Samsung’s Galaxy S Epic 4G is Sprint’s 2nd 4G offering (both being Android powered Smartphones, the other being the HTC Evo 4G). Retailing for $250 with a new 2-year contract $100 mail-in rebate, Off Contract you will run you $500.
Brilliant 4.0-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen
Full, slide-out 5 row QWERTY keyboard
Virtual keyboard featuring Swype technology
Dual-mode 3G/4G device, 4G where available
5.0 Megapixel Rear camera
VGA front facing camera for Video Chat
1 GHz Hummingbird processor
Mobile Hotspot capable
Android™ 2.1 (Upgrade to 2.2 planned for Q3/4 2010)
Combined IM, MMS & SMS messaging with Samsung Social Hub
Sprint TV®
GPS Navigation enabled
SMTP, IMAP and Exchange Email capable
Bluetooth® Wireless
Memory card slot
Voice activated dialing
So after spending some time with the Samsung Galaxy S Epic 4G on Sprint’s network over the last couple of weeks I have really started to fall in love with the phone. The Epic 4G has become my go-to device, I grab it when I want to send an email, watch a video and make a call! The only thing I really haven’t done is use it as a hockey puck! The keyboard is absolutely wonderful, I am a Motorola Droid owner and the Epic 4G keyboard just completely hands down without a doubt smokes the Droid’s keyboard. The screen is absolutely gorgeous, The best mobile phone screen available without question. Coming stock with a 16GB MicroSDHC that is upgradeable to 32GB. I haven’t tested the 4G Data capabilities as I don’t live in a current 4G market, However I will be going to New York City next week so I will do some 4G Testing while I’m up there and update this article. All in all its a great phone, I’m going to be adding a second phone line/company for this phone! Sometime between now and when 4G is released in my area I will be purchasing this phone on Sprint! Samsung and Sprint really hit one out of the park with this device it has EVERYTHING I’m looking for in a mobile phone! I will mention briefly that Samsung has stated that they will deliver an Android 2.2 update for US Galaxy S devices sometime in Q3/4 2010, What this means is that once Samsung releases the update to Sprint it has to pass their internal lab and QA before it gets pushed out to customers.
Pros:
4-inch Super AMOLED screen
4G Data connectivity
Mobile WiFi Hotspot
Crystal clear 5.0 Megapixel Camera
720p HD Video Recording
Outstanding QWERTY Keyboard
Cons:
Cost… $50 more than the Evo though I feel its justified for such a device
Today I was lucky enough to receive a Samsung Epic 4G review unit, Here I have an unboxing video with some first impressions. With the Super AMOLED screen the first impression is usually “Wow” do yourself a favor and go see one of these phones in person, Pictures and Video can’t compare
to seeing it up close and personal. Before we hit the video I’ll go over the some specs. Like its Galaxy S cousins the Vibrant and Captivate the Epic 4G is sporting the same 1GHz Hummingbird Processor and 4in Super AMOLED Screen. Where the Epic 4G stands out is the inclusion of a front facing camera for video chat, the Slide out 5 row qwerty keyboard, 4G Network connectivity and the inclusion of an LED Flash for the rear camera.
Android 2.1 at Launch with 2.2 (Froyo) promised in the near future.
1 GHz Hummingbird CPU (ARM Cortex A8 Family CPU).
PowerVR SGX540 Dedicated Graphics Processor.
5 Mega-pixel Camera with LED Flash
720p HD video recording capability.
MicroSDHC slot with support for up to 32GB (Has 16GB card installed, 512Mb of internal memory for Apps)
Sprint announce that senior V.P. Kevin Packingham will leave the company. Packingham was instrumental in Sprint becoming an Android powerhouse in recent months, With the release of the HTC EVO 4g and the upcoming release of the Epic 4G Sprint has stepped in the smartphone game. With the Samsung Galaxy S variant set to come to Sprint as the Epic 4G Kevin wanted to make sure it was going to be just that, Epic! He had the vision to bring the front facing camera, 4G(WiMax) support and slide out qwerty keyboard to the Galaxy S making it really stand out in the sea of Galaxy S devices available in the US. Now that Sprint is losing its Android advocate will it lose the momentum it has gained in the Smartphone arena? As others have said Sprint needs to find a replacement that knows just how important Android is.
Are you ready for the next superphone? I have been eagerly waiting on this device since I heard about it and I’ve been down right drooling since I received 2 Galaxy S phones to review from Samsung (T-Mobile’s Vibrant and AT&T’s Captivate). They are nice devices but they lack something I really love, a hardware keyboard. Not only does it come with a hardware keyboard but it has a front facing camera for video calls and also has an LED flash that is a bit of a controversy on the other 3 US Galaxy S variants (Verizon’s Fascinate which has no release date is the 3rd).
Well the rumor mill was working overtime this weekend, Apparently when the Galaxy S phones for T-Mobile and AT&T (the Vibrant and Captivate respectively) were launched videos on Samsung TV were posted coinciding with the launch of each device (shortly after). Many are claiming we will see the Epic 4G released August 20th but there isn’t much to substantiate why we would see it then. Speculation tells me that its a possibility simply because Sprint may be trying to steal some of Verizon’s thunder from the Droid 2 release. Either way I hope this device lives up to its name and truly is EPIC, I’m a Droid users and I love my hardware keyboard as I have said many times and I really think this is THE Galaxy S variant to get, 4″ Super AMOLED screen, Front Facing camera for video calls, hardware keyboard, Sprint took it to the max with this one and it looks like Samsung has delivered.
