AT&T's version of the Samsung Galaxy S has finally been released. Called the Samsung Captivate, it's easily the carrier's most powerful Android device.
Physically, the handset sports a rather industrial design. If you can get past the cover, though, you will appreciate the hefty hardware, maintained inside a rather slim 0.39-inch frame that manages to slip (barely) in most front pockets. Construction actually appears very sturdy, compared to other Galaxy S phones now out. The 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive display (840 x 480 resolution) looks gorgeous, with a brilliance and sharpness rarely seen in many smartphones. Plus, the touchscreen is notably responsive and fast.
As a phone, the Captivate delivers great-sounding calls, with clear audio and rich voices. Those on the other end reported the same, although they can easily identify we were talking on a cellphone. Speakerphone added a hollow tone, but it was usable even in noisier environments. Battery life is rated at almost six hours. From our tests, most users will probably need to charge every night or so.
Not only is this the most powerful Android phone on AT&T's roster, it's also the most feature-packed. Aside from the usual phone features, it's also a quad-band world phone, with a whole host of advanced voice services. It also inherits Android 2.1's messaging strengths, with support for IM, Exchange and multiple social networking sites. Plus, there's unified inbox and calendar, as well as automatic backup of your address book to AT&T's servers .
Browser supports both tabbed browsing and Flash Lite, making for an enjoyable time surfing. Data speeds are terrific and the phone performs up to speed, easily playing YouTube videos without a hint of buffering (after a couple seconds of loading). We love this as a multimedia phone, zipping through every video we loaded handily, playing it with amazing quality. Music quality is up there with the best too. Plus, it's got MobiTV and future support for Samsung MediaHub.
Aside from Google's default suite of apps, it comes with a whole host of others, including Write and Go (a notepad/messaging app), Mobile Banking, Where and the gamut of AT&T-specific services. The 5.0 megapixel camera took decent shots - nothing better than what's expected, though. Sadly, there's no flash.
If you're getting an Android phone from AT&T, the Samsung Captivate is as good as you can get right now. There's really nothing better, provided you're fine with an average-quality, high-res camera and no Wi-Fi hotspot tethering support. It's priced at $199.99 with a two-year contract (both voice and data plans are required).
