimented a little.

I simply wanted an mp3 player to use while out jogging or doing yardwork. And to that end it works quite well. If there was one correction I would make to it, it would be the ability I had on my ipod shuffle to go backward and replay a song using the side buttons, so I did no have to take it out of the sleeve. But so it goes. (Perhaps there is that ability and I have not discovered it yet.)

For as far as I've used it, thumbs up.

The Q5 player is by far the best one I've tried in the past few weeks and spent countless hours trying to make the others work as described and even reached out to their technical support and still couldn't get them to work. I went through several models and they either did not work or fell short of my expectations.

Prior to getting the Q5 I had the older model Q3 and the vendor was very accommodating and allowed me to return the Q3 and exchange it for the Q5 and glad I did as it is the newer model and comes with a Web browser that allows you to watch YouTube videos, check emails and so forth. The Q5 also has a faster processor, an FM radio which I haven't tried, and am very happy with it.

I currently have a 256gb SD card in it and have about 90gb of music, 60gb of pictures and another 50 to 60gb of videos and movies.

I originally had trouble loading songs, pictures, and videos on it from my iMac as the file transfer for this model program for iMacs called Open MTP is not very stable. And for some reason the SD cards I purchased didn't show up on either my iMac or Windows HP laptop, so could not for the life of me copy files from iMac directly to the SD card.

So here is what I had to do. I first had to copy my files to a USB thumb drive from my iMac to the HP laptop, then plugged in the Q5 to the Windows laptop and using Explorer, was able to copy all the data to the Q5. The copy process took a while as altogether was almost 200gb.

Overall this MP3/4 player is hands down the best one out there and well worth the $45 I've spent on a new "toy."

I've had iPhones since the series 3 and now have the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max and even that doesn't compare to the capabilities of the Q5. I only have 64gb on the 11 Pro Max and couldn't find an easy way to transfer all my music and videos to it plus the Q5 has many nice features such as an equalizer, sorting capabilities such as song, artist, albums, etc.

I haven't had it long enough to see how many hours the battery would last but it does have a quick charger and takes only about an hour to get a full charge.

I've been a Amazon Prime Member for over 15 years and rarely post reviews but the Q5 is worth writing this and their customer service is very respectful and responsive, I felt compelled to write my very positive experience with this product. It's a good thing I still had an old HP Windows Laptop as not sure if I could make it work without it.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied and happy with this MP3/MP4 player, Web browser, photo viewer and even allows to edit pictures. The sound quality using AirPods is also amazing and very rich and the built- in equalizer allows you to make adjustments according to your liking.

If you're looking for the best value in a MP3 player "“ this is worth every penny and it will support up to a 512gb SD card which is a lot cheaper then getting an iPhone with that much capacity.

Time will tell how stable this player will hold up. I've had it only a week and so far it's lived up to my expectations and then some.

I typically use this at work or in the car to listen to audiobooks or music, downloaded from YouTube. The sound quality is excellent. I use it with Bluetooth speakers mostly, but the corded speakers that came with the player are great. The size is perfect for running/hiking. Definitely order the silicone rubber protective case. Bluetooth connection is clear with headphones, speakers and my new car.

I have bought two of these. For some reason (after working fine for six months) the first one failed to charge after I ran the battery to zero. I immediately ordered another for an upcoming flight. When I got home I wrote customer service about the failed unit and received a new one within three days. Amazing customer service! I highly recommend this player it to anyone.