Tech Specs

Also Known As...

Alias	SGH-I897

Hardware

Height	4.78 inches
Width	2.5 inches
Thickness	0.39 inches
Weight	0.28 pounds
Form factor	Slab
Color	Black
Loudspeaker	Yes

Display

Screen size (diagonal)	4 inches
Technology	Super AMOLED
Resolution (Y)	800 px
Resolution (X)	480 px
PPI	233
Touchscreen type	Capacitive

Connectivity

Carriers	AT&T
GSM	Yes
GSM frequencies supported	1900, 1800, 900, 850
UMTS / HSPA	Yes
UMTS frequencies supported	900, 2100, 1900
Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi support	802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b
GPS	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes
Bluetooth version	Bluetooth 3.0
Tethering / mobile hotspot	Yes
Media streaming	DLNA, AllShare

Processor

Manufacturer	Samsung
Brand / family	Hummingbird
Clock speed	1 GHz
Number of cores	1

GPU

Manufacturer	PowerVR
Model	SGX 540

Memory

RAM size	512 MB

Storage

Internal size	16 GB
External	Yes
Max external size	32 GB
External type	microSD

Rear Camera

Resolution	5 megapixels
Focus type	Autofocus
Video resolution	720p
Video framerate	30

Software

Operating system	Android
Skin	TouchWiz
Launch OS version	2.1
Notable apps	Swype

Interface

Video out	Yes
Headphone jack	3.5mm
Other ports	Micro USB

Sensors

Sensors	Accelerometer

Battery

Capacity	1500 mAh
Removable	Yes

Recent News

No recent news about Samsung Captivate.

Recent Discussions

No recent discussions about Samsung Captivate.

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• 6.0

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  Reviewed by laforge2001 (Currently owns)

  December 28, 2011 10:48 am

  I've had this Samsung Captivate for a few years now. The thing I like most about it is its display. As old as it is now, compared to newer phones these days, the blacks are truly black and the colors really pop on its Super Amoled screen. In fact, I often find myself preferring this screen over my wife's Iphone 4S.

  However, like most Galaxy S models, the GPS on this thing is truly pitiful and totally makes the navigation completely useless. If you want a GPS in your phone, I would strongly advise looking elsewhere. Also, Samsung's TouchWiz has a few constantly running processes in the background (I'm looking at you "MediaHub") which takes up precious amounts of the phone's 512MB memory.

  The camera is very good when used in well-lit areas, but low-light situations produce grainy, pixellated abominations. Also the phone's smooth plastic borders and its gunmetal case are very appealing but are not very conducive to a good grip. I'm on my second captivate now because I did not have the good sense to buy a nice grip-friendly casing for the first one (that I dropped and broke). I didn't want to hide that gorgeous metal backing, but, in the end, my hands didn't agree with it.

  All in all, it is still a solid Android device but I would have loved to have more memory and a more rubberized backing to it. If you get this phone, do yourself a favor and learn to root it and install a different launcher. It will unlock more of the potential of this, otherwise, solid phone.

  The Breakdown

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  • Design 6
  • Display 8
  • Camera(s) 7
  • Reception / call quality 7
  • Performance 4
  • Software 4
  • Battery life 7
  • Ecosystem 8

  Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
• 7.0

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  Reviewed by photograph (Currently owns)

  December 20, 2011 05:57 pm

  This is a great cell phone. I got this in July of 2010 (when it first came out) and have loved it ever since. Even though it's older, it's still a penny on AT&T, and that price might compel people to get this phone. But is the phone any good? Read on.

  The display is GORGEOUS. Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep, I was very surprised when Samsung came out with an even better display!

  This phone runs Android 2.2 (which I am not crazy about.) A problem with this phone is that it's still stuck on Android 2.2 even though most of the Captivate's competitors are up to 2.3.

  The cameras are great, but the phone feels a little sluggish even with its 1GHz processor. Getting to different home screens produces a little lag and a lot of the time it takes about 10 seconds to exit an application.

  You can download applications from the Android Market as usual, but you CANNOT download applications from a different source unless you root or flash a custom ROM. Of course, you will find the typical AT&T bloatware like FamilyMap, Music, Navigation and more. You also can't remove that also, but the app "YPMobile" is a good app that I actually use once in a while.

  The battery lasts about a day with light use, but if you use it more the battery will go down faster. So, if you're looking for something with an amazing battery, this is NOT the phone for you.

  Call quality is alright. On my end of the phone it sounds normal, with a few chips. On the other end it's the same. So I'd probably say, while it's not the worst, it's not the best. Reception is good, but do NOT hold the phone in your right hand without a case - because this phone also has the death grip.

  Do I recommend it? Absolutely not. There are newer (and better) options on AT&T's lineup to make you happy, or you can get a phone on a different carrier.

  Thanks for reading my review!

  The Breakdown

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  • Design 7
  • Display 9
  • Camera(s) 8
  • Reception / call quality 7
  • Performance 6
  • Software 6
  • Battery life 5
  • Ecosystem 5

  Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
• 8.0

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  Reviewed by quarlow (Previously owned)

  December 20, 2011 03:29 pm

  Trying to Rate this phone as I would have when I bought it over a year ago. By today's standards this phone is no longer high-end.

  The Captivate was AT&T's first "real" Android phone. It was definately the first popular one, that had wide appeal. The Backflip is the phone we want to forget, and the Aria was the phone that was cute to look at, but so many didn't want to use it every day.

  As part of the Galaxy S line released by Samsung they re-invented themselves in the smartphone world. For many people this was their first Samsung Smart Phone. They worked hard on the device and it shows.

  The Captivate like the Galaxy S II (i777) was very similar to it's international brother, the i9000. It has a 1GHz processor, 4" SAMOLED screen, at a time that 4.3 was just way too big (as compared to today when 4.3 is "norm"). The screen is amazing, it's pentile, but you can't tell, its a great size, and bright, vibrant screen. The phone has a very unique back plate. It's a carbon effect metal cover, removed by sliding part of the phone's back down. While it's not intuitive how to remove the back if you don't know how to do it, it's also having a sleek backplate that doesn't have a notch for removal.

  My only complaint about the phone was the GPS. Some people had GPS that was unsuable, mine worked, but took way too long to get a lock. Many times I pulled up maps, saw where I was using landmarks and streets, where I needed to go, and exited the map before it got a lock. Other times it would lock within a few seconds, very tempermental.

  The phone is still officially running FroYo, and was released on Eclair. AT&T is not known for fast updates to Android phones and the Captivate is the poster child for this concern. If you are adventurous you can find community support for this device, and run Gingerbread or even ICS on this phone today. The hardware is still fast and great, but not bleeding edge today like it was a year ago.

  The Galaxy S II (i777) is a very worthy sequel to this phone. If a phone was to be the Captivate 2, that;s the one. The Captivate Glide seems to be a in-between upgrade. The Captivate is still a great phone to get, and if you are ready to leave yours behind look to the Galaxy S II to be everything good about the Captivate made better, and the short comings corrected (I'm looking at you GPS).

  The Breakdown

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  • Design 8
  • Display 8
  • Camera(s) 7
  • Reception / call quality 8
  • Performance 9
  • Software 8
  • Battery life 6
  • Ecosystem 7

  Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
• 7.0

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  Reviewed by Jackwalsho_0 (Previously owned)

  December 20, 2011 01:54 am

  If you get this phone now, it will still be pretty good. I bricked mine 6 months after I got it, so I had to switch to the htc inspire which now unfortunately SUCKS. It is WAAAAAAY thinner than it looks in pictures (its thinner than the iphone 4s) and the software is awesome to use. I LOOOOOOOOVED this phone, and I really wanted Samsung to come out with a Captivate 2, but instead they did the captivate glide (ITS STUPID AND THICK).... so yeah. you could probably get a great deal on one today given that it is a year old and it's xmas time :) To anyone who gets this: I hope you like your phone!! I know I did! Also, it's a galaxy s so it is much more customizable than others.. you can change the font and stuff..

  The Breakdown

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  • Design 10
  • Display 9
  • Camera(s) 4
  • Reception / call quality 8
  • Performance 6
  • Software 10
  • Battery life 6
  • Ecosystem 5

  Show the rest of this review and the breakdown