Samsung’s Galaxy S mobile phones include the Captivate (AT&T), Epic 4G (Sprint), Vibrant (T-Mobile), and Fascinate (Verizon). Each of these has a 4” Super AMOLED display, 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, Android 2.1 operating system, and Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. As the Android-based cell phone competition heats up, we decided to take a look to see if a Galaxy S phone would stand out in the crowd – we looked at the Samsung Fascinate from Verizon.

The reviewed phone comes in a small black box that slides into a white sleeve which is adorned with a picture of the phone. In Figure 1, you can see the black box protruding from the sleeve.

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Figure 1: The Fascinate in the Box

Inside the box, as shown in Figure 2, are several small pamphlets, including one entitled “Tips, Hints and Shortcuts.” Also included is a USB to microUSB charging cable, which plugs into the included plug for charging from the wall. The Samsung Fascinate comes with a pre-installed 16 GB microSDHC memory card and a 1500 mAh battery. The phone itself can also be seen in Figure 2.

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Figure 2: Inside the box

The Fascinate is a sturdy black phone with slightly rounded corners and a large touch screen. It is constructed of black plastic and accentuated with a slim chrome strip on the sides. Measuring 2.53 x 0.39 x 5.02 inches (64 x 10 x 125 mm) and weighing 4.92 oz. (139.5 g), the Fascinate is almost as big as the Droid X, but it is lighter and fits more easily into a pocket.