Intro
This phone surprised me, came unexpectedly, not a bad thing either, when is a new phone bad, especially a Galaxy S! This Galaxy S looks different and feels different but is no different inside. Still a Galaxy S at heart.
Looks
Well, how better to put this? It looks like an iPhone, want an iPhone with out all the tied down problems or iTunes, get the Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant, from the outside casing to the apps, it all seems to scream iPhone 3G. Not sure why they went this way, but I can not complain, never thought of an iPhone as Ugly, just locked down.
Hardware
Samsung Hummingbird S5PC110, 1 Ghz with 512MB Ram and microSD support of up to 32 gig plus either an 8 or 16 gig internal storage. You also get a 5mp camera that shoots 720p.
Screen
The Screen is a 4.0″ WVGA Super AMOLED(800×480) with mDNIe and its BRIGHT! The lowest setting is brighter than ANY phone I have EVER seen. I capitalize these words because I really really mean that, no over exaggeration at all. The screen is bright, brilliant, makes any picture look better.
Battery
Li-pol 1500mAh Talk time: 2G/803 min, 3G/393 min. Standby time: 2G/750 hrs, 3G/576 hrs. It does well, and this is probably the only area it is lacking, probably should have pushed the battery up just a little bit to boost the power. Its still good and you will just need to bring a charger with you if you are gone all day. Nothing to major. Its better than the Evo 4g Battery.
Operating System
The phone has 2.1 loaded on it, but its supposed to get 2.2 asap. Kind of interested to see how 2.2 will be with the updated TouchWiz software on it. 2.1 runs pretty smooth, but it seems that sometimes TouchWiz slows the phone down or causes it to lag, its not as refined as Sense UI, but you can tell its getting there.
Software
Again, this does have the latest version of TouchWiz and its pretty sleek. It has the same things as some other Samsung phones like when you pull the notifications down you get the WiFi, Vibrate, Sound off bar. This phone also comes with brand new Live Wall Papers and they are pretty slick they all interact with your touch and its awesome. Plus there are new widgets as well, clocks and text messaging widgets, this phone really digs deep into social and lets you experience it all. For some reason the GPS doesn’t work so hot, could be my area, could be a bug.
Applications
Widgets! That seems to be the aim of Samsung’s Game, widgets are pretty big on this phone, a whole new set of widgets comes with it.
Key Board
No Hard Keyboard but it does come with three soft keyboards, if you don’t like the android keyboard they give you a samsung keyboard… not a fan of that? Swype is included free with the phone and its not a trial, the worlds fastest text messaging keyboard system comes with the Samsung Galaxy S.
Web Browsing, Camera and Video
Web works pretty well on 3G but when you slip into Edge, its not very fun or usable in my opinion. Its a good web experience though when you are rocking 3G which is a lot of the time for me. The camera is a 5mp and is nice, the pictures look good. There is no dedicated flash and no dedicated camera button but day light pictures are very crisp and clear. Not sure why they left those features out. The phone can also record in 720p HD video, thats always good
Call Quality
The calls are good and haven’t experienced a drop call yet, good quality when I am on a call, the speaker is nice, crisp and loud.
Pros:
- It Comes with its own widgets
- Good Smart Phone
- Good Camera
- New TouchWiz UI
- 2.1 OS and is Getting Upgraded
Cons:
- The Battery Seemed a Tad Weak
- No Flash or Camera Button
- Almost Looks Too Much Like an iPhone
- Freezes Every Now and Again
- Reboots For No Reason, Maybe Memory Full
Conclusions & Final Thoughts
This is a good upgrade for anyone on T-Mobile, have a G1? Get rid of it for this unless you must have a hard keyboard. Its a good phone and does everything quite well. The phone freezing has been a small issue, but nothing I can’t handle.