Samsung Captivate Review
Samsung’s Galaxy S series bring out the best combination of hardware and software that can be found on smartphones. The Samsung Captivate on AT&T is no exception, being a powerful Android mobile phone with a splendid look (living up to its name) and some great features. Here’s taking a closer look at the device:
Samsung Captivate Review Quality and Design
The Samsung Captivate has a simple look with all sides of the black slab phone having a gentle slant. Its main advantage over the iPhone 4 comes however from its 4″Super AMOLED touchscreen. A bright and colourful display on this capacitive touchscreen ensures that images and videos come alive on this smartphone. However, the iPhone screen visibility is better outdoors. The sharpness of the WVGA screen resolution (480×800 pixels) also ensures that the text looks crisp. Under the screen there are four touch sensitive controls placed right below the Samsung logo. They are Home, Menu, Back and Search. While the left side of the phone contains a volume rocker, the right side houses the power/lock key. On top there is the 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port and the camera lens is located on the back below which is placed the speaker. This device is slim enough to slip into the pocket easily.
Samsung Captivate Review Super AMOLED Touchscreen
The AMOLED touchscreen on the Samsung Captivate is responsive and quick, registering swipes made on the phone. The pinch-to-zoom feature works at amazing speed and even scrolling on the smartphone is made fast for customers. This device not only provides more viewing angles but also works consuming less power. Finally, the size of the screen makes web browsing a treat.
Samsung Captivate Review Specifications
Measuring at 4.78″х2.5″х0.39″ this device weighs about 4.5 ounces. Powered by the 1GHz Hummingbird processor, the Samsung Captivate has 16GB ROM and 512MB RAM, with the memory capable of being expanded upto another 32GB.
Samsung Captivate Review Features
The Samsung Captivate operates on Android 2.1 coupled with Samsung’s TouchWiz 3.0 interface. One can have upto seven homescreens on the device, deleting the ones not preferred. Along with the preexisting widgets, there are newer ones on this device such as ‘Feeds & Updates’ which brings updates from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Apart from social networking, widgets for the calendar and news updates can be placed on the homescreen for easy availability. The apps menu is similar to the iPhone one, with a four-by-four grid of icons arranged onscreen that can be swiped across.
The virtual QWERY keyboard on this device uses Swype technology to input text at a fast speed.
The Samsung Captivate has multimedia options galore for customers. One can opt for subscription based MobiTV or play Youtube videos. A media app called AllShare uses WiFi and DLNA to play files from this device on another player.
Wireless technology is available on the Samsung Captivate with users provided with WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth.
Samsung Captivate Review Camera
A 5MP camera is provided on the Samsung Captivate, with autofocus and 4X digital zoom. Image quality is decent and even HD video recording on this device is average.
Samsung Captivate Review Battery
With a talktime of upto 5 hours 50 minutes and a standby time of about 300 hours, the Samsung Captivate comes with a decent battery life.
Samsung Captivate Review Limitations of the Samsung Captivate
The Samsung Captivate lacks a front facing camera and also a camera flash. Also, the backlights of the front touch control go off while the display is on, making the controls invisible in a dark room. This is a definite setback. Further, internet browsing is slower than that found on the iPhone.
For those who are more into social networking and avid video fans, the Samsung Captivate is probably a good option. The Android experience has been enhanced for users on this device. Apart from a few glitches, this device looks set to wow customers with its features and performance.
