Samsung Captivate Android Smartphone Review
Introduction & Specifications
Smartphone manufacturers have been using very boastful smartphone names lately—everything from the HTC Droid Incredible to the Motorola Droid X (where X stands for extreme). Certainly with names such as these, expectations will be high. We've already taken a look at both of these phones and deemed them to be worthy competitors in today's smartphone market.
Samsung is following in line with this trend of offering a smartphone with a name that tends to evoke great expectations with its Captivate smartphone. As one of four smartphones in the company's Galaxy S line of devices, the Captivate boasts of a number of compelling features including a 1GHz processor, 4-inch screen, and a price that's a penny under $200.
Perhaps even more compelling is the Captivate's Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen which promises brighter images, less sunlight reflection, and reduced power consumption in comparison to the first-generation AMOLED displays. What's even better is that this Super AMOLED touchscreen is thinner than TFT LCD and AMOLED displays, thereby enabling Samsung to make the phone thinner than many competitive phones that use other screen technologies.
In addition, the Samsung Captivate is AT&T's first high-end Android-powered smartphone. Although AT&T has certainly enjoyed great success with the iPhone, it's been widely reported that this exclusivity will be coming to an end. With Android quickly gaining market share, we have to think that AT&T has realized that it must offer some compelling Android-powered smartphones in order to fully compete in today's highly-competitive smartphone market.
AT&T and Samsung are also making the Captivate competitive in terms of pricing. At the time of this review, the Captivate is available for $199.99 after discounts and with a two-year contract. Like other smartphones, a data service plan is required. AT&T's data plans start at $15 per month and voice plans start at $39.99 per month.
Although the Captivate certainly has some compelling features that attract attention, the real question is whether or not it lives up to its name by captivating users and fully competing with other excellent Android-powered smartphones on the market today. Read on as we take an in-depth hands-on look at the Samsung Captivate from AT&T.
The Samsung Captivate In Action...
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| CPU |
1GHz Samsung Hummingbird |
| Platform |
Android 2.1 (will be upgradeable to 2.2) |
| Memory |
16GB ROM/512MB RAM possible 32GB external memory via microSD card, no card included |
| Dimensions |
4.78 x 2.5 x 0.39 inches |
| Weight |
4.5 ounces |
| Display |
4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen WVGA 480x800 |
| Network |
Quad-Band EDGE 850/900/1800/1900MHz Tri-Band UMTS/HSDPA (850/900/1900/2100MHz) |
| GPS |
A-GPS with AT&T Navigator |
| Connectivity |
Bluetooth 3.0 Wi-Fi DLNA Wireless sharing microUSB |
| Camera |
5 Megapixels with auto focus, smile detection and 720p HD video recording, 4x zoom |
| Music |
3.5mm headset jack Music Player (AAC, MIDI, MP3, WMA, XMF) AT&T Radio support |
| Video |
MPEG4, AAC, AAC+, H.263, H.264 |
| Battery |
1500 hi capacity mAH battery Talk time: up to 5 hours 50 minutes Standby: up to 300 hours |
| Email |
POP, IMAP4, SMTP |
| Additional Features |
Pedometer Dual speakers for 3D sound Day and evening themes change at preset times Advanced speech recognition Samsung's Social Hub Six-axis sensor Gyroscope Swype |
| In-Box Content |
Samsung Captivate Lithium ion battery Stereo headset Wall charger USB cable Quick start guide Health & Safety and Warranty Guide |
The Samsung Captivate's Accessory Bundle
