I went by the closest brick and mortar retail location last Friday and asked about the phone. The manager I talked to was pretty well informed about it (peruses Phandroid and Engadget) and here's what his take on the demo he got to play with.
1. Very lightweight but very solid. The case wasn't the best on the market but it appeared lightweight, solid and made with quality. I asked because of BGR's story about how it felt rather cheap. His comment was (and I tend to agree) everyone thinks that if it's plastic it really isn't well made. He said it felt better than a Droid Incredible, which he thought gets a bad rap. He says, plastic makes your radios work better. If you want top notch build quality, buy an iPhone 4.
2. Very quick. The demo he played with had Launcher Pro installed and it showed no lag. His opinion is that when the Froyo update comes out it will be very impressive. He said the Layar app was extremely fast and responsive and he noticed no lag when the 'galaxy' live walpaper was used. I don't know much about Layar but from what he described, it sounded pretty interesting. Gaming should be phenomenal.
3. The display. Yes, the pixel density on the iPhone 4 is fantastic. But he pointed out that the pixel density on the Super AMOLED display was also very high and for 99% of the people out there, "perfectly adequate." He said the real kicker with the display on the Captivate was the color and depth of the display. Colors really pop out and it gives a sense of depth to the phone that the Droid Incredible, Droid, iPhone 4, Evo 4G just don't have. Photos on the phoned looked as crisp and sharp as the images on his wife's EVO 4G (work phone- I asked.)
He was very knowledgeable and pretty up-to-date on Android and the various handsets. He's seen the Droid X and says the decision comes down to carrier. Both phones will fly with Froyo, both take great pictures, both have great displays (he prefers the SuperAMOLED), both can play games. He mentioned that the Droid X doesn't have the six-axis gyroscope that the Captivate has, nor the simulated surround sound.
He's hoping that he can show a demo before Thursday as he knows several people that will be jumping the AT&T ship to get a Droid X. Which I have an appointment on Thursday, 8am at Verizon for. I'd just really like to see this phone in-store before I jump to another carrier. I've seen the X, and played with it and it's pretty amazing. But I love the idea of the bright and clear screen and I love my music. Pink Floyd with the simulated surround sound? Nice.