If you've been holding out on Sprint's HTC EVO 4G while waiting for an Android smartphone with WiMAX capabilities that also offers a full QWERTY keyboard, your mobile prayers have been answered. Samsung's Epic 4G has arrived, and it's a top-notch device that seems to offer it all: a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, a large 4-inch Super AMOLED display, a 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording and an LED flash, and a keyboard that's very comfortable to use.
While there are some setbacks, namely battery life, the Epic 4G is a premium smartphone that's sure to knock more than just a few socks off. In this review I'll discuss the device's features, as well as what makes it stand out amongst the other Galaxy S devices, which have already launched on AT&T and T-Mobile.
Hardware
The Epic 4G is the only Galaxy S device so far to offer a full hardware QWERTY keyboard, and for that reason, it's the chunky kid in the family. The Epic 4G measures 124.4 x 66 x 15.2mm (4.9 x 2.6 x 0.6in) and weighs 155.9g (5.5oz). The Epic 4G offers the same large 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution
The Epic 4G also offers a similar external port and button layout as the other Galaxy S devices, the volume rocker is on the left, 3.5mm headphone jack and micro-USB hatch on the top, and a power button is on the right. However, the Epic 4G also has a dedicated camera shutter button, a feature that I love. There are four touch sensitive buttons along the bottom of the screen for accessing the menu and home, stepping back through a menu, and searching. I love that Samsung added an LED notification light on the Epic 4G, a feature that's missing from the other U.S. Galaxy S phones.
The Galaxy S has a strong built, and its 5-row QWERTY keyboard pops out with a nice sturdy spring. Powered off, the phone looks a bit like an over-sized feature phone, but powered on, the stunning Super AMOLED display screams "premium" from the hilltops.
The back of the Epic 4G isn't as inviting as the battery cover on the Captivate, which is metal with carbon-fiber looking etchings, or the colorful plastic on the back of the Vibrant. The Epic 4G's battery cover is black with small silver speckles on it, and it looks like a feature phone from behind, save for the Galaxy S logo. There's also a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, and a welcome LED flash which was missing on the other Galaxy S models. Under the battery compartment cover can be found the microSD memory card slot, which comes pre-loaded with a 16GB card.
I found the keyboard to be very good, and I'll discuss more of its features in this review's Messaging section.
Usability
The Epic 4G is powered by Android 2.1 (Samsung has an Android 2.2 Froyo upgrade planned) and is loaded with Samsung's TouchWiz 3.0 user interface on top. TouchWiz 3.0 builds on Android 2.1 in a number of ways, with a revamped main menu and a host of homescreen widgets. There are even some "Easter egg" surprises hidden in the interface that I've discovered over time. One such trick? You can slide your finger across the notification bar of the screen (where the clock and signal indicator are) to adjust the screen's brightness on the fly.
The Epic 4G provides seven different homescreens that can be customized with both Android and Samsung widgets, and I was also able to rearrange the order of which the homescreens were displayed. The phone has four icons at the bottom of the screen, Phone, Contacts, Messaging, and Applications. Unlike with the Vibrant and the Captivate, these buttons can not be rearranged or customized, which is a bit disappointing.
Android 2.1, by default, offers a main menu of applications in a list form that can't be customized or ordered in any fashion. TouchWiz 3.0 lets you customize this menu. The only catch? Sprint disabled that feature on the Epic 4G. I only had the option to view the options in a list view or in a page fashion. Thankfully, I like my icons listed in alphabetical order, by page, but I imagine there are a number of people that would rather customize their app icon layouts, and think it should have still been an option.
The Epic 4G's address book application supports social network integration from Google, Facebook, and Twitter (and others with added apps). The latter two of which were added by Samsung's TouchWiz user interface. That means it will automatically pull in your Facebook and Twitter contacts, and their respective profile pictures, to populate your address book. If a contact is linked to Facebook, you can view media they've uploaded, as well as any activities or status updates they have posted recently. It's a fun feature that reminds me of HTC's Sense user interface, which offers similar functionality.
As a side note, we reported some sluggishness on both the Captivate and the Vibrant. However, and perhaps due to a different file system setup, I noticed that the Epic 4G felt much faster out of the box than the other two phones did. I don't have as many applications installed on the Epic 4G just yet, but it's still noticeable.
Calling / Data
The Samsung Epic 4G offered excellent call quality during my tests. Calls with a landline sounded very crisp and clear, without any cackling or popping issues, and I didn't experience a single dropped call. The speakerphone also worked well while the device was on my desk.
In my apartment in New York City, I regularly saw a full signal reported, and the phone reported a -65dBm signal strength while sitting at my desk, which fluctuated every so often to -72 at its worst. During our standard DSLReports.com/mspeed data throughput test, I found that the Epic 4G averaged 1,311Kbps on the
The Epic 4G also supports Sprint's 4G
Like the HTC EVO 4G and a number of other Sprint phones, the Epic 4G is able to serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot using the Sprint Hotspot application. The software allows up to 5 devices to connect and share the Epic 4G's 3G or 4G connection at once. The service worked well for me and I surfed the web without any issues using the WiFi hotspot with my netbook. Naturally Bluetooth and USB connectivity is also provided by the Epic 4G.
Messaging
The Epic 4G takes the Galaxy S family one step further than earlier models by offering a solid four-row QWERTY keyboard on top of touchscreen input. The keyboard's keys are all flat and offer a good amount of travel and pop. There's also a function key for adding symbols, a dedicated emoticon button, four arrow keys, and dedicated buttons for back, menu, search, and home. The space bar is placed conveniently in the middle of the keyboard. While typing, you can tap on the space bar to add a recommended word. The Swype virtual keyboard was just as easy to use as it is on the Vibrant and Captivate, but I found myself preferring the full QWERTY keyboard for most messaging tasks.
The Epic 4G supports IMAP/POP email accounts, and also offers full Exchange support for syncing your calendar, contacts, and email. Gmail is a breeze to setup and I was logged in and firing off emails in just over a minute. I also setup my work IMAP account in just a few minutes without any issues. My biggest gripe with Gmail on Android is that to reply to an email, you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the message. This isn't the case with POP/IMAP accounts on the phone, and only with the Gmail client, but I've noticed how much it's beginning to bother me when I want to reply to longer messages.
The Epic 4G also supports threaded SMS/MMS texts, and I liked the colorful neon green bubbles on the black background. While I found it hard to select text and move the cursor around on the Samsung Captivate, the keyboard controls alleviated this problem on the Epic 4G. I simply had to push one arrow or another to move the cursor and edit text.
Apps / App Store
As of August 2010, the Android Market is home to over 70,000 applications, which means there's plenty of software to populate the Epic 4G with. Sprint included some bloatware of its own, including its Asphalt 5, Sprint Football, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, the NASCAR app, and Sprint Zone. The Epic 4G also comes with ThinkFree Office, which can be used for opening Microsoft Office documents on the phone or stored on ThinkFree.com (account required).
Google Navigation, which offers free voice-guided turn-by-turn directions, isn't installed out of the box, as Sprint Navigation offers similar features that are included in Sprint Simply Everything plans. Should you prefer Google's offering, though, it's available in the Android Market.
Browser
The Epic 4G's browser is identical to the browsers found on the Captivate and Vibrant, save for some additional bookmarks Sprint preloaded. Multi-touch zooming worked effortlessly thanks to the speedy connection paired with the 1GHz processor, and text was easy to read even while fully zoomed out, thanks to the high resolution display. I like that it was easy to add bookmarks to each page by simply tapping a small bookmark icon next to the web address, and each bookmark is displayed with a large thumbnail.
The Epic 4G doesn't support Flash 10.l content just yet, as a test on the South Park website revealed. However, it's expected to become available when Samsung pushes out the promised Android 2.2 Froyo update. Despite lacking Flash, I enjoyed browsing on the Epic 4G and think it's a first-rate device for anyone seeking a robust web browsing experience out of a smartphone.
Camera
The Epic 4G snaps 5 megapixel photos and can record video at a 720p HD resolution. I love some of the camera's features, including its panorama shot, which stitched together photos of entire landscapes while I moved the phone from left to right snapping photos. Its video quality was excellent, both on the screen and on my computer, and the photos were also frame worthy.
Unlike the Vibrant and Captivate, two other U.S. Galaxy S smartphones, the Epic 4G also has a single LED flash. This meant that I was actually able to capture shots in the dark. The flash was too bright for up-close images, and usually blew out the shot with a blinding white mark. However, it did the trick for subjects that were a bit farther away.
Music
The Epic 4G uses Android's stock music player, which is OK, although I preferred Samsung's more robust music player on the other Galaxy S devices. Music is sorted by artist, album, playlist, or song, and you can quickly scroll through an alphabetical list, which includes album art next to each title, to find what you're looking for. The music menu also works in landscape mode, and playlists are a breeze to create. I'm not sure why Samsung removed its custom music player from the Epic 4G, but the stock one worked just fine.
Samsung included an excellent set of ear buds with rubber tips with the Epic 4G that also include a microphone so that you can place calls without having to take off your headphones. With headphones plugged in, you can take advantage of the SRS 5.1 virtual surround sound feature by tapping the small logo at the top right of the music player. I thought music sounded better without this feature on, but some may prefer it.
The built-in speakers were adequate enough for filling a small room with music, but it wasn't loud enough to even replace a set of cheap computer speakers.
Battery
With moderate to heavy usage, the Epic 4G's 1,500mAh battery was able to last from 8am until 5pm, but with heavier usage, I had to charge earlier. The short battery life is one of the biggest downsides to the device, so you'll want to plan on bringing your charger with you even for quick over-night trips. Commuters might even consider a car charger.
Reviewer Spin
The Epic 4G has some tough competition on Sprint. I'm a big fan of HTC's EVO 4G smartphone, which also offers WiMAX. If I were to choose between the two right now, however, I'd probably go with the Samsung Epic 4G. Sure, it doesn't have Android 2.2 yet, but that update is coming. I'm also head over heels for its Super AMOLED touchscreen display. And while I have no problem with touchscreen keyboards, when a good hardware QWERTY comes my way, such as that found on the Epic 4G, I'll use it over a touchscreen any day.
The Epic 4G offers good data speeds, call quality, an excellent camera, and a superb form factor. It may be tied with the HTC EVO 4G as the best smartphone on Sprint in terms of specs and capabilities, but it's my favorite of the two.
No comments:
Post a Comment