Jul 30, 2010 10:54 AM EDT by Brian K. Neal
We’ve recently settled some pretty tough smart phone battles, but nothing is more intense than a good ole’ case of sibling rivalry. We’re talking about the recently launch Samsung Captivate (AT&T) and Samsung Vibrant (T-Mobile), the first two members out the gate in the Galaxy S line. Both Android superphones sport Samsung’s snappy dazzling Super AMOLED 4-inch displays, 1-GHz Hummingbird processors, and a robuts 16GB of storage. Samsung’s custom Touchwiz 3.0 interface on top of Android 2.1 (Eclair) graces each device, and they both can shoot 720p video.
So, yes, the Captivate and Vibrant are twins, but they’re far from identical. And not just because one is sold by AT&T and the other by T-Mobile. Here’s how these two powerhouses stack up.
Design
Both the Captivate and Vibrant house the same 4-inch Super AMOLED high-res (800 x 480) display that’s simply a sight to behold. Movies, pictures, video games-they all look glorious on either device. In almost every other way, though, these phones look quite different.
While dimensionally the same at 4.8 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches, the dark gray sides of the Captivate don’t look as sexy next to the chrome-like border of the iPhone 3G-inspired Vibrant; we prefer its more rounded corners. They both have touch-sensitive capacitive buttons (Menu, Home, Back, and Search), but the space between the bottom of the display and the bottom edge of each phone (where the buttons are housed) is wider on the Vibrant, making them more comfortable to touch. We found ourselves touching the bottom edge of the phone on the Captivate more than we liked. The same buttons are also brighter on the Vibrant, making them easier to see in all lighting conditions.
On the other hand, we prefer the metal backplate of the Captivate over the glossy, more slippery plastic one of the Vibrant. The sliding hinge on the Captivate also makes it much more user friendly to access the battery over the small slot (beneath the phone) used to pry open the Vibrant. At times we feared we might damage the case if we applied to much pressure. The volume rocker on the Captivate is more contoured than the flat one on the Vibrant, making it easier to adjust, and the power/lock key on the Captivate is also larger and easier to press.
Winner: Draw. Both phones are svelte and pocket friendly. The sturdier metal backplate, and user-friendly opening mechanism on the Captivate balances with the brighter, more spacious capacitive buttons on the rounder Vibrant.
August 1st, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Hey all,
I have actually owned both of these phones. I started with the T mobile Vibrant a week ago. It is a very nice phone. As far as the review goes, I would agree with several points; however, I write to point out my observations and personal experience.
The vibrant is a lot like holding an ipod touch in your hand. very thin, slick edge. The plastic back is not a good feel. There is a protrusion at the bottom which serves better as a side grip while using the phone horizontally rather than vertically. I found myself immediately wanting a gel case to add grip to the phone. The buttons at the bottom are definitely brighter when lit. Also the power and rocker buttons have insets that caused me to have to turn the phone sideways often to use them-not good. The phone does come with the 2GB card, the Sims game and other apps along with a movie that is really nice. The best part of this phone option was the phone plan with the carrier. I happily arrived home though to discover that there was no carrier signal for at least a half mile from my home. We tried switching sim cards with no improvement. Back went the vibrant.
I learned who had a strong signal in my area from users THEN went shopping again. I knew that the phone plan would cost more but was not sure of what phone to get. ATT’s iphone and the Sammy Captivate became the two finalists. Although I might be considered an Apple fanboy with two of their laptops and three desktop models AND a mobile me account, I still wanted to keep the phone choice a separate issue. The captivate won. I must say that although the reviewer likes the rounded corners, I find the more angular phone better to hold. I still want to get a gel cover but do not feel an urgency to do so. The metal back also has a rough texture and the back is smooth which I like better. The operating buttons power, volume rocker actually are above the flush surface point so they are much easier to use. I do wish the lighted buttons home, back, etc were bright like the vibrant though – they are dim lit when used in comparison. I am not familiar yet with the ATT apps. I really liked the software on the Vibrant but my phone geek friend tells me that most of those apps can be added anyway. As far as the phone itself goes, I prefer the captivate.
One final point of both phones is the camera without flash issue. First, it is not an issue. Consider the weak LED flash of a camera. Most times, as with cameras, the flash illuminates objects about 10ft or so (3 ft with an LED) then the light quickly dissipates. These phones have night shot which, in my opinion is superior to a flash for general picture shots. There is a test of this at http://www.tmonews.com/2010/07/is-the-samsung-vibrant-night-mode-a-worthwhile-replacement-to-flash/
Note how the 9:30pm shot of the field is completely lit, not just a 3 ft radius.
Either of these phones make a good choice. I would have the vibrant now if I had a carrier signal at my home. As it is I pay more and have the captivate which is equally as good. Both phones are very lightweight and function packed. Oh, and yes I did look at the HTC phones – very well built but at the end of the current day, the Galaxy S phones pack newest tech – Bluetooth 3, WIFI N, fastest processor and GPU, etc. Hard to beat the light and fast!
August 4th, 2010 at 9:45 am
Thank you Brian and Rod, you made my decision easy, I’m going for Captivate and hoping that I can unlock it to use t-mobile in case I want.
September 21st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Thanks Rod, that was a nice addition to the written comparison.
September 22nd, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Thanks Brian & Rod, That last addition was REALLY helpful! Cheers! o{n_n}o
February 19th, 2011 at 9:10 pm
In Canada, the Vibrant now has video calling where as the Captivate does not. That puts the Vibrant miles ahead in my books. The Catch-22 is that The Bell plan (Vibrant) is more expensive than The Rogers (Captivate) plan because I get free voice and call display with Rogers, saving me $12 a month. So really stuck here. Wish I could get the Vibrant on my Rogers plan. Ohhh the horror!!!