Samsung Captivate (Galaxy S)
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 18, 2010 by Eric M. Zeman
Phone Scoop takes the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S -- the Captivate -- for a spin to see how well it performs. The display and battery life are amazing. How do the rest of the features hold up? read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
iPhone killaaa
Listen, for those of you programmed to the iPhone the Samsung Captivate does EVERYTHING the iPhone does.
Pros: Best Screen among Android devices
1 GHz Processor (beast)
16GB built in (not that most iPhone users take advantage of this)
Excellent Reception
100,000+apps...majority are free
INSURANCE! iPhone only offers 13.99 insurance thru Asurion which is a third party company..LETS DO THE MATH:
2 YR price on iPhone4 $199.99
Insurance: 13.99 x 24 months = $335.76
which equals: $534.76
-OR-
Captivate $199
Insurance 4.99 x 24 months = $120
equals: $319!
So, is that apple logo on the back worth spending $215 dollars MORE? Well the 4 does have a front facing camera which is obviouslt engineered towards Skype video chat. Do you use this? No? Go get the Captivate.
CONS: The Hardware on the outside isn't the best material of all time. The iPhone 4 does feel better in the hand..mainly because it was built with tougher, more durable materials (better be if youre not getting insurance!)
No Camera Flash, really?
Great phone
This is a great phone. It's amazing how much Samsung packed into such a thin device. You'll see other posts on the internet discussing whether this is an iPhone killer. Actually the iPhone is so good I don't think there is any phone that could be called that. But in the last 3 years, other phones have caught up, including the Adnroid phones like this one. Based on specs it is a very even match, and for my preferences this phone is actually better. But the point is that there is now more than one choice if you want a thin smart phone with a big, beautiful, super-responsive touch screen.
As far as screen resolution goes, the iPhone's retina display has an insane pixel density. But it is actually overkill for practical purposes for most people. If you need a magnifying glass or macro camera lens to see the difference, then that amount of difference doesn't matter. If you can't see it with the naked eye, what's the point? And that extra resolution just puts more load on the gpu. To my eye, I prefer the vividness and deeper black levels of the Captivate. Plus the technology puts less drain on the battery, since black is represented by the LEDs just being off, where LCDs have a bright backlight and then have to block that light to get black.
Pros:
Awesome screen
Responsive interface
Fast CPU
Great battery life (for a smartphone)
Great call quality
Huge internal memory (16G before adding your own card)
Lots of apps on the Android Market (much better than I used to find for my WinMo Fuze).
Cons:
Outlook sync requires Kies software, which you have to look for on the internet. It worked fine for my contacts list, but I'm still working on an issue with the Calendar sync.
It is a large phone. But the thinness makes it easy to carry in a belt case. It is actually less volume than my previous phone (HTC Fuze).
Requires a data plan. I chose the $25 plan initially but hope to be able to drop back to the $15 plan once I get it all set up. (I mostly use WIFI at work and at home).
Conclusion:
This is an awesome phone and I am very impressed with everything about it. The lack of a camera flash is not an issue for me, as it is for some. It does everything I need and then some!
Ed. note: updated July 26, 2010
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A Little late to the party
I'm a little late to the party, but I refuse to pay retail price for a phone.... or take on another 2 yr contract.... so I buy used phones..... I have not liked all of the Samsung phones I have bought, but I love this phone. It is very much like my Galaxy Tab 2 in operation... so it is easy to figure out. I also don't always love my phone to be anything but a phone, but this phone has a great camera... I do wish it had a flash, but it takes great pics and videos. It has a lot of internal memory and I upped it with an 16gb SD card. Also, the wifi is very fast and the screen resolution is great. I have read the reviews about shut downs... and I have noticed that ... very little. But I decided not to worry about it, because it doesn't happen often and I can get right back on... so I wasn't sure if it was my phone or my carrier. I also bought a used iphone 3, which I liked, but it was not compatible with my carrier for picture txts or data... and this one is. I love it. I will probably buy another one down the road. I may upgrade, but not to have a contract......no more for that! I don't need the latest and greatest.... I also bought a more powerful battery on ebay for not a lot and that really works great.
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Terrible
Pro:
I no longer have it!
Cons:
Locked up multiple times per day. Terrible battery life- I had to charge it every day as soon as I got home.
I will never again own a Samsung phone.
Moderate
Phone was graphic good pics but am on second replacement for connectivity (even with exceptional location), shutting down, backing out of websites without prompting.
Kies does not backup contacts, ATT backup only backs up contact name, and one number, no other data, gmail is sporatic with ability to keep contacts. Paper address book still required.
AT&T help desk had no clue and franchise refused to use their machine to copy full phone to replacement phone; Samsung apologized and that did not really help. Gmail, no accountability really.
Looking for better connectivity.
JUST ON WORD (NOT!) :D
Where does the Captivate stand out? And is it really poised to knock the iPhone from its perch as the only smartphone on AT&T really worth considering? (NOW JUST ONE WORD! :D) YES!!!!!!!!!
GREAT Android Device
I've owned this phone for a little over a week and couldn't be happier. I switched back to AT&T from Metro PCS because cheaper isn't always better. I picked up the Samsung Captivate from Walmart for $0.97. AT&T is currently selling it for $50. I haven't had any issues yet so I'm quite pleased with its performance. I have the 2 gig data plan for $25/month which is plenty for my use. Tons and tons of cool apps from the android market.
It's a miniature miracle!
I bought this phone 6 months ago to replace my Palm Centro. Now my co-worker, son, niece and my husband own a Captivate.
First, the hardware:
It IS a mini-computer! The screen is absolutely beautiful. I have a photo of a flower from our land along with Friendly Bugs live wallpaper. It looks like the desktop of my Dell laptop, just smaller. So bright, so clear.
At first, it used up a battery pretty fast, but WOW, you can actually change batteries, unlike an iPhone. It has never been easier. Slide down the metal latch on the bottom rear and the back lifts off. There is a great charger with kickstand that when closed becomes a nice portable battery case to take with you.
It's a perfectly sized phone, thin and easy to hold. The speakers are adequate and volume can be tweaked with software.
I won't have a phone without external memory. I love the 16GB built-in. Can't afford a 32GB card yet, but my current total of 32GB will do for now. And the processor is fast. What more can you ask for?
Now, the software:
Oh, I love the Android OS! It makes this phone totally configurable. I can take HD movies of my grandkids. I can surf the net with a fast customizable browser. I can play games, add cover art to my music and don't have download the music from iTunes!
I can attend meetings with Webex and access my company's Lotus Notes, so can take my work with me everywhere...not sure that's always a good thing:-}
I use Google mail to manage my, my husband's and my mother-in-laws travel needs and view it on Jorte, a great email app or via the web at Gmail.
I can access almost every type of file I need, browse Chrome on my puter and send a link to my phone. I can use Evernote to keep track of my To Do list and sync it with my personal and work laptop. It's a GPS, a voice recorder, a flashlight and a game console. It's a book reader, a radio player, a music lyrics finder and so much more.
Oh yeah, and I can make phone calls and text all day if I want.
I can customize to my heart's content!
Simply the Best
The Samsung Captivate is w/o doubt the best Android phone AT&T has to offer. It is in the running to be the best phone in there entire stable! Period! The screen is more than awesome, the speed of the device is incredible, Skyfire (the downloadable Browser) is "almost" as good as safari, nothing is touching that camera, live wallpapers etc. The ONLY reason I gave mine back was b/c im just really comfortable and used to iPhone. And in the end I would really like something with a physical keyboard
Pros:
Camera
FAST
Android Market
Twidroyd > Echofon/Tweetdeck/T4i
Screen is simply better....than anything
Live Wallpapers
Multi-Tasking
Widgets
Ships with 16gb card
Perfect Size for typing
Cons:
Charger on top
Very slippery
No Flash for Camera
Battery lIfe not great
The screen is more HD than my TV!
After living and dying by apple, I decided to take a risk and try one of these alongside my iPhone 4. The iPhone is now gone! The screen is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
PROS:
Screen is big with very vibrant colors.
The phone is extremely sturdy. I have dropped it numerous times and it has one little scratch from the asphalt.
Touchscreen really responsive
Android system is ALOT better than I expected
16 GB of storage and it is expandable
Android market is really improving and has tons of stuff (Still not up to Apples yet though)
The live wallpapers on the AMOLED screen or superb
Takes amazing pictures and videos
CONS
Still hasn't been upgraded to 2.2 yet. I don't know why AT&T are always last. But the same happened with my old Blackberry curve work phone.
Battery life isn't spectacular, but getting to look at the screen all day makes up for a short battery life.
GPS doesn't work well (Supposed to be fixing that though.)
Overall, this is my favorite phone ever. I would recommend giving it a shot.
