Review: Samsung Captivate
The Captivate is a big slab of a phone. It's not as egregiously ginormous as the Droid X or EVO 4G, but it is big, just the same. It feels fairly light in the hand, but still solid and well made. Most surfaces are either plastic or glass, though the battery cover is metallic and covered with a soft touch paint job. That gives it a welcome grippy feeling. As far as looks go, the Captivate has a bit more personality and appeal when compared to its paternal twin, the Vibrant.
The front is dominated by the large touch screen. There are four capacitive buttons placed at the bottom edge to access the standard Android Menu, Home, Back, Search actions. These capacitive buttons were not quite as responsive as I would have liked. They do, however, offer the option to include haptic feedback (micro vibrations) when touched. For those who need a little bit more guidance, the haptic feedback can be helpful.
The volume toggle is on the left side of the phone and I can't say I care for it all that much. It's small-ish, and has minimal travel and feedback. The power/lock key is located on the right side of the phone. It is way too small and difficult to find. Samsung likes to place the power/lock key in this spot on many of its phones. Given the size and shape of the Captivate, it simply isn't all that comfortable to use.
The 3.5mm headset jack is located on the top of the phone, as is the microUSB port. The microUSB port is perhaps my favorite physical feature of the Captivate. It is covered by a little door. The door slides sideways to reveal the headset jack. Much better to use than those sometimes-tricky hatches.
The microSD card slot is located under the battery cover, but thankfully not under the battery itself. In order to remove the battery cover, you have to slide down the very bottom edge of the Captivate, which is a latch of sorts. Once slid open, the battery cover is free.
Slab-style phones are hard to make unique. The Captivate does a better job than the Vibrant, but it is still a bit on the conservative side.
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