Not the Greatest Phone October 6, 2010

Reviewer:  A. Mihelich 

Well, I bought this phone thinking I could use Sprint's 4G network when traveling. I've been in Manhattan (NY) and in downtown Chicago and other places where there's supposedly 4G coverage, but never has it worked. 4G just doesn't really exist I don't think. Also, the email functionality of this phone is horrible. I would not recommend this phone for work. If you need to get your emails in a timely manner get a blackberry! I have to manually open the email program every so often to check to see if new emails have come in... such a pain. And, you can't use SKYPE or NETFLIX apps.... so if you want to use either of these two programs get the iphone. The android market is kind of joke compared to what you can get on apple. Also, no one can hear me when I use the speakerphone so I always have to put it up to my ear. Hope this helps and don't forget to like this review so others can know that with this phone you are limited to apps and emails are very slow to come in!

A LIE April 25, 2011

Reviewer:  Saturian 

THE PHONE PRICE IS A GOOD DEAL BUT UNLESS U USE AMAZONS PLAN OPTION U CANT GET THE PHONE FOR $90. IN MY CASE THE PLAN IS A DOWN GRADE FROM WHAT I ALREADY HAVE, SO I WOULD BE LOOSING OUT!!

Great phone but beware... November 6, 2010

Reviewer:  MacGuy 

The Epic is a great phone. I'm discovering more useful features as I use it. I would rate it four or five stars, however I want to get your attention so I've rated it one star to do that ( I hope the message justifies the means). I had the Epic in my pocket while hiking in the woods. I tripped on a branch and fell to the ground (typical fall, not off a cliff). When I checked the phone, the screen was fractured and the phone was inoperable. I've taken it in for repair but just want to say that the screen is not very durable, it can be nicked or fractured easily. Given the quality of the screen presentation, this is an acceptable trade off for me--with of course having the wish that it wasn't so but it is. It would have been helpful for me to know this about the Epic or that type of screen before the incident happened. I would have protected it more. I've just never had that problem with the many phones I've had before.

Nice Phone - but BATTERY UNUSABLE !! Samsung, wake up !! September 2, 2010

Reviewer:  Girish Narang "larry sokilic"  (Santa Clara, CA USA) -

I was waiting for a nice Android based phone on Sprint, and EVO was impossible to get because it was always on back-order (and frankly, too big of a screen).

So, when Sprint advertised this one, it seemed perfect. Nice sized screen, and a sliding keyboard, plus 4G.

But overall, this phone has been almost unusable, primarily because of the short Battery Life. I am totally NOT impressed with the Power Engineering of Samsung.. Can't believe they are running a Smart Phone Business !!

Good points:
- Nice bright Screen
- Pretty quick and responsive
- Nice Sliding Keyboard
- Runs Android (so access to the App Marketplace)
- 4G (if it is available in your area)

And the Bad:
- 4G not available in most US markets (Sprint store where I bought had some 4G signal, but I think they have turned on 4G spots near their stores, but no where else). -
- Battery drains VERY QUICKLY.
- Almost all the desirable services almost unusable, because you do not get more than an hour - if you turn on anything besides regular phone use (GPS, Wifi, 4G, Video, Web Browsing !!)
- Did I mention, BATTERY LIFE IS BAD.
- And not to mention, the charging cable is on the top of the phone.. so it is very awkward to talk and charge at the same time (if you are going to keep this phone, you better get used to it.).

Some users are writing that the battery life is OK, but I think they are either not using any of the functions, or are Samsung/Sprint paid bloggers..

COMPARISON to:
- I have compared the battery life to a iPhone 4 and HTC Nexus. Both are equivalent in terms of the features. And the battery on them lasts way longer (at least through the day).

How much the battery lasts? (as you can see, I am really not too happy with it).
- With normal use (20-30 mins of phone talk, 20-30 mins of browsing, 20-30 emails, and 5-10 mins of streaming, it will last you 6-7 hrs
If you use the GPS for about 20 mins.. Battery will last no more than 4-5 hrs.
(I was making sure to kill all running applications - as soon as I am done, but to no avail).

I have used the iPhone 4 extensively (sorry, do not work for Apple, but that is what I have access to), and the battery lasts the whole work day easily with medium use of Phone, Internet, and even streaming Youtube/Netflix).

Surprised, that Samsung will release such a product, that is NOT usable by a smartphone user, unless you are lugging around a USB charger with you !!

TOTALLY UNSATISFIED... Unless they improve the battery life.. otherwise, this is a nice paper weight..

Be careful before buying. September 20, 2010

Reviewer:  Ben Hudson "AZGLI"  (Tempe, AZ USA) -

I am not an owner of this phone, but I have used it in-store for about 1 hour and researched it extensively online and in person. What you need to be aware of is that the Epic 4G service on Sprint requires a 10.00/mo fee to give you a "more robust" data experience. However, the data speeds on the phone are not high in comparison to other devices on the Sprint network. The Epic 4G averages about 800 kbps download on 3G but only 150 kbps upload. This means that uploading pictures, sending email, uploading videos etc. is almost impossible for anything but very small files. Sending an email with an attachment will take 1-2 minutes due to the upload cap.

If this doesn't concern you, disregard this review. Otherwise, you may be better served with the EVO.

Battery is pathetic September 3, 2010

Reviewer:  Web "Web...."  (LAKE OSWEGO, OR United States) -

The battery is absolutely pathetic.

I had the phone 100% charged as of 2pm yesterday. Drove home, played with the GPS features, made on short call and that was it. This AM at 6:30 a.m. is 100% dead. You are kidding me, right? This is absolutely ridiculous to be honest. I didn't really use the darn thing, and by the way shut down many of the features to try to prevent this.

The phone itself has a ton of features, but what good is a wireless device IF I have to more or less keep it plugged in? Ridiculous.

Not the phone, but slamming Sprint and the listing... September 15, 2010

Reviewer:  Gregory King 

I see all the capabilities listed in the specs, but what isn't obvious (or listed at all) is the $10/month extra fee Sprint nails you just to use the phone, and $30 per month fee on top of THAT you have to pay to use the mobile hotspot feature.

So, you get dinged for $40 a month to use what appear to be the only decent Android phones on the Sprint service. If they advertised this better (not sure whether to blame Sprint or Amazon), and had a decent 3G phone as an option for the rest of us who don't need/want 4G, it would be acceptable.

As it is, it's bogus. The 3g options are all outdated and have significant issues. The Hero and the Moment have decent hardware, but don't have Android 2.2. 2.1 is too taxing for their CPU's, and 1.6 is no longer available.

The Intercept does have 2.2, but ironically is a hardware downgrade on many factors.

Good phone....terrible network! August 31, 2010

Reviewer:  kingrune 

Bought it at 9am this morning and returned it at 7pm. 4G signal only when outdoors...only 3g indoors. Seems to be a long connection outage whenever switching from 4g-3g or vice versa. Dropped calls 3 times driving up and down the freeway from Dallas to Mckinney. Hardware is nice but Sprint network...atleast in DFW is as bad as ever. Waiting for the Epic to come out on another network or the G2 on HSPA+ network on T-mobile.

This phone has a major flaw. September 1, 2010

Reviewer:  Rony 

I paid a visit to a sprint store as I wanted to check this phone OUT first before I made any purchase. I must tell that I was extremely "Disappointed" with this device. The following is a major flaw, and deserves less than a star-You cannot swap calls. For those of you who do not know what this means, is just that if you are talking to two people, this phone gives you no option to put the first caller on hold and talk to the other while still keeping the other caller on the line. If you merge the calls to three ways, you are not able to separate the callers should you decide to stay and talk to just only one. You must hang up and redial. There were lots of complaints in the sprint store that the device has this serious flaw. Say, for instance, you were talking with your wife, and then your daughter called. If you took this call, you could not switch back to your wife. You must hang up and dial your wife back. I can't say anything more because I did not purchase the device for this reason I just cited. However, all I can tell is that this phone is beautiful; it has Android and a large screen