Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S)
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 18, 2010 by Eric M. Zeman
T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy S -- the Vibrant -- holds up well when pitted against the Captivate. It lags the Captivate in a few places, while besting it in others. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
The best on the market!!!!
I just have a few words, since I agree with most of the things posted already. I will say this...the only complaint I have is the battery. For me, (a heavy user), it only last for one day. I have to charge it by night fall...which is cool with me for now.
Other than that, nothing can touch this phone. Don't believe the hype you hear about other phones out there...THIS ONE IS THE BEST!!
BEST ON THE MARKET! ! !
First Android, WOW
Truly an incredible experience. Like the others who reviewed before me, yes the lack of a camera flash is dissappointing. Hardly a deal breaker. I am coming from Blackberry 8900. The phone is very touch responsive and quick. There is no jerky video lag. Completely satisfied. Really like Android.
From Nexus One to Samsung Vibrant
Went from Nexus One to Vibrant, Samsung did a good job but left out some big details.
Pros:
-4" AMOLED screen is nothing shy of spectacular
-Seems to be running at 120hz with "Motion-Flow" because animations are incredibly smooth
-"Avatar" looks INCREDIBLE
-Comes with 16GB of on-board storage
-Comes with 2GB of memory for Apps
-Ridiculously light
-Screen resolution and color display rivals anything ever seen on a mobile device
-Incredible battery life (at about 45% after a full day of heavy data use and constant music)
-Loud speaker is very loud and clear
-Displays the color black unlike any other phone I've ever seen (you can't tell where the screen ends on either of the 4 sides)
-Records video at 720p
-Video-Out option where you can actually output video through the headphone Jack using an 3.5mn Jack to AV
Cons:
-No camera flash
-5MP camera (other "high-end" devices have 8MP)
-No Android 2.2
-No Adobe Flash Player 10.1
-*biggie* Can't assign custom ringtones for existing contacts (you have to crate a new contact and assign a custom ringtone before saving and then link them together)
-No notification LED
-TouchWiz feels too much like iPhone's OS
-Doesnt bring carrying case or pouch
-No trackball or trackpad
-Feels a bit cheap and flimsy because of its lightness
This is definitely a great phone but unfortunately not spectacular, once it gets Android 2.2 then it'll be a different story. I have Froyo on my Nexus and it makes a world of difference. Samsung did well keeping this phone exactly like the international "Galaxy S", but they left out too much that should of been there.
One very very very bad thing.
The small turn-on button on the side must be used every time you go to use the phone and during a call you must use it again because the screen goes dark. I hunt for and push that button over 100 times per day. The search button on the front is the obvious choice for that and the designers must have been paid by Google to make it their default button. It's a major issue for me but everything else is sooo good I wish I could just pay extra to change it. I've had the G-1 ever since the day it was released and it's still pretty good. I bought the Vibrant the minute it was released and I hope it stands up as long. If a newer version comes out without that button issue, I will buy it. I hope Samsung is listening.
NICE for T-Mobile
This phone was just shipped to my doorstep yesterday. It's nice, but not super nice.
Pros:
-4" AMOLED
-Avatar in HD
-Smooth interface
-Very thin
-5 mega-pixel
-Tons of memory from Samsung
Cons:
-Light and "cheap" feeling
-No camera flash
-A tad buggy
Heart broken
This is the most beautiful screen I have ever seen on a phone. I looked at I Phone 4 and I must say the reviews on some sites to me are wrong. This phone is way better on the screen. I seen some say it feels cheap but I think it feels of a quality as good as any. It is so smooth and I have found no drag at all. Blows the Droids out of the water. Size is perfect. The interface for contacts is best I have seen on android. The movie that comes on it is like watching a HD TV. Now for why I am heart broken , no coverage in my area and no coverage on my way to work. I bought and hoped it would work enough to keep but it doesn't. So let me say if you have coverage buy this phone. I have to take mine back tomorrow.
Pro's
Speed
Screen is beautiful
Phone interface is great
A real quality feel to phone
Con's
Coverage area for me
It's awesome
Probably one of the best tmobile androids out there. Being I haven't experienced the phonee only read blogs and reviews but there all positive
Pros:
Everything
Cons:
Nothing
locks up
this phone is no good to me locks up all the time this is my 4 phone about to go to a different provider
LOVE this phone
The only reason I can't give this phone a 5 is because I don't know how good Samsung's support will be going down the road considering the debacle called the Behold 2.
I don't know what justfinethanku is talking about with screen. Is he reviewing the same phone, seriously? Although I agree that touchwiz is not as nice as vanilla android, I don't think it really gets in the way. Its not as obtrusive as I thought it would be.
And the screen, one word: amazing...
I can view the screen from nearly 180 degrees with no color distortion like an LCD would. The screen is very, very sharp, its got great resolution. Its 480x800... that's better than any phone except the retina display on the icrap 4. Being SAMOLED also means its very visible in direct sunlight compared to its LCD opposite and uses a fraction of the power an LCD would.
I own a mytouch Slide as well, and there is no way I could go back to it after the Vibrant. I 100% recommend this phone, its amazing.
As for justfinethanku saying the phone is feels cheap, i disagree. Just because a phone is extremely light doesn't mean its cheap. I've unfortunately dropped mine a couple of times already and its holding up great. And the screen lock idea I actually like, you can swipe any direction to unlock it and not just move a stupid slider. And the whole puzzle unlock thing is very, very handy.
All in all, this is a home-run for Samsung. Between this and the whole Galaxy S line, they have really stepped up their game to try and compete with HTC and Motorola's offerings. Still looking forward to what HTC has in store later this year, should be friggin awesome. Too bad they canceled their contract with Samsung to start using Samsung's AMOLED screens in HTC phones...
