Posts tagged samsung epic 4g
Sprint Kicks Off CES Week With 3rd 4G Phone, the HTC EVO Shift 4G
Jan 4th
It’s been awhile since Sprint last released a 4G phone– almost 5 months since their last one, the Samsung Epic 4G. Obviously with 4G getting even more popular (and competitive) thanks to Verizon and T-Mobile’s new 4G networks, we expect 2011 to be a huge year for 4G phones– and Sprint of course looks to continue its lead in 4G phones, announcing their 3rd 4G phone, the HTC EVO Shift 4G.
This phone is pretty much a mix of the wildly popular EVO 4G and Epic 4G, taking pieces from both and putting it in a nice, simple design. Specs include:
- A full slide out QWERTY keyboard (like the Epic)
- Android 2.2 with HTC Sense– Like the EVO, with all the usual assortment of standard Android apps like the Android Market, Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube as well as Sprint apps like Sprint Mobile TV all pre-loaded.
- 3.6 inch touchscreen– A step down in size from the EVO’s massive 4.3 inch and Epic’s 4 inch screen, but this does keep the same resolution of 800 x 480 so everything will still look just as sharp, clear and amazing as on those beasts.
- 800 MHZ processor– To keep things running smoothly. Again, not as fast as the EVO and Epic’s respective 1 GHZ processors, but should be more than enough for browsing the web, watching some YouTube, texting and playing Angry Birds.
- 5 megapixel camera with flash and HD video recording– Like on the Epic, though for some reason there’s no front camera for video chat. You’d think (and expect) that since it’s a 4G phone and takes so much from the EVO and Epic that it would have this too…
- microSD card slot– With a 2 GB card included in the box (upgradeable to 32 GB).
- And of course, 3G, 4G, WiFi and GPS
At $149.99 it’s the cheapest 4G phone at launch yet, though that $50 here does seem to be a big difference in what you’re getting when compared to the $200 EVO or even the $249 Epic– with both offering much more bang for the buck in their bigger screens, front cameras and faster processors. And with places like Amazon offering both of those phones for only $99.99 on 2 new year contract (see here for Epic and here for EVO. UPDATE: as commenter kweenb points out, when upgrading from a current Sprint contract, Amazon charges $179.99 for the EVO and $199.99 for the Epic– why we don’t know. The $99.99 price we saw is when buying either of the phones as a new Sprint customer. And if you are looking for an EVO, you may also want to check out Radio Shack, whose offering on upgrade an EVO for the same $149.99 as the EVO Shift 4G), we’d recommend you look there before going for this (that, or wait a couple of weeks to see if Sprint drops the price on this closer to that level).
The HTC EVO Shift 4G launches this Sunday, January 9th, for $149.99 on a new 2 year contract with Sprint data plan and additional $1o a month 4G “premium data” add-on (still required for all 4G Sprint phones). Full specs and more info can be found at Sprint’s site here.
Samsung Epic 4G Coming to Sprint August 31st, Just in Time for School
Aug 12th
Sprint users we gotta hand it to ya– it must have been tough watching all these new smartphones get announced and released but only for carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. But don’t worry if you’ve been eying that new Samsung Epic 4G phone for school this year as Sprint and Samsung have just announced that you should be able to get your hands on one just in time for school when it launches August 31st for $249.99 with a new 2 year contract and data plan (in addition to Sprint’s $10 “premium data” 4G charge) and after an $100 mail in rebate (and yes, it is $50 more than Sprint’s other 4G phone the HTC EVO 4G).
Just a brief refresher for those who don’t know, the Epic 4G is Sprint’s second 4G phone (the first being the EVO 4G) and a part of Samsung’s line of high-end Galaxy S smartphones (like the AT&T Captivate, T-Mobile Vibrant and Verizon Fascinate). In terms of design and specs, it perfectly matches up with what you’d expect from Sprint for their second 4G phone, packing a very impressive feature list including:
- 4 inch Super AMOLED multitouch screen and 1 GHZ Hummingbird processor–Like all the other Galaxy S phones, these should mean that not only does everything look great, but runs great too.
- Android 2.1 with Samsung’s customized TouchWiz 3.o interface– We’re kind of upset this doesn’t launch with Android 2.2 (I mean, the EVO 4G has already been running it for weeks), and all Sprint so far is saying with regards to an update is that it will happen “in the coming months.”
- 5 megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, and 720p HD video recording on back AND a VGA front camera for video calls– Similar to the iPhone 4, just here video calls can be made to other users (like Skype, Qik, EVO 4G, or even iPhone 4 users with apps like Fring) over WiFi, 3G, or 4G.
- WiFi, GPS, 3G, and 4G– Including support for the latest and fastest wireless N WiFi networks.
- 3.5 mm headphone jack and 16 GB microSD card included in the box– And Sprint and Samsung have also teamed up to introduce the Samsung Media Hub so you can buy or rent movies or TV shows and watch them right on that gorgeous screen over 4G. Basically, your good to go right from the start as far as media is concerned.
And of course, this is the only Galaxy S phone to offer a full slide out QWERTY keyboard (as well as a Swype keyboard for when you wanna type on the screen), which also really helps to differentiate itself from the EVO 4G.
So if you’re choosing between the EVO and Epic is the Epic worth the $50 more? It’s a tough call, as on the one hand you’ve got the EVO available today with Android 2.2 and all the latest features like Flash 10.1 support when browsing the web (as well as an even bigger 4.3 inch screen and a higher-res 8 megapixel camera on the back and 1.3 megapixel camera on the front); but on the other you’ve got that full physical QWERTY keyboard and a smaller design that may not feel so ginormous when you stick it in your pocket. Regardless of which you choose though, both look to be great choices and it doesn’t really look like there is a “wrong” one.
But we wanna know Sprint users– if you’re up for a new phone, are you gonna wait a couple more weeks to go with this keyboard packing beast or instead go for the $50 cheaper and already available EVO 4G? Share your thoughts, dreams and plans in the comments.
