After a couple of days with Samsung’s Vibrant, I have to say that I’m impressed. I have generally been disappointed with the OEM’s Androids and really wasn’t expecting too much here, outside of the hyped performance. And while the body does feel light and plasticky, I’m noticing more and more that I shouldn’t necessarily equate those attributes with cheapness. I mean that in terms of feel as opposed to actual cost. We all know the phone isn’t exactly cheap to the consumer.

Aside from the display and overall speed of Vibrant, which are both stellar (save some bizarre Market delays I’ve experienced), the camera stands out as a strong point for this phone. I like the software. And while the still photos – displayed below and scaled down from 2560 X 1920 – from the flashless 5MP camera look great in very well-lit environments without too much motion are very good, the Vibrant’s 1280 X 720 (720p) video capture is what deserves some serious attention.

Odd choice then for Samsung to set 720 X 480 as the default video capture resolution. I’m sure someone somewhere has a justification for this, but I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts that the excuse isn’t good enough. The first two videos I shot left me full of meh, and then I discovered the culprit setting. Strange. But this all works out well for you, loyal reader/viewer, because you’ll find a good before 720p/after 720p selection below. Don’t forget to select Hi-Def from the YouTube menu after hitting play!

Deafult video settings, dim light to sun bright: