Almost great, but... September 3, 2010

Reviewer:  nerdglitz 

I bought one from Sprint because I couldn't wait the extra several weeks to save $50 on Amazon. I've been waiting for this phone for a loong time.
+ Numeric row on physical keyboard makes real note and contact entry much faster. I've used Palm Treo's for years for this reason. Little shifting.
- Buttons are not raised enough to prevent bumping the wrong keys. Hard little bumps like the Treo or blackberry keyboards are as easy to type on as this monster, so the size was wasted due to bad choice of keys. I'm thinking of putting glue bumps on there already.
+ Great display
- Battery only lasts if you are very careful with what you use and enable, and charge often. Phone gets hot when recharging, and once even overheated and shut down due to the back side being on a foam couch (and in a skin) while recharging. For something that needs to be plugged in constantly, the charge connector is finiky and in the wrong place (top). Expect to buy a couple of extra chargers, one for every place you want to park it.
+ Android apps! Yay! Free coolness! Some seriously great stuff.
- Sprint wants $30/Mo to enable the wifi hotspot feature, which only works as well as the local signal strength. For example, don't pick the phone up and use it while streaming music over the hot spot, it will drop out.
-+ Will improve somewhat once they get 2.2 on it.

Great phone, but with too many bugs. May 16, 2011

Reviewer:  Epic User 

Well I started off with a free LG Optimus an it was constantly mistyping and crashing. I moved to the Epic..thinking...well you get what you pay for..so lets get a good phone that might actually last a year or two. I have good things to say abou the Epic but some bad ones and bad stuff about the Operating System/ or firmware. The first thing I noticed, that many average people haven't is that the date is cutt off. I use the date alot, which pops up on the screensaver. It's always Monday May ___ and then does show the time. Major bug. Then the bluetooth voice dialer. Since most people that buy nice phones, probably use the bluetooth...maybe it would be nice to have a volume control??? there is no setting for volume, and like the last phone it says "please speak now" at sucha a low volume that you aren't quite sure what she's saying, especially when driving. Then when you dial and it repeats what you dialed ...again you can't hear what's going on, so when it misdials, bad bad bad....oh wait...I lied...it does have a volume control..but it's only after you hit voicedial and you have to manually raise the volume with the external volume controls and when you are done...it loses the setting. Ok let me take a break from the bad and let you know that this is a really nice phone, receptive, set up well. Great graphics and sound. keyboard is good nice pics...style is good..it is a bit big...but it has always been a good thing for me...movies and music run great..
ok now more bad... The gallery app started failing almost immediately...the pics would completely dissapear...i rebooted and started taking pics..and again...a few days and poof they are gone....angry birds starts not working and not popping up when started. After a bit i did some internet searching and there is a folder that I found the pics in...but they are no longer in the gallery. Angry birds which is a basic app, which i love, never stays up long enough to get through three or 4 screens. Might be Rovios fault some, but the phone seems buggy...not sure most other games work fine. oh also on the Good side, the battery does fairly well for as much as you get, huge screen and app and phone, not bad for battery life, but as with most of these new smartphones, you have to get used to chargeing more often. ok..back to the bad...the chat/ texting feature..that comes with the phone is really nice...except when you get a pic...all pics show up sideways annnd so you flip the phone..and #$$#*() it flips sideways again...and again...and again... OK HELLOOOO???? we pay 200 for a nice phone and you guys haven't seen all these bugs??? The industry is in a hurry to get these phone out and sell em as the latest competition to the iphone, and they want to get the money rolling in and catch up with the updates later?? not good business.. ok go onto Sprint.com or the samsung Epic forums and both places the actuall foum on the Epics is constant complaints on the Epic...everyone constantly asks for the 2.3 Gingerbread update that is supposed to fix most everything now. AND on these forums, they have moved the main forum where everyone complains..to the backround...so you have to search for it..and they dont get bad press. Meanwhile we pay for a nice phone with bugs. Ok so these are my main complaints...I honestly like the phone but this is my second andriod phone now...and the Lg and now Samsung Epic are giving me a bad picture here....i was going to pay the early terminations on all three of my phones and Sprint convinced me not to...for a deal on the Epic...now i think in a year...I'm going to cancell and get an Iphone..because it Works. Advice, dont get the Epic or any phone without Gingerbread (Andriod) 2.3... Make them give you a phone that is worth the money you spend and one sided contract you have to sign.

Lots of glitches April 5, 2011

Reviewer:  mgchat76  (Denver, CO) -

Before I start the review, let me preface it by saying that I ordered this phone through Amazon and had no problems with ordering or delivery. Let me also say that I would rate this phone 5 stars when it functions. The problem is that it doesn't function properly often enough.

I bought this phone in November after doing a lot of research into smartphones. I was previously an ATT customer, and my wife has had an Iphone for several years. I personally think the Iphone is overpriced and decided to make my first smartphone an android. The features that I was looking for were a nice screen, slide out keyboard, and I also liked Sprint's price plan. The phone delivers in abundance on those aspects.

I received the phone and was quickly impressed by all it could do. I began installing apps at a rapid pace. The first problem I noticed was during the first couple of weeks. The phone froze up and I had to open the back cover, take out the battery, and put it back in to reboot it. It didn't happen very often, and being new to smartphones I thought that all smartphones had this issue. As the weeks went on, it started happening more and more often. There were no patterns to it either. Sometimes it would be in my pocket for hours and I would take it out to find it frozen. Other times, it would be charging while I slept. I would wake up to find it frozen and uncharged. It began to happen on a daily basis and be quite a pain. I did some research on the internet and found some forums where others described similar problems. They mentioned doing a factory data reset, and some found success. I found this option in the menu, and did it. I decided to only install apps that were fairly well known, and had many good reviews (i.e. yelp, opentable, pandora) This seemed to help for about 3 days, and then the freezing problems started again.

Sometime in January, I was running some errands and the phone froze again. I happened to be near a Sprint store so I brought it into them in the frozen state. They had me leave it for a couple of hours to run some "diagnostics". When I picked it up, they said they just did a factory data reset. I'm not sure why it took a couple of hours, because it only took a couple of minutes when I did the exact same thing. They asked if I had Android Task Killer installed, which I did. They said that was most likely the cause. I asked them if it happened again, could I have it replaced as I have the equipment repair/replacement option on my plan? They said only if I brought it in frozen and did not have any apps installed other than what's on there from the reset. What good is having a smartphone if it can't run apps? After this reset it began working a little better, and would only freeze a couple of times a week, instead of daily. My wife had a baby and things became pretty hectic, so the phone problems slipped down my priority list. I also learned that by pressing the volume, power, and camera buttons at the same time, I could reboot it without removing the battery.

A couple of weeks ago, I received the over the air update to 2.2. I hoped this would solve some of the problems I was having. I was very wrong. The freezing issues started happening daily or even several times a day. When I would reboot the phone, it would have 40-50% less battery life than before it froze. It is also constantly shutting itself off for no reason. Yesterday, I did another factory data reset and will wait and see how it goes. So far it hasn't frozen, but it has shut itself down while it was charging. I don't have time to wait for it to freeze and then run over to the Sprint store, but if I have the opportunity I will. Hopefully they will be willing to just replace it. If not, than Sprint will have lost a customer for life.

Great hardware, but Samsung needs to get updates out quicker. January 6, 2011

Reviewer:  bevorules77 

This is my first smartphone. I purchased it on launch day (August 31), so I've had four months to play with it. I'll review its strengths and weaknesses in a few categories:

SCREEN:
AWESOME! Apple's iPhone 4 screen is sharp, but nothing beats the super-dark blacks and vibrant colors of a Super AMOLED. 4 inches is perfect too -- it's not too big to fit in a jeans pocket

KEYBOARD:
Very well done, with an excellent layout. It occasionally misses a keystroke, though.

CAMERA:
I almost never take my Canon PowerShot to parties anymore. The still photo quality in good light is awesome, but photos in low light with flash look a little bit muddy and noisy. Plenty good enough. Video quality is awesome -- you'll definitely have no need for a Flip camcorder if you're carrying the Epic.

THE SPRINT NETWORK:
I have used Sprint for 10 years, but only with flip phones. Call quality is pretty good, and I almost never drop a call. The earpiece is a little buzzy at high volumes. The 3G is excellent everywhere I go -- I live in Houston, TX, but it also works great in Austin, DFW, and Seattle. 4G is spotty and it'll suck the daylights out of your battery if you keep it turned on when not in a 4G area.

BATTERY LIFE:
It usually lasts a whole day with moderate usage. Turn off GPS, Wifi, and 4G if you're not using them to save juice.

SOFTWARE:
Android rocks; there are over 100,000 apps to choose from. However, sometimes the Epic lags a little when scrolling through the menus. Which brings me to my biggest beef about the Epic: As of 1/6/2011, Froyo has still not been released on the Epic, or any other Samsung Galaxy S phones in the US. The EVO has had Froyo since August.

CONCLUSION:
The hardware (especially the screen) is great, but the spotty 4G network and Samsung's poor software support leave me somewhat lukewarm. Take a look at Motorola and HTC Android phones instead. However -- the Epic is a lot of fun to use, and it sure beats a flip phone!

Update (1/25/11): Samsung still hasn't released Froyo. I rooted the phone, and I installed the TrulyEpic Rebirth ROM, which is based on a leaked version of Froyo. Everything is much smoother now, and the GPS locks within 4 foot accuracy. However, the rooting process is not for the faint of heart and there's a chance you may brick the phone. The average Joe shouldn't have to do this to get a properly updated phone. Thus, I reduced the rating to two stars. If you want a phone with a keyboard, get the new EVO Shift instead.

High hopes, but poor battery life and other flaws doom this phone November 20, 2010

Reviewer:  BigO 

I've been with T-Mobile now for a few years, and I read some pretty cool things about the Samsung Epic, so my wife and I each gave one a shot under Sprint's 30 day "test drive." Long and short -- the Epic didn't live up to what we were hoping for, and we ended up sticking with T-Mobile (and got the T-Mobile G2). (Note -- neither of us work for either company, and have absolutely no connection or dedication to either company.) Here are our pros and cons on the Epic:

Pros:
-- Brilliant, eye-catching screen. Super AMOLED is incredible. This is one area where the Epic is a little nicer than the T-Mobile G2. (The Epic screen is a little over-saturated, and the G2 renders colors a little more naturally, but all in all, the Epic has a great screen.)

-- Physical keyboard has a lot of useful keys; all four capacitative buttons from front face of phone are duplicated on the keyboard. Dedicated row of number keys is nice.

-- Sprint 4G (when you can get it, and you're not concerned about burning up the battery) is very fast.

Cons:
-- TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE battery life (even after exchanging for a different phone and battery). I could never get more than 8-10 hours of standby/use under very average use; a few days I didn't even make it through the day. (I use my phone for basic business emailing, infrequent texting, and occasional web-browsing when bored.) I even did extensive internet research on how to improve battery life, and pretty much every idea I found involved disabling or shutting off every feature that makes the Epic useful/fun/cool. And don't even think about using the fancy Sprint 4G too much -- that drains the Epic's battery faster than anything (which is a little annoying, given that you pay $10/line/month for the 4G.) What's the point of having a phone where you can't use anything on it??? The battery life issues are by far the most common complaint I have seen re: the Epic, and my experience was no different. (By point of contrast, in my second day of use with the T-Mo G2, I got 24 hours of typical standby/use. For me, that is an acceptable battery life for one of these high-powered smartphones.)

-- Painfully slow charger. The Epic took over 4 hours to go from 15-20% power to full charge. (Again, only by point of contrast, my G2 recharges in about 2 hrs. I've read that Samsungs in general don't charge very fast.)

-- A little pricey. The Epic is $250 after the $100 rebate...by contrast, you can get other Android phones on other carriers for $150-200. When you are dealing with two phones, as we were, the $100-$200 difference isn't chump change.

-- Still no Android 2.2 for any Samsung phone!!! (On every other Android phone, OS 2.2 has been out for months. Again, Samsung phones are typically behind on the OS updates.) That means no Flash support, so a lot of webpages will have blanks or unplayable embeds. On a similar point, Samsung doesn't use straight Android -- they have their own overlay operating system on top of the Android layout. (I've read this is what slows down the OS updates.) I didn't like the Samsung overlay OS; much prefer the plain Android. The Samsung overlay OS is bloated and not particularly intuitive, and I believe slows this phone down. Android OS ain't broke, don't try and fix it Samsung! Just give us 2.2 Froyo!

-- The phone is a little bulky. The weight was good on the Epic (noticeably lighter than the T-Mobile G2), but the Epic is larger in size. I really feel like Epic exceeded the sweet spot in terms of its size. The Epic was also little "plasticky" (compared with a lot of brushed metal on the G2), but that does probably help out the Epic with the weight.

-- Sprint 4G is not particularly functional. This is not a complaint about the Epic per se, but is nevertheless relevant to this phone. As I noted above, when you get the Epic, you must pay $10/month/line for Sprint 4G. (That $10/month over a two year contract is $240, and nearly $500 on two lines!!) In the three weeks that I tried the Epic, I used the 4G service *maybe* 5 times (my wife even less). Why? First, battery life, as noted above. You can't leave the 4G radio on th Epic on all the time, b/c it will halve your battery life. Second, the process of getting on Sprint 4G is clunky -- you have to first turn on the 4G radio, then wait for it to connect, and then (if it actually connects), got to the browser and pull up the webpage. By point of contrast, with my T-Mo G2, the phone will automatically connect to the higher speed, 4G T-Mobile network if it is available. Thus, you don't have to take all the additional steps as with the Sprint phones. In just one week of use of the G2, I've actually gotten to make use of T-Mo's 4G network more than in the three weeks I had the Epic. (I know Sprint's 4G is technically supposed to be faster than T-Mo 4G HSPA+, but not by much (we tested the Epic and the G2 side by side), and when you account for the unfunctionality of the Sprint 4G, it's simply not worth it.)

Hope this helps those of you who are out there shopping around.

Finally another android phone with 5-row keyboard. September 3, 2010

Reviewer:  Cesar Vargas "Limitlis"  (Los Angeles, CA United States) -

Well what else can be said that hasn't been already....
- The Super Amoled screen is just amazing, although now on day 3 with my phone I already have a dead pixel(I wonder if that would merit a hardware replacement any thoughts?) It's tiny i know but still bugs me especially since I've only had it for a few days.

- The keyboard is very roomy, though(like any phone) it takes getting used to. Coming from a T-mobile G1 I could text pretty quickly without ever having to look down at the keyboard. I hope I can get to the same level with this phone.

Some major(for me) gripes that I've had with the phone so far:
- When using the supplied cable to charge from a usb port(except for the supplied wall-usb charger) the phone automatically unmounts the SD card. So for example while playing music from the phone in my car through the AUX jack... I plug it into my USB car charger using the supplied cable and the music stops. I have to unlock the phone, turn off the usb mass storage and resume the music playing. Hopefully this can be fixed with a software update.

- The 16GB micro SD card is generous in size but really slow being only a class 2. Large transfers to and from PC through USB can take a while. I haven't had any issues with the camera and taking pictures though i haven't yet tried video but I'm sure it'll be fine. And yes I know this is a VERY easily remedied issue. But i thought I should let would-be buyers know.

- Battery(like others have mentioned) isn't the greatest. But keeping the 4G off(especially if your not in a 4G area) and occasionally using the task manager to end apps that you are not and will not be needing for a while, will greatly extend battery life. Also the live wallpapers look AMAZING on the screen but also rapidly drain the battery.

- Battery related... If your running low on battery the phone will not allow you to use the camera. This might be a case where a spare would be useful while on vacation, etc...

- Lock Pattern: I was basically forced to use one with this phone since while in my pocket i felt it get really hot and when i took it out i noticed that it was unlocked and doing all sorts of weird stuff like launching apps and bringing up the long-press menu randomly. Having a lock pattern is good to have anyways but I was kind of hoping that I wouldn't need one. I have fairly large hands but even still, now with the 4" screen writing the unlock pattern is a slower process than it was on my G1. If you have smaller hands I would recommend physically holding the device before purchasing online.

Don't get me wrong I've been waiting for a 5 row keyboard for a while now and I don't regret my purchase at all, i absolutely love this phone.

On a side note I haven't had any issues with Sprint so far, coming from an almost decade long T-mobile customer it was a tough decision switching carriers but their plans and plan features are great so far. Also I haven't had any issues with coverage in the Los Angeles area, I usually keep 4G off though to save battery.

Cheers!

Unfortunately, bad support and well documented GPS bug hold this phone back. November 17, 2010

Reviewer:  R. Yoo  (NYC, NY) -

Unfortunately, bad support and well documented GPS bug hold this phone back.

Froyo or Android 2.2 has been long delayed for this phone with the timetable being constantly pushed back until it seems that Gingerbread will be out by the time Froyo appears for the Epic. Samsung software support is extremely slow or nonexistent especially compared the the like of HTC or Motorola.

To cap it off there is an extremely widespread GPS bug present on ALL Galaxy S type phones (Epic is in that family) where the gps cache is buggy and the phone can't achieve or is extremely slow to lock on to GPS satellites. You'll still be able to get a general idea of where you are (30 meters or so) through the cell signal, but forget about navigation and accurate readings. The only way to get around this is through convoluted system settings which should not be touched and only help with the problem, not solve it. The new Froyo coming out so far does not seem to address this issue.

Search around and you'll find a ton of people complaining about this with Samsung refusing to even admit there is a problem.

Other than that, the phone runs great, which is a shame..... The screen is gorgeous, the response is snappy. Its too bad that such a great product is held back by poor support.

Excellent phone! October 14, 2010

Reviewer:  Christopher Schneider 

I've had this thing for a few weeks now, and I am just loving it. I was looking at this or the EVO (As I'm sure everyone else is), and I ultimately decided on this phone for two reasons:

1. The slide out QWERTY keyboard
2. The AMOLED screen

First, I'll go into the keyboard. It is excellent! I had a friend, a launch Droid user, tell me that I wouldn't use the keyboard often. Actually, he was right. The on-screen Swype keyboard is just excellent for text input. However, I am really glad that I have the option of the physical keyboard. It is much, much better when typing passwords, entering e-mail addresses, or typing anything that requires precision. e.g. Numbers or words that aren't in the dictionary.

Next, the screen: It is gorgeous! I've watched a little TV from my Slingbox and a few movies. The Slingbox is limited by my internet, but the movies... Even less than DVD quality movies look superb on this phone. You'd think you were watching an HD movie. The colors are amazing. However, the most impressive thing to me is the black levels. I'm used to looking at LCD screens, and one of the first things I noticed was that when looking at a blank screen, it is pure black. You can't even tell the screen is on, but it is. It is a true black. This has totally sold me on an AMOLED TV when they become affordable.

I was also really impressed with the video quality. This thing can shoot in 720p video, and it looks really good. I was really interested in buying a Flip video camera or something like it, but the video quality on this phone is excellent, and I no longer see the point in buying a second device to record video.

My only complaints of the phone are in the Android OS. First off, it is very limited in playing Flash content. I'm patiently waiting on the Android 2.2 update, which I hope will allow me to view all Flash content natively, but I don't really know if/what the flash limitations are in Froyo (Android 2.2). At the time I'm writing this review, it appears that Samsung has submitted Froyo to the cellular providers for publishing. We're expecting Froyo to be released for this phone at the end of October 2010.

Next, I'm admittedly a little disappointed with the App Store. There just isn't much going on there. It's a real pain to navigate, and needs a major overhaul. You can view maybe 3-4 apps on screen at once, and there's no efficient way to sort them. You want a game? You can sort it by action, casual, puzzle, etc. That's it. You can't sort by name, number of downloads, publisher... anything really. Really, the best way to find the decent apps is to Google online with your PC and then go to your phone to download the apps.

Even then, the App store feels bare of quality apps. There are a few here and there, but they're definitely hard to find. The extremely poor sorting capabilities of the app store don't help. On the bright side, new apps are being released almost daily, and with the rapidly growing market share of the Android OS, it won't be long before there are tons of quality apps.

Finally, there's the battery. If you've read any other reviews, you had to see this coming! You'll absolutely have to buy a car charger for this phone. I charge mine on my way to work, and on my way home every day.

I will say this: I've had the phone for about four weeks, and it seems like the battery actually gets better when you've used and recharged it a few times. And when I say better, I mean a LOT better. When I first had the phone, it took around four hours to charge. When I went up to the store about an hour ago, I was charging the phone in my car. I gained about five percent battery in eight minutes. That's approximately 2.6 hours to recharge the phone. That's a pretty dramatic increase in charging time. However, I can't accurately testify to this number, as I may have been using the phone more often when I first got it.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the phone, and I highly recommend it.

UPDATE:

It just occurred to me that I did not go into any detail on the actual call quality. Obviously, this will be a very important factor to some people. I didn't go into detail because I feel it is adequate, and I bought this phone primarily for the many other functions the phone is capable of.

When not using speakerphone, the call quality is perfectly adequate. However, the quality when using speakerphone is really sub par.

I came from using a Nextel i880, and I am a big user of speakerphone because most calls I make are in a car. I generally set the phone on my center console and talk. When I got this phone, I attempted to do the same thing, but when I'm on the freeway and there is a lot of road noise in my car, I've been told it sounds like I'm talking in a wind tunnel.

The reason for this is that the mic on the speakerphone is VERY sensitive. When I'm at home with no ambient noise, the person on the other end can hear me crystal clear from six feet away. Unfortunately, the sensitive mic picks up everything else as well. I've had to start using a bluetooth headset in my car for clear conversations. Now, if you're driving a car that doesn't have a lot of road noise at high speed, this won't be an issue, but it is definitely something to be aware of before purchasing.

SECOND UPDATE (11/23):

Okay, I've been using this phone for quite a while now, and I've got it all figured out. There are a couple things I want to go into:

1. The Android 2.2 beta has been released. I've got it installed on my phone, and while there are a few bugs, Froyo has a few extra features that make it worthwhile. For one, the web browser is much closer to that of a desktop computer. I can now log in to local hotspots that have the "I Agree" screen, whereas with the stock, these pages wouldn't load at all.

Flash has been a bit of a disappointment though. Flash programs and video are so resource intensive that the phone slows to a screeching halt. I even had the phone completely lock up on me once to where I had to remove the battery and restart. I'm REALLY hoping that this is just a symptom in the beta, because if it isn't, then Flash just isn't really usable on this thing.

2. Battery life. Before I tried out the Froyo beta, I had a user created version of Android loaded on the phone. I can't stress how much better it is than the stock OS. It eliminates the crummy pre-loaded Sprint apps, increases performance, and at the very least DOUBLES battery life. If you're a little tech savvy, this user generated content is far better than Samsung/Sprint's software. Just be aware it voids the warranty if Sprint knows about it.

Glad I made the switch.... October 11, 2010

Reviewer:  Primadonna  (Louisiana) -

I have had a first generation iPhone for the past few years. I purchased the iPhone when it first came on the scene so due to the expense I have not been interested in purchasing a new cell phone until recently when I saw a commercial advertising Sprint's $69.99 plan. After seeing the pricing I decided to do some research on Sprint phones and soon narrowed down my options to the Evo and the Epic. Based on reviews and having no desire for a physical keyboard, I was actually interested in the Evo. I stopped in to the Sprint Store and played with both the Evo and the Epic and surprisingly I fell in love with the Epic. I loved the screen, the smaller more rounded design, and the keyboard seemed like a nice option for composing long emails without adding to much bulk to the phone. The Evo had a clear crisp screen and the kickstand was a unique feature but it was just too large and too masculine for my taste. I ordered the Epic from a competing website and with a $25 off coupon code I manage to score a sweet deal of $174.99, free shipping. It arrived last week and I have been in love ever since. I am so glad I walked away from my iPhone. Perhaps because this is my first android phone I am not as critical as some, but here are the features I enjoy:
Visual Voicemail: Now I can play voicemails in any order I like, replay, pause, start again. It's very convienient.
The screen: As many have mentioned, it's simply gorgeous and makes you want to turn the phone on and play with it just to look at it.
The keyboard: I have had a touchscreen phone for years but I find myself using the keyboard for longer emails and text messages. It is very easy to adjust to and feels comfortable. I thought I wouldn't use it at all but I actually prefer it.
The apps: I have found many games and apps for free in the android market. It makes the phone experience that much more enjoyable
The sound quality: My phone calls are much clearer than with my iPhone. Nobody sounds muffled. The speakerphone is crisp and clear.
The camera: I already own a 14.1 megapixel cannon camera so I did not purchase this phone for the camera but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it takes decent shots. It's definetly a great backup to have on days where I don't have my camera handy. My iPhone took horible grainy photos that were virtually unusable.
Overall I am in love with the potential of this phone. It is capable of much more than I've mentioned so for a lite user such as myself it's a dream. I'm sure someone interested in multimedia and gaming will find this phone measures up to their high expectations as well.

To be fair, the battery does seem to drain rather quickly but I always plug the phone in when I'm home and I have an extra usb for work where I charge the epic with my laptop so I have not experienced any problems. I would suggest simply being prepared if you purchase this phone. Many reviewers have stated the battery can not be expected to go longer than a day without being charged and they are correct. Search the web for cheap cables and have an extra charger in your car or at your job and you won't have any reason to be dissapointed.

I am enjoying this phone but I am dissapointed with Sprint's network. I knew there was no 4g in my area when I purchased the phone so that is not a problem, but I did expect to have superior 3g connectivity since Sprint has now advanced to 4g. I find the 3g service to be extremely slow. I can not watch Sprint TV without my chosen show stopping every one to two minutes and taking five mintues or longer to load back again. It's a wonderful feature to have if it would work properly. I attribute this to the network not being able to support such an awesome phone.

Overall I am very satisfied with my purchase and more so dissapointed that Sprint is not truly ready for the capability of this device. I am hoping that when I travel I will be able to use more of the awesome features this phone has therby negating the need to tote around a laptop.

The absolute best cell phone available at this time. September 16, 2010

Reviewer:  J. Cook "J Cook"  (Texas) -

First of all, there are several poor reviews on this site that can simply be disregarded. Dumb people picking out 1 item that doesn't even make sense for a review, and they 1-star the phone. Don't worry, I see that ALL OVER this site these days. It completely skews the overall product rating, which sucks because it would be great to rely on that. As it is, with multiple moronic negative reviews for this phone, it is still averaging 4 stars. That should tell you what you need to know.

Pros:

Screen is so amazingly crisp and brilliant. It's great watching HD youtube videos, and high def pics on it.

Camera. It takes super sharp pictures and has TONS of different modes. Action mode is a really amazing feature.

4G. *if* you are in an area that has it, 4G is amazingly fast. I clocked the phone at over 3mbps today at work with an upload of 1mbps. That's faster than alot of home connections. And it is WAY more than you need for a cell phone.

Market. The apps you can get, there are so many of them. Tons of them are free, and you can personalize your phone and make it yours. That is the beauty of Droid in general.

Memory. The onboard memory is 512mb, plenty of room to install lots of apps, and still keep the phone running smooth. The 16mb expansion memory is enough for thousands and thousands of songs and pictures. Or you can rip some blu-rays to it. Also, you can upgrade to 32mb if you feel the need.

Processor. The 1gz hummingbird processor is a monster for a cell phone. The phone never ever lags or pauses or anything. What you tell it to do, it does. ( get it? Droid does! )

Typing. Swype is great, and if you don't like that you can tap, and if you don't like that you can talk, and if you don't like that you can slide out the qwerty keyboard.

Overall this phone is simply gorgeous, and at the very same time it is a workhorse for a cell phone. Call quality is crisp and clear, no dropped calls yet. Texting and communicating is made quick, easy, and fun.

Cons:

The only thing I have to say about this phone in any way that is negative, is the battery life. However, it's not this phone. It's physics. It's the law of things. If you have your screen maxed on brightness, download and stream stuff in 4G, and have a live wallpaper going on in the background, and GPS all day, and on and on... yes the battery will straight up die on you. So will your laptop. So will any other battery powered device. Batteries have a finite amount of juice in them. If you need your battery to last for 12+ hours between charges, then regulate yourself accordingly. Turn off things you don't need, dim the screen, and relax. The battery will be fine.

After a Rant and a Transform, I LOVE my Epic 4G! May 27, 2011

Reviewer:  James L. Greenlee "Jamie Actually Reads"  (Las Vegas, NV) -

Pros:
- Gorgeous, high-res, colorful and LARGE screen
- Big slide-out keyboard (in addition to on-screen one) has dedicated number keys
- Learning curve is short. Easy to understand
- Handles apps (like Angry Birds, live wallpaper) that Transform can't
- 16 Gb SD card included (can use up to 32 GB card)
- Very attractive on or off
- Great camera, hardware and software
- iPhone-like finger control of pictures and internet

Cons:
- Battery life is short if applications are left running, or with heavy use of apps
- Phone is a little large for a pocket (but smaller than you'd think with that keyboard)
- I'm sure something better will come along, but you can't prevent that!

I've had the Samsung Epic 4G for a week now, and I love it. LOVE it. Let me explain why.

Had a 2-1/2 year old Samsung Rant, with slide-out keyboard. It was sort of an entry level smart phone, bought for texting--not apps. It got drowned in the washing machine, which wasn't a tragedy. The phone lost its novelty long ago, and was never useful beyond talking and texting.

I needed a new phone quickly, so switching carriers to get an iPhone was out the window. I went to the Sprint store, and looked around. I was happy to find Android phones that looked iPhone-ish, but with real keyboards. The Samsung Transform, the HTC Evo Shift and the Samsung Epic. Liked them all, but opted for the cheapest of the three, the Transform. Thought it was SUCH a jump from the Rant, it would be "good enough."

After two weeks, I got tired of "good enough." All of my previous phones had been "good enough." NONE had made me very happy. Transform is a good phone. It's a good texting device. The internet and apps were of course better than I'd ever had. But they were slow, and they were buggy. And the screen was only passable.

I finally got my receipt, boxed everything back up, and went back to Sprint to trade it in. I KNEW that the Epic was going to be my choice, but I gave the Evo a shot. Nope, Epic, all the way. It has a GORGEOUS and LARGE screen for one, and I knew from researching online that it had the fastest processor.

After having had real-world, hands-on experience with both, I really couldn't be happier. The Epic 4G is fast. It's responsive. It installs apps (or uninstalls them) very quickly. The wide keyboard is great, equal to (but slightly different from) the Transform's. The phone looks sexy when in standby mode, all black except for a silver band around the edge, and the chrome logos. It effortlessly logs onto wireless or 4G. I don't feel like I'm giving up anything, or getting "less than." And the screen. . .I'm not kidding, don't pass it up until you've really checked out the screen.

My advice to anyone getting their first big bump up to a real smart phone: Spend the money. If the prices are $100, $150 and $200? Don't automatically go for the cheap one. Don't necessarily go for the most expensive either. But with a two year commitment, think about it. Is a $50 savings worth two years of beeing slightly dissatisfied or worse? I learned the hard way, and had to pay a $35 restocking fee!

No support from Samsung February 15, 2011

Reviewer:  James 

I purchased this phone thinking that it would be on the cutting edge of smartphones but to my surprise Samsung has just abandoned the phone leaving it outdated and lagging behind the HTC Evo which is older. Samsung has left this phone in its rearview mirror and moved on to concentrate on its new line of Galaxy phones so I suggest you do the same to any new Samsung phones including this one.

Can't wat for my contract to expire and go back to iphone!!!! February 11, 2011

Reviewer:  CBGB'S  (USA) -

Bought this phone 4 months ago and still on android 2.1!!!
This is ridicules, I don't know who's at fault...samsung,sprint or both.

This phone may be great if you have never used an iphone but my problem is my last phone was the iphone 3g and going to this phone was like 2 steps back...NO JOKE!!
Application functionality is the main reason; simple example... the facebook app on the iphone it was so simple to poke someone..Well the fb app on android no way to poke someone. I know this is a silly example but I am trying to show an example. Pretty much must of the application have limited functionality compared to the same app on iphone. Another example Yahoo app...you can make video calls on the iphone but on the android epic... NO Can do !!
So yeah.. if you've never used an iphone you might love this phone simply for that reason.

Samsung Won't Update Software, Good Screen Though January 19, 2011

Reviewer:  Marc Cooper "mcoope3"  (Baton Rouge, LA United States) -

This was a great phone when I got it but Samsung has been promising an update to the newest Android software with flash support and new features for about 6 months and hasn't delivered. Their competitors HTC and Motorola updated the competing phones in Summer 2010 but Samsung is still making excuses in Early 2011. Samsung claims this is their answer to the iPhone, but again the iPhone gets software updates to help older iPhones match some of the features of newer iPhones, but Samsung has no answer to that. They say they don't want to release an update until they have everything right, but if I said that to a teacher about my final report and was 6 months late I would fail the class. The competitors keep their phones up to date, Samsung makes excuses and hopes you will just but a brand new phone from them every 6 months. If a Samsung phone has to be replaced with a new model every 6 months to get the latest Android version while your competitors phones get regular updates, why woulndn't I buy the competitors phone next time? It is a nice phone with a good screen and decent battery life but if Samsung is too cheap to pay a few extra programmers to write updates then it is not worth our money.

Broken from factory January 1, 2011

Reviewer:  Shoes1967  (Memphis) -

We carefull when buying this phone, Samsung is shipping phones with a bad master image, I got my Epic back in October and there were 3 updates over the air (OTA) but neither Samsung nor Sprint can manually update my phone and after 6 nights and two trips to Sprint's repair center, they are tryng to replace my phone with a refurbish one after paying for a brand new phone not even 3 months ago. Sprint customer service is a disaster, they will give you mix informtation just to get you off the phone.

Poor Wifi November 4, 2010

Reviewer:  Doh! 

Cannot connect and maintain a wifi signal. Always drops and cannot easily scan for networks. Looking online at fixes it Ssems to be known issue.

Screen is brilliant and beautiful, but wifi is awful.

The Smart Phone To Own :-) Updated... November 2, 2010

Reviewer:  Keith VanErk  (USA) -

I've pre-ordered this phone & got it from Sprint on its premier day. I wanted it because it combines superior multimedia/social capabilities with a generous 5-rows physical QWERTY keyboard [along with SWYPE for Android right out the box, it provides the ultimate input selection]. It has everything I wanted: 4.0" Super 'Stunning' AMOLED touch screen [amazingly bright even in direct sunlight. You need to facilitate the Power Control Widget which allows 3 levels of Brightness]; 1.3 MP Front-Facing camera for video chat; 5.0 MP Rear-Facing camera that captures 720p HD video & has an LED Flash [functions as an LED flash light when needed!]; Android OS 2.1 out the box and is due to upgrade to Android 2.2 (aka, Froyo which will bring Flash support along with other cool features*); 1 GHz Hummingbird processor delivers a zippy, snappy, buttered experience!! Navigation is a breeze with 7 customizable home screens. Samsung's own totally revised TouchWiz 3.0 UI is bliss to navigate. What else? Hm, 16 GB of Memory with SD card expandability up to 32 GB; 512 MP of RAM/ROM; Free Turn-by turn GPS navigation; 3G/4G (where available)/Wi-Fi & Bluetooth connectivity options; Serves as a hotspot (optional) for up to 5 devices [that comes with a monthly fee] Status bar notifications and TRUE multitasking capabilities. The Android App Store gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to over 100,000 apps and rapidly growing. 3D games and movies are just so much fun to have in your pocket wherever you go. Now, I've had my Epic for a bit over 2 months and I just love more & more per second! Ah, and with apps like 'Documents to Go' and Samsung own Media Hub [which lets you rent or buy movies or TV shows**], you can be productive, stay connected, and have fun all at the same time.

However,there are very few 'shortcomings'. It does NOT come with an HDMI [Well, if you don't an HD TV then you don't need it!], 4G is not available nationwide but Sprint still charges a Mandatory $10 extra a month. With its big screen and speedy processor you want to keep in mind the battery is going to drain relatively faster than you 'dump' or semi-smart phone! In my personal experience, I had to charge it once daily. And lastly are two wishes: I wish it would've had a kick stand but that's no big of a bug, honestly. Although very well spaced out and tactile, I wish the keyboard buttons would've been just a hair more raised up above the surface.

My verdict: It is by far the best feature-packed Smart Phone available on the market to date. With its slick design, solid build, snappy performance, and rich features, I'd say with confidence: it is the Best Android 'Brilliant' phone, to say the least.

There's a whole lot to say about this 'brilliant' phone but that could end up lengthy and boring! So my advice to you is to go check it out for yourself. Take advantage of Sprint's One Month Satisfaction Guarantee and I'm sure you'll LOVE IT like I do :-)

Tip: Amazon offers the best price and saves you the hassle and the inconvenience of Mail-In rebates. BestBuy, however, offers their own Reward Program that I think is worth checking; they'd also assist you with transferring all of your contacts both for FREE. The Choice is yours.

* Flash support enables users to play web video content.
** The content is relatively pricy, and as of yet, it only works over Wi-Fi. Previews aren't always available. But it's nice to have the option.

Update:
__________

Now that I've had this brilliant phone for about 8 months & after having received my long-awaited Android 2.2, aka, Froyo, I feel I have to put up a few more words to keep my review up to date.

Samsung has created one of Android's smartest phones to date. I dare to say that their Galaxy S line is truly a 'category by itself!'
I have to admit though I was a little upset as to how long it took before I got my Froyo update & also because the issues that followed the update. But now that the new OS is finally stable & bug-free, I can safely say it's totally worth the wait. Besides, I learned to backup everything on my phone, the hard way :-( I've settled down to the fact that almost all OS updates have the potential to be troublesome. Yet again, the end result is worth a little hassle. I have well over 100 apps on my phone & it pretty much handles anything I throw at it. High-end games like Gameloft's Hawx, Modern Combat 2, BIA2, Sandstorm, & Asphalt 6, or other Android games such as AirAttack HD, Tank Recon 3D, Fruit Ninja, & Crazy Snowboard play like fluid & bring forth the power of this phone.

Is there anything I'd change about this phone? After having used Swype that comes pre-installed, I personally don't see a need to use a physical keyboard. Second, I definitely want to see some dual core action. I mean, if this is what a single core can do, I can only dream of the power of a dual core!! I also would love to see a Netflix app pre-installed. Well, these are the main things I want to see in the coming Samsung handsets. Oh, Gingerbread out of the box, por favor!!! So far, Samsung seems to be heading in the right direction. I can't wait to lay my hands on Samsung's Galaxy S II :-)

Go Galaxy S :-)

I love this phone! October 24, 2010

Reviewer:  L. MATSUMOTO  (Honolulu, HI) -

I've been a Blackberry user (Curve and more recently, Tour) for a long time. Prior to that, a Palm user. With all the great new touch screen phones coming out, I was itching to switch. But I wasn't about to switch to AT&T just to get the iPhone. I have also been with Sprint for years, and in my opinion, they have THE BEST coverage/service and plans (I never have dropped calls and they have the best "Everything" plan). Also, I wasn't willing to get a phone that only had a touch screen for entering text. True, AT&T has the new Blackberry Torch, but again, I would've had to switch to AT&T.

So I was so happy when Sprint came out with the new Samsung Epic (I'm glad I waited for this instead of getting the Evo). Simply put, this phone is AMAZING! It has everything I was looking for, among other things, the touch screen and pull-out keyboard. And while this phone is much larger than my previous Tour and really bigger than my husband's Palm Pre, it isn't any heavier. The build of the phone is solid. When you pull out the keyboard, you can do so with the confidence that it won't wobble or break. The Amoled screen is unsurpassed and the live wallpapers are beautiful! The colors are so vivid and true, and with the size of the screen, watching videos is wonderful! The speed of the browser is super fast too (this is one reason I wanted to switch from my Blackberry, which I also loved). The browser on the Blackberry is so slow and the browsing experience is lacking since the screen is so small. The pull-out key board is great, but I actually find myself not using it that much because I have gotten used to entering text using the Swype function. It is so fast and intuitive. Once you get the hang of using it, I don't think you'll be entering text with the keyboard.

There are still some things that are lacking, however, which caused me to give this a 4-star, instead of, a 5-star rating. First, the ability to sync with Microsoft Exchange is lacking. Currently, there is no way to sync your notes and tasks from Outlook. I use these a lot so I had to find work-arounds for this (I use Evernote for my notes and Remember the Milk for my tasks). Second, there is no spell check. I'm not sure why as this seems to be something that shouldn't be hard to include since gmail has it. Third, there doesn't appear to be a way to select the default calendar when entering new appointments (you have to always select which calendar you want the appointment in). Also, there doesn't appear to be away to dismiss select appointments. Again, I have had to use a work-around (I use the free Calendar Snooze). Fourth, the ability to customize the ringer and notification profiles is somewhat limited (you have to download an app (I use Quick Profiles) to do this - not a big deal, but it would be good if this was already included). Truly, these are not actual functions of the phone itself, but of the Android OS. So I'm hoping that with the eventual upgrade in OS, these issues will be addressed and resolved.

While I have had to alter the way I do things on my device, this has not been a dealbreaker for me. I am extremely happy that I purchased this phone (through Sprint) and that I am using the Android OS. I am a Android convert for good. I'm learning new things on this phone everyday and I'm looking forward to the upgrade in the OS - hopefully soon!

Simply the best! September 9, 2010

Reviewer:  Edward J. Doura  (Rhode Island) -

I have to say that this is the best smartphone ever produced by anyone, anywhere. The combination of the vibrant screen, excellent design, smooth interface, speed of the Sprint 4G network (where available) and strong android marketplace is unbeatable. I strongly recommend this phone with Sprint's Everything Data Mobile Me plan. I am very pleased and have not looked back.

First Android Experience - and it's a good one! September 9, 2010

Reviewer:  P. C. WALL "PCW"  (New Jersey) -

I clung to my Verizon LG basic camera/text phone for as long as I could. When I finally got tired of waiting... and made the move to an android phone, I was flabbergasted at the price difference on monthly plans between Verizon and Sprint. I'd call it a no-brainer, but I really think it's one of the smartest moves I've ever made.

Sprint service in my area (Central NJ, ranging between Monmouth County and Philly Suburbs) has been solid. (with the exception of a 1/4 mile area of Jackson, NJ in Ocean County that doesn't get ANY service, not even Verizon)

I get 4G at work and for 80% of my drive home. I sometimes get a smattering of 4G in my house and the Sprint people says it'll be in my area sooner rather than later... so for me "the Network" is not an issue, and I would surmise it's more hype than truth in more places than not.

The Epic 4G is awesome. Really fast, good looking and slick. Easy to learn how to use and easy to operate. I have no complaints to balance my review with. I use it for just about everything you can imagine. Gmail, corporate email, voicemail, google voice, google talk, google maps, audible.com, facebook, twitter, browsing, android apps... no problems so far. (to be fair, corp email took some doing to set up, but the difficulty was on my end, the phone was ready and willing if I was putting in the right information)

Battery lasts a whole day... even the day when I was in heavy use when trying to set up corporate email, the batter made it a good 8 hours before needing a recharge.

Highly recommended. (I almost got the EVO, which from what I've seen is also great, but the Super AMOLED screen on the Epic blew me away when I played with it at the Sprint store)