Of the clearly countless variants of the Galaxy S that Samsung’s in a routine of deploying around the globe, one stands out in a couple very singular (and critical ways: Sprint’s Epic 4G. The Epic hangs upon to a integrate of the Galaxy line’s most important characteristics — namely a 1GHz Hummingbird processor and the 4-inch Super AMOLED display — though adds in the shifting landscape QWERTY keyboard, support for a wickedly fast WiMAX network which Sprint shares with partner Clearwire, and a handful of alternative notable one-off customizations.

We’ve already taken a look at dual of the alternative US-bound Galaxy S models — AT&T’s Captivate as well as T-Mobile’s Vibrant — but it shouldn’t take some-more than a quick glance during the Epic to tell you that this is a very, very different beast. Becoming only the second WiMAX phone released in the States (and the first with a physical set of keys, this is a pretty vicious release for Sprint during a time when the subscriber count is only starting to collect up after multiform building of decline — as well as making things even some-more interesting is a fact that Sprint’s first WiMAX handset — HTC’s EVO 4G — is simply one of the most appropriate phones we’ve ever reviewed. In alternative words, yeah, you could contend which a Epic’s got a lot to live up to. Is it up to a charge? Let’s find out.
Epic 4G examination

Packaging
Sprint has ditched a strange (or cute, depending upon your attitude) “TV cooking” wrapping of the EVO in favor of the some-more traditional box here. Boring, approbation, but look upon the bright side: distinct the EVO, this setup is easier to keep sealed (assuming you care and you’re starting to cling to onto it) since it doesn’t rest on the flimsy card sleeve to keep the lid upon, as well as opportunely, they’ve left with the really thick, sturdy, high-quality material for both halves of a box. Inside you’ll find — besides a phone, of course — a USB charger, micro-USB wire (there’s no cable henceforth trustworthy to the horse, a flattering usual direction these days), and a same surprisingly decent earbuds found with a Vibrant as well as Captivate. Anyone intending to make use of the Epic for critical song use is still speedy to bring their own headphones or earbuds of preference, though it’s pretty cool which Sammy’s charity buds in a box that have been high-quality enough to include replaceable tips.

You also get an SD-to-microSD converter which you’ll be able to make use of with a 16GB microSD card which comes pre-installed underneath the phone’s back cover (though you don’t need to remove a battery to get during it, which is good. Why 16GB when AT&T’s and T-Mobile’s versions only include 2GB? Good subject: turns out the Epic only has the small over 400MB of app storage internally — not the sweeping 16GB of the others — so Sprint compensates by throwing in a beefy card. Though that’ll work only fine for 95 percent of users, it’s important to note which this equates to you can’t get it up to 48GB of available storage by picking up the 32GB label. Since it’s viewable Sprint tried to have this phone as “epic” as possible, it’s misleading because they left out which inner capacity; the usually thing you can think of is which they simply ran out of room with all of a phone’s modifications over a standard Galaxy S like a slider mechanism, a LED flash, as well as the WiMAX circuitry. Hard to say.

Hardware
Of all a Galaxy S flavors we’ve seen, a Epic 4G — notwithstanding its name as well as form cause — competence have a many nondescript coming. Depending upon your personality, that’s either a great thing or a bad thing (for what it’s value, we favourite it). The front of the phone is dominated by an expanse of black gloss rimmed by the relating black bezel, that creates it almost intimidating when it’s sitting there with the screen turned off since you can’t straightforwardly see a outline of a shade or a capacitive buttons below it — just a whole lot of black with tastefully-proportioned Sprint and Samsung logos at a tip and bottom, respectively. In fact, it’s so black that it almost seems like you could be seeking at a behind of the phone.

Speaking of the behind, Sprint got it right where AT&T as well as T-Mobile honestly got it wrong. It’s the pointed black soft-touch — not a Vibrant’s poor, silken plastic or a Captivate’s mistake co fiber weave — which gives you only the little bit of hold when you’re land it. The stimulating flecks in a behind cover are actually a single of a couple of concessions to style upon a entire phone, as well as though we in all don’t like the phones to sparkle, we’ll begrudgingly admit which it substantially would’ve been a bit too solid if they’d just done it in a flat black. Another place where the Epic wins over the Galaxy-branded cousins is just below a 5 megapixel camera, where you’ll find an honest-to-goodness LED peep (more upon this after. One very teenager censure we have about a behind is that it pries off; you regularly prefer the sliding style since it involves less of that uncomfortable “I consternation if I’m going to mangle this” feeling you get when you’re perplexing to yank a groundless cover true up as well as out, though deliberation how frequency you should need to get in there, it’s fundamentally the non-issue.

The sides of a Epic have been where you’ll find the usually alternative blatantly in vogue element on the complete phone: a skinny chrome ring which runs all a approach around, roughly in a center of the corner, without extending into a set of keys area at all. We don’t frequently contend this about chrome, but it’s tasteful and it essentially functions here. You’ll also find the usual form of edge-mounted doodads, together with a volume rocker upon the left side, power and two-stage camera buttons on the right, as well as the 3.5mm headphone jack and micro-USB port up tip. Like other Galaxy S models, the Epic has the tidy retractable doorway to protect the pier, the distant better agreement than the groundless rubber plugs you customarily see (though you still don’t think micro-USB ports unequivocally need a lot of protection, considering they were specifically written to be strong. The volume as well as camera buttons have plenty of feel, but the power symbol — that is more washout than a others to prevent accidental actuation — would be much simpler to deal with on the tip for the couple reasons: a single, that’s where you usually find it; as well as two, every time you press it, you risk accidentally shifting open a phone a bit. Considering how mostly you press energy to take the screen in as well as out of standby, this is essentially a subject worth discussing, but it’s not the deal-breaker (and interestingly, we didn’t similar to the design of a energy button on a EVO, either).

The Epic’s slip resource is a fairly heavy, well-spoken spring-mounted arrangement which feels plain with no wobble; on our unit there’s only a tiny spirit of give on the shade if you actively try to twist it, though we don’t notice it in normal day-to-day use. That leads us into the set of keys, that is the utterly flat, five-row sort with the great understanding of separation in between the keys. You’ve got a great, strong “click” upon any pass — no mushiness here — though we definitely would’ve elite a bit of doming, and you would’ve even been happy to sacrifice the subdivision in exchange for making the surface area of each pass larger. The layout is the churned bag — we enjoyed carrying access to big Menu, Back, Home, as well as Search keys astride a letters, but the placement of Backspace as well as Enter gave us the small trouble… as well as we definitely weren’t feeling the need for a dedicated smiley face key. Overall, we’d say that the Epic’s QWERTY falls at the back of those of Android contemporaries like the myTouch 3G Slide (manufactured by set of keys dilettante HTC, of course) and the Droid 2, but that’s not to contend which it’s bad — it’s leaps as well as bounds beyond a gloomy Moment, for example, and we imagine which anyone would be means to get fast and error-free upon it within the couple days of use.

What surprised us a first time we picked up a Epic was how light it felt — 15 grams reduction than a EVO, to be expect. Frankly, we wouldn’t have minded it being the bit heavier, which leads us to consternation whether they could’ve squeezed in something beefier than the 1500mAh battery without causing problems. Though the Epic’s screen is three-tenths of an in. smaller than a EVO’s, the two are surprisingly tighten in length as well as breadth — in other words, you shouldn’t consider this over a EVO simply because you consider it’s starting to be easier to hold. At 14.2mm deep, the Epic is noticeably thicker, but still comfortable in a palm (it’s skinny sufficient so that your fingers will expected still physical condition beyond a back cover) as well as it doesn’t produce a ridiculous gush in your pocket — unless you’re wearing something skinny as well as fashionable, of march. Then again, there aren’t many smartphones which look good in which situation.

The Epic’s 4-inch Super AMOLED display during WVGA resolution is just the same as the one you find upon the Captivate as well as Vibrant — as well as as you can probably theory, it’s positively glorious. If you’re not in the habit of to these displays (even if you’re already familiar with standard AMOLED), you’ll be pretty shocked by a violent black level and the rich, dazzling color superfluity that you get from these. Despite what you may have heard to the discordant, we’ll relate what we pronounced in our look at the AT&T and T-Mobile models that it still doesn’t perform as good as the traditional LCD in approach object, though it isn’t completely washed out; in our experience, you could always have out the essence of the screen if you squinted hard sufficient. Since a screens are literally matching as well as the Epic won’t be out until a finish of the month, you might even suggest heading down to an AT&T or T-Mobile store beforehand as well as checking out the Captivate / Vibrant — you’ll get the great sense of what to expect when you collect up your phone, both from the arrangement as well as the program perspective.

Below the arrangement have been four capacitive buttons — the usual ones you find on Android devices: Menu, Home, Back, as well as Search, in which sequence from left to right. The buttons have been essentially next the Samsung logo, that equates to there’s plenty of separation in between them and a bottom of the arrangement, but you found that they still suffer from a integrate problems. First, they don’t appear to be utterly supportive enough — you found ourselves occasionally tapping twice to actuate them (we also noticed this on the touchscreen, suggesting which the complete capacitive surface could stand to be tweaked the bit). We additionally had the same complaint here that we’d had on other Galaxy S models, which is which a buttons are backlit on a dissimilar report than a arrangement. They appear to go out after 5 seconds as well as come back upon at your convenience the symbol or a screen is touched, which is actually more distracting then if they simply stayed lit all a time. The behavior here might have clarity if a buttons were more readily discernible but backlighting, but as it stands, they aren’t — you found ourselves disposition in to see a darkened icons more closely on a integrate occasions. Basically, a simplest solution would’ve only been to paint on a buttons so you can see them without light (as Motorola and HTC customarily do) as well as save the small battery power in the routine.

Speaking of battery energy, you got 3 hours and 43 minutes of use from 97 percent energy to shutdown with a phone in 4G hotspot mode whilst occasionally interacting with the handset, continuously streaming internet airwave, as well as doing… well, you know, alternative “internet things” upon our connected laptop. That bests the EVO by the few mins, though we’d argue that it’s inside of a margin of error — especially given 4G battery life seems to be influenced drastically by city and vigilance strength (we performed all of our testing in Chicago’s Loop, where WiMAX flows like water). Interestingly, we checked Android’s built-in battery monitor shortly prior to a Epic close down — a screen where you can see what components as well as apps have been removal your extract a most — and were astounded to see it report that the display had allegedly been responsible for 55 percent of a drain, notwithstanding the fact that we had played with a phone for perhaps 10 to 15 minutes of a complete test. We think the app isn’t properly accounting for the 4G airwave, but that’s just a theory — and if by a little peculiar chance it’s correct, which paints the pretty frightful picture for the energy expenditure of these Super AMOLED displays. We haven’t had an opportunity to finish a some-more normal battery test in normal (read: non-hotspot) phone use nonetheless, though our rough testing suggests that you should have no problem removing by a typical day, quite if you’re intelligent about 4G airwave management and you aren’t keeping the shade upon any some-more than you have to.

For 4G opening, this is always the wily topic — as you mentioned, network performance varies widely by place and alternative variables, but you were generally very happy both with on-device data as well as hotspot mode. Basically, it never stopped feeling “WiFi fast” both in terms of speed and latency, as well as that’s just what you need to make a illusory mobile hotspot. We were consistently removing around 4Mbps down and 1Mbps up during the testing; when we’d tested our EVO back in the examination, we’d seen numbers as high as 7.5Mbps down and 3Mbps up, though checking it alongside a Epic suggested lower numbers more in-line with a Sammy, so we’ll marker it up to a network.

Camera

We weren’t awaiting the world out of the Epic’s first camera; given that alternative versions of a phone don’t even ship with any arrange of peep, it was obvious that Samsung prioritized a skinny shell over heavy-duty optics. That said, you came away unequivocally happy with a stills we were means to capture. Maybe you were just having a good photography day, but whatever the box, shots looked purify and sharp with minimum artifacting at 100 percent zoom.

Of course, a Epic ships with not a single, but two cameras: the 5 megapixel primary upon back interconnected with the baby VGA cam on front. Make no mistake — this second camera isn’t to be used for anything but video job, as well as considering which the quality of your video call is singular by bandwidth some-more than by camera quality, it’ll work only excellent there. Yes, the Epic’s camera app allows you to toggle in between cameras (the second camera is used for the “self portrait” mode), though certitude us — you unequivocally don’t want to do which.

Video capture was less impressive than the still shots. The complaint, unequivocally, is which this is advertised as the 720p tape deck. Yes, true, you can toggle a 720p mode — but to associate a extravagant of a outlay you get with anything you’d consider to be 720p is the finish fallacy. It’s just roundly not great at that size. What Samsung probably should’ve finished is top the output to 480p and quietly suggest 1280 x 720 as a little arrange of “lengthened fortitude” mode, that would’ve gotten them off the offshoot during slightest a little bit. On a and side, we found audio peculiarity to be decent, though not quite as strong as the Droid 2 or Droid X.
Epic 4G camera samples

Software
In most respects, the Epic 4G runs the same TouchWiz 3.0-skinned build of Android 2.1 that you find upon alternative versions of the Galaxy S, that unfortunately equates to that we’ve got most of a same complaints. Many of our annoyances substantially won’t bug people who have been only getting into Android for the first time, but a little seasoned users — particularly of stock Eclair or Froyo — will be ready to punch Samsung’s UI designers in a face after only a few minutes with the Epic. Our greatest issue is with a cartoonish, overly colorful appearance of all, a problem exacerbated by the actuality which this display makes splendid colors look… well, unequivocally splendid. For some reason, TouchWiz puts a clearly randomly-colored square at the back of each app idol in the launcher, which — to put it very bluntly — looks stupid. We also don’t similar to a actuality which a launcher can only be toggled between the horizontal-swipe grid mode and a vertical-swipe list mode, that equates to that a standard vertical-swipe grid — a a single you’ve used upon most every other Android phone, ever — isn’t available.

Annoyances continue to a home screen, where Samsung has elected to henceforth arrangement a large panel series indicator (they use the 7-panel setup, by a approach right away below a status club. We don’t mind when they’re henceforth displayed (in fact, looking at a way a Droid X as well as Droid 2 do it, we cite it to be permanent), but TouchWiz’s is huge — large sufficient so which we essentially consider they could’ve squeezed in an additional widget / idol row if they wanted to. Sammy should’ve taken the evidence from Google, HTC, or heck, even Motorola’s first-gen Blur UI upon a right approach to implement this.

Generally, these manufacturer skins exist with the claimed goal of enhancing the platform’s batch functionality, but you essentially found a box upon a Epic where the conflicting is loyal: the phone’s lock screen consists of the circle in the center of the screen which you draw towards up to clear… and that’s it. Gone is Android 2.x’s ability to toggle ringer tongue-tied from here, a good touch considering that you need to clear, press power, and select the menu choice otherwise. To the surprise, additionally blank is the neat “puzzle lock” mode available upon the Captivate as well as Vibrant, which allows you to right away perspective messages, missed calls, as well as the like by boring as well as dropping the nonplus square into the relating hole upon a shade. It’s not transparent because Sprint would’ve motionless to kill it off, since all that’s left is the gimped lock shade (with the option of using Android’s unchanging settlement close.

As bloatware goes, Sprint as well as Samsung have done an fine effort — only fine — at holding behind. When you spin a phone on for the first time, a commissioned apps consume two full pages in the launcher, that feels docile. Besides a normal Galaxy S law things like AllShare and MediaHub, you get Qik (with video job capability, of course), Sprint Football and NASCAR, Sprint Hotspot, TeleNav-powered Sprint Navigation (which you competence never use given Google Maps Navigation is enclosed entirely functional as well as unhindered), ThinkFree Office (lacking the Google Docs formation of a version available in the Market), as well as Sprint Zone, that is basically a one-stop emporium for finding Sprint stores, checking out your account, as well as removing quick access to apps a carrier recommends. Sprint TV’s also included, of march, though it only hangs on 4G at your convenience you try to watch a program — you had to spin it off and use EV-DO to have it work, that is pretty counterproductive deliberation how most better it could look on the faster, lower-latency connection.

Apart from an occasional stumble while scrolling in the browser, the Epic’s performance felt in line with what you should design of the Hummingbird core — in alternative difference, it was generally responsive and smooth (Linpack scores ranged between roughly 7.6 as well as 8.2 MFLOPS). Of course, by Android’s nature, it’s easy to gum up a works by installing too most apps perplexing to do as well many things at once — but with the few of the essentials commissioned as well as a device fully synced to the Google comment, all sped right along. We did, however, notice an occasional hiccup with the phone’s most window passing from one to another animations where they’d peep or stumble; it was tough to discuss it whether this was a opening emanate or simply the bug, as well as in the end, you just incited them off and didn’t be concerned about it. Also encouraging is a actuality that a Epic is using Android 2.1 out of the box; we can only expect performance to improve once they’ve deployed 2.2 (it’s not often that you’ll hear us spin the lack of 2.2 into the certain, so relish in it whilst you can).

Surprisingly, a now-infamous AGPS bug is still alive as well as well right now on the Epic. We’re not certain how Sprint can clear releasing it with this bug now so well-known, well-documented, and vicious to the operation of a phone — severely, it cannot find you many of a time — but we suspect it’ll just get bound at the same time as a residue of a Galaxy S models in September. In other difference, unless you see the discerning firmware update prior to a 31st, don’t design Google Maps to work particularly good out of a box.

Wrap-up
Let’s take our attention away from a specifics of this phone for a second. Speaking in some-more general conditions, it’s really considerable that Sprint has already managed to release dual very high-end, unusually desirable devices built privately to take value of its 4G network. In fact, we’d contend which the Epic as well as the EVO — even some-more than the Pre — have vaulted Sprint from its status as an also-ran to maybe the most gadget-savvy conduit in the US today. If you’d asked us 18 months ago either you ever thought we’d be saying which, we’d have laughed during you. Of course, a Epic can’t just be geeky, it’s got to be good — Sprint isn’t out of a danger section nonetheless for subscriber churn, and it’s going to need normal Joes as well as Janes to buy these right out of batch. In alternative difference, it needs to parlay the buzz that the EVO generated into the permanent slow bake, and a Epic is a vicious part of which equation.

So is it the right phone for a job? In the word, yes — a Epic 4G is the great device. Killer, even. Nothing speaks to us more strongly during a march of the examination than finishing it and observant, “alright, I’m ready to buy this thing,” and the Epic is on the reduced list of phones which has managed to do it. More than the Galaxy S siblings, it feels similar to a Epic has overcome its shortcomings — notably the forgettable UI skin — to shine, as well as it’s a phone you could simply imagine regulating day to day. Only thing is, the EVO is additionally upon that short list for us — as well as a improved camera, bigger screen, and $50 savings versus a Epic still have it our leader in this 4G shootout, yet usually by the thinnest of margins. Needless to contend, if you need the earthy keyboard as well as you’re looking for a a single of a most musclebound Android phones money can buy, we wouldn’t hesitate to suggest it.