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
This phone will Captivate You!
I used all 6 Galaxy Series phones from samsung.
The Galaxy S (European International Version)
: Feels cheap and too buggy compared to the north american versions.
The Galaxy Beam (only available in Asia)
: only 800MHz processor, not enough to hold the projector it has built in.
The Vibrant (T-Mobile),
:Too Laggy, It was slow and it would freeze a lot in comparison to other ones.
The Fascinate (Verizon)
Only 2 GB of internal memory, are you kidding me?, and I don't care about 2.2 Froyo since it will come out for captivate this month.
The Epic 4G (Sprint),
Too thick and physical keyboard was a bad idea in my opinion, since the springs will give out one day you know? also this makes the phone more "Breakable". I know it has a front facing camera, but seriously how many times are you going to use that?
The Captivate (at&t) just perfect. It excells in every area:
-Fast 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 Processor
-16GB of internal memory
-Android 2.1 Eclair
-Mde sturdy (Carbon Fiber-looking back)
-supports up to a 32GB micro SD card
-GSM Phone
-Super AMOLED Display (This Goes for all Galaxy S phones, just put it next to ANY phone and you will see the difference)
-Sorround Sound
-3D Graphics Card (Great for Gaming)
-Fast Data
-No Dropped Calls so far
-Looks Bigger, Thinner, and more sleek than any other Galaxy S phone out there.
-5mp camera (It might sound like something common, but the pictures look better than in any other phone for some reason) No need for flash, it doesn't make a difference anyways with the horrible LED flash the put on most phones.
-Swype Typing
-Amazing Signal
-Battery lasts about 1.5-2.0 days (rare in smartphones)
-720p HD video recording and playback
-You can sync to Mac or Itunes (theres an free app in the android market for this, I just won't say the name cuz idk if can do that here, but there is one)
-Media Hub
-Free video calling over 3G with ***** app works wonders.
-Threaded text messaging.
NO CONS AT ALL!
Completely amazing!
I just got this phone yesterday, but i work for at&t and i already know about all the other phones out there...This is the one I have been waiting for! So far, I have played with virtually every feature on this phone and can't find anything i dont like...
PROS:
this screen is like BUTTER (so smooth!)
swype texting
outstanding screen display
android market
battery life is as good or as bad as expected
easy to see for us blind folk
Gorilla Glass--this phone is indestructible!
live wallpapers
speakers are GREAT
so many things to do and see on this phone!
CONS:
maybe its a tad too big?
the phone itself is somewhat slippery...it falls off of things easy, i had no choice but to get a silicone case for it.
On another note, I am planning my wedding right now; I have already downloaded a wedding planning (free) app from the android market which helps me out so much. Plus, it is easy to seperate contacts into groups for fast calling/texting...oh, and I have already seen for myself that customers are realizing that the iphone is not worth the hassle that Apple puts you through, and several people have switched over to the android market. Seriously, get with the program people. This thing is amazing!!
A Cut above the rest
Lets stary by saying this is the best phone I have owned or used. Yes better than the iphone and evo or blackberry torch.
PROS:
Perfectly sized four inch touch super AMOLED display.
Good five mega pixel camera and stellar 720p recording.
Good service anywhere I am (new york).
Decent call quality for the most part.
Android market is good as always.
I love the way the back of the phone comes off.
Video quality is just fascinating to watch.
Crazy fast one ghz processor.
Swype texting is plain awesome.
Display is similar to that of an hd television.
So bright I keep my brightness as low as possible.
CONS:
Battery is decent but coming from a blackberry user its not too great.
Speakers not all that loud.
Aside from those cons the phone is fabulous. Much better than my mytouch or blackberry 8900 and quite easily faster than any phone I've ever used. Can't wait for froyo to add the finishing touches.
Simply amazing smartphone
I'll start with a pros and cons list. A "+" signifies a major pro or con for me, and a "-" signifies a minor pro or con for me.
Pros:
+Battery life is absolutely phenomenal for such a high-tech smartphone
+4.0" OLED screen @ 800x450 resolution looks very, very nice
+Runs Android OS, which allows for multi-tasking and Android apps
+Comes with 16GB of memory
-Camera records video in 720p HD
-Supports WiFi b/g/n
-Touch screen is extremely responsive
-Has a 3.5" headphone/aux jack for music
-Supports most popular music and video formats
Cons:
+Custom ringtones cannot be larger than 300kb
-Speaker could be louder
-Camera does not have an LED flash
-Camera is absolutlely terrible in even dim light
-Camera still pictures can be hard to take if shaky, even when not shaky, still typically blurry for such a high resolution
-The phone exterior is pretty slippery, round plastic sides everywhere, felt like holding a bar of soap. Though a silicone case fixes that problem pretty easily
So all-in-all, the speaker and camera could be a bit better, but this is a GREAT phone. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a high-tech smartphone. And it's cheap, too. At time of posting this, the Captivate went for $80 with a new contract, or $140 with a contract renewal. Both much better than the hefty pricetags on the iPhone 4's, the Captivates' main competition.
Finally and Android phone worth having on ATT!
Android is amazing. This is nothing new or surprising. The hardware is now the biggest determining factor in how you will enjoy your android experience, so lets talk about the ATT version of Samsung's Galaxy S lineup. I sell phones for a living, so my review is based on personal comparisons to other android models across several carriers.
Pros:
-Great screen. Good size, great picture, perfect sensitivity. Most important, however, is the fact that AMO-LED will grant you a lot more battery life over the competition's LCD screen.
-1ghz chip makes it fly.
-3.5mm(1/8") audio AND video out.
-16g on board, and 16g via microSD gives PLENTLY of room.
-Perfect size body. My hands are small-medium, and I can just barely use the device one handed comfortably. Any bigger (evo, X, etc) and I'd have to use 2 hands to operate the phone.
Cons:
-No sideloading. ATT has blocked us from loading things onto the memory card from another device and then importing that into the phone. This is likely to keep Android from outshining the iPhone. This is annoying, however I've been satisfied just e-mailing files to myself from my computer. Most files I want on my phone, I can get via 3g or wifi without needing another device anyway. So, while this is lame, it's not really a big obstacle.
-Power jack ON TOP of the device. My biggest complaint about this phone is it's no fun to use while charging. Please Samsung, place your power jacks on the bottom or side for useability during charging.
-Default Samsung TW launcher is not super customizable, but 2 free app downloads from the market fix this (Home Switcher and LauncherPro) to make the phone VERY flexible without rooting it.
Conclusion:
This is without question the strongest android option for ATT, and is right on pace with every other carrier's leading hardware currently. I have been loving my Captivate for 2 months, and am about to purchase a second for the Mrs. I strongly recommend this phone!
Excellent Phone
Pros:
"My Files" Manage all the files on you phone. Transfer files between your Micro SD card and your 16GB internal SD card. since my mac is not compatible...I simply put any music or videos on my sd card and transfer it rigt on the phone. I use Gmail to sync mail, calendar, contacts, and pictures! All over the air! never need to plug in my phone!
-7 home screens that ARE NOT! filled with just apps. There are great widgets (mini programs) that take the place of boring app icons. Even some space eaters like picture frame where i can crop a photo and have it displayed on a desktop screen.
-Can have one app icon displayed more than once. I have my "app killer" and "camera" icon on every home screen for fast or easy access.
-The screen is simply the best for video around. iPhone prob beats it when it comes to reading Text due to the higher resolution. But the screen is also a lot larger so text is bigger and not an issue.
-Micro USB is great. Nearly universal. 3.5mm hs jack is a must.
-Web browser is a good as anything else.
-The Media player is amazing! Kills iPod! I was blind but now i see
-The pull down shade is sweet. Makes multi-tasking a breeze.
-Google Inc. is rapidly growing and it's very exciting.
-OH! i almost forgot about google voice! i have a CT number for personal use. But i don't want to change it to a NY number for work. so i got a google voice number that i can use from my captivate. incoming and outgoing calls can easily be made with that number. also texting is free with it. and i can record a call.
-The camera software is amazing. the 8 shot panoramic and the action shot panoramic is great. also the smile detect is fun.
-Touch wiz 3.0 is actually very good. extremely customizable. I was worried because phone-scoop seems to hate it.
Cons
-GPS is not working YET. I'm patient. I still have my Garmin.
Very Nice, if you get a good one.
I just read an article about how quality control of smartphones has taken a dive. I don't know if mine was an isolated incident or if others have had trouble with the Samsung Captivate. Mine, The 'Home' button seemed to be stuck, as if it was being pushed. And the ear piece distorted some at higher volumes.
Other than a few problems which required an exchange, this is a very nice handset.
PROS:
Screen
Size, Thin
1 Ghz
Battery Life
Android
Metal Battery Door
CONS:
Read Instructions on How To Install The Battery
Ringtones/Notifications Could Be Louder
Quality Control, Maybe
Slippery
After 40 days of use
Bought this phone to replace my bberry 9700.
Pros-
Screen is amazing
Touch wiz has some nice customization
Light Weight offsets large size
Great selection of android apps
Battery is decent for what it is
Camera is great with enough lighting
gmail works great
Lots of sharing/connectivity options for multimedia
Processor and OS are great. little lag.
Cons-
Screen washes out in direct sunlight
No dedicated camera button(bad for self portraits)
buttons at the bottom of phone should be real buttons not touch...they are somewhat non-responsive especially when phone is flat on a desk
reception is mediocre compared to my bberry
call quality is just ok
There should only be one settings menu for all settings.
Battery takes ages to charge fully.
GPS is unreliable and sometimes never locks on
Summary-
Overall I really like the phone. Hopefully 2.2 can address some of the issues that aren't hardware related.
Captivate is Captivating
I recently purchased the Samsung Captivate, and I truly love it.I have had two Samsung phones previously; the "Blackjack", and the "Jack of which I liked. The Captivate is an entirely different experience..Bigger, larger than life, and the screen explodes with both color and motion.The internet is very fast with both 3G and Wifi. I was amazed when I walked into my son's home and was notified by the phone that Wifi was available.
The Pros: The screen is tactile and responsive.
Internet is fast and pages are loaded quickly.
The phone makes and holds calls with Bluetooth, great for driving.
The camera is very good with a number of options and configurations.
syncing with contacts was flawless, and I was able to eliminate the duplications I had been living with.
There are hundreds of apps. many free, I love the compass. ; )
Cons: No flash on camera. Certainly not a deal breaker.
All in all a great phone, I understand the next big step in high end phones will be a video card. I can hardly wait.
best phone to date
the captivate is the best phone i have ever owned and arguably the galaxy s phones are the best on the market
pros:
the best camera app in a phone, no need for that digital camera anymore.
best cpu, the hummingbird is built on a smaller architecture and uses less power.
the screen looks amazing! brighter and truer colors than any other
attractive form factor.
best graphics processor on a phone.
android os.
easy to mod.
great sound quality.
16 gig onboard "sd" storage with an "external" slot to expand it, no disguarding a perfectly good 16gig card because you want 32gigs like the vibrant and fascinate.
great headphones, in ear headphones rock! no cheap ear buds on this phone
swype
samsung has been regularly updating firmware.
cons:
no flash on the camera
the video call vga camera from the i9000 galaxy s was not carried over to this model
no support for adobe flash yet, cept for the sky fire browser on the market that plays movies but not games and doesn't view flash on the websites, htc adds a flash player to it's non froyo models so what gives samsung?
its on ATT, boooo
forced by att to remove tethering abilities, in the origonal firmware which most will have you can usb tether
att are liers and lazy saying they are improving something and waiting 6 years to get it done.
fat 32 file system causes a lag issue. the lag causes a "low" benchmark score. low is a relative term here though it is on par with many snapdragon phones but after implementing a "lagfix" it doubles or triples the score giving it a score in quadrant that cant be touched as of yet! 2505 for my overclocked beast with updated firmware =)(with thanks to the devs on the XDA forum)
hard to find a good case, the body gloves cases att run out fast. there are nice ones on the internet but i hate to buy something i have never seen in person.
