Forget... or give up and buy one of their new phones. I don't own a Samsung phone, but the horror stories I've read will ensure I will never buy one.
I own a Fascinate, and as far as droid phones go I've owned a Droid X, an Eris, and extensively tested the Incredible and the EVO. I've only been able to see an Atrix for mere moments, and it was only indoors. Sadly no screen impressions yet ...
I don't know about the above poster with the captivate, but I find the Fascinate still legible even in direct sunlight, at least more legible than the Droid X ever was. The screen is extremely punchy, and even if it's brightness rating isn't as high as the superLCD screens, the contrast to a true, deep black more than makes up for it. There's more to readability than just bright whites alone. I always have my light sensor on, so it auto adjusts. I never struggle to read it indoors or outdoors, and I use it a lot. In fact, its readability outside is one of the reasons I traded the Droid X in for the Fascinate, among others.
In the six months I've had it, it's been sort of a love/hate relationship. Now I must add that it's been 95% love and only 5% hate, but the 5% I hate about it is ASININE and doesn't make any sense.
Can't make bluetooth calls when your car stereo is using it to play music via headphone jack? GPS issues for TONS of users? (I was fortunate to get a working GPS from the get-go. I've scarcely had issues with the GPS, regardless of OS, Kernel, ROM, or build) The calendar, contact and account management issues on 2.1 are preposterous at best - this they improved substantially in the 2.2.1 that's not officially out yet.
Other than that, it's been 95% love. The audio quality when using as an MP3 player is excellent. Put some nice headphones on and it really sounds wonderful - absolutely as good as any Apple, Sandisk, etc. music playback device I've ever owned.
The Fascinate (and other galaxy S phones) was second only to Apple's iPhone 4 for a LONG time in camera quality for both pics and video, especially in low light. I'm pleased to say, HTC has now tied the Fascinate (other than the pathetic flash) for quality of camera. Videos are crisp, clear, and surprisingly artifact free on the Thunderbolt. The Fascinate has served me well though, and continues to take impressive pics and vids. And I didn't need to get an iPhone to do it.
The Droid X had the best reception of any phone I've ever owned/tested in my life. The thing is like a land line. But the Fascinate, at least for me, is no slouch. Mine consistently passes the "Eagle Pass" test in Wyoming. Hasn't dropped a call yet. Folks with new cellphones continue to drop calls at Eagle Pass, but no the Fascinate. I even get good reception in my basement, which is another fairly weak signal area.
Believe it or not, if configured properly, the Fascinate is a battery life CHAMP. That's right. You are reading correctly. When I was using an undervolted custom kernel and night mode in any apps that support it (such as eReaders, etc.) I could get TWO DAYS of good use on my Fascinate. Even with the 2.2 leak, I am always able to get through a day with frequent use on my phone, including calls, lots of texting, internet, and gaming of course.
The form factor and weight of the Fascinate are also stellar. It's much more ergonomic than the Droid X, and less bulky than the TB.
Samsung has dropped the ball on 2.2 updates. And Verizon going skippy-doo-dah all over Apple is causing them to neglect other phones a bit. And while my GPS has always been just fine, I have read way more reports than I would like.
I wish I could recommend a perfect device, but I have high hopes for the Stealth, the LG Revolution, and the Bionic to all be excellent devices. I would not recommend the TB right at the moment. Too much is missing - battery life, HDMI out, dual core if you need it. And they've gone and done the non-HTC nasty: used a locked bootloader. Even if Samsung is not the greatest for software updates (partially because of Verizon's current Apple lust...) they still make impressive hardware, and with the popularity of the devices, the root/mod crowd is certainly having a great time making cool stuff for this device. It's not locked up like a motorola or the TB apparently. I mean, technically, the Galaxy S series does have locked bootloaders, but it's like the most wimpy lock ever...
Tough choice. I got a line coming up for upgrade in April, so I'm in the same boat. I'm pretty sure I want something with HDMI, and I've read rumors that the Stealth will actually have it. If it has SuperAMOLED plus, HDMI out, AND a dual core?? Even with Samsung's spotty software support history, that is going to be a tough device for me to pass up...
