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Sprint Nextel has announced that in the Samsung Epic 4G, it will soon have a second smartphone capable of accessing its growing 4G network. The newest member of Samsung Mobile’s Galaxy S smartphone lineup, the Epic 4G is the manufacturer’s first Android-running, 4G device.
“Samsung Epic 4G joins a portfolio of powerful devices offering an unprecedented simplicity and value to our customers as the only national carrier with a 4G network and devices and applications that can leverage the increased data speeds to provide a high-def entertainment and business experience in the palm of your hand,” Steve Elfman, president of Sprint network operations, said in a June 28 statement.
Like other summer blockbusters, such as Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G, the Apple iPhone 4 and the Motorola Droid X, the Epic 4G pairs a powerful processor with a big, bright, touch-sensitive screen. In the case of the Epic, the processor is a 1GHz Samsung Cortex A8 Hummingbird and the display is a 4-inch Super AMOLED that responds to multitouch pinches, long taps, and vertical and horizontal swiping. According to Sprint, it also boasts the “best representation of color on a mobile phone,” offering “more than 100 times the contrast quality of other leading displays.”
The Epic 4G runs Android 2.1, but users can expect an over-the-air update to Android 2.2 when it launches, bringing with it updates to the user interface, improved browser performance, Flash 10x support, voice dialing over Bluetooth, improved EAS (Microsoft Exchange Active Sync) support and the ability to store applications on external memory-such the Epic 4’s included 16GB microSD card, though the slot can support up to 32GB of memory.
In addition to 4G data speeds on Clearwire’s WiMax network, where it’s available, connectivity options include 3G (over EVDO Rev A.), WiFi and Bluetooth. Plus, with tethering, the Epic 4G can act as a 3G or 4G mobile hot spot for up to five other WiFi-enabled devices-a great feature, though Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G can tether an impressive eight devices.
As with the recently introduced Samsung Captivate, which will arrive on the AT&T network in the coming months, the Epic 4G will have access to the Samsung Media Hub-a pending online library of video and literary materials-in addition to Samsung’s AllShare service, for wirelessly sharing music, videos and images with HDTVs, monitors, printers and other devices.
A front-facing VGA camera for video calling will complement a 5-megapixel camera with HD video recording and high-definition video streaming and downloads. The Qik video application is included, along with support for messaging and visual voicemail, a full Google HTML browser and Google mobile services, such as Gmail, Google Talk and Google Maps.
The Epic 4G includes 1GB of ROM and 512MB of RAM, weighs 5.46 ounces and measures 4.9 by 2.54 by 0.56 inches. (As a measuring stick, the HTC Evo 4G weighs 6 ounces and measures 4.8 by 2.6 by 0.5 inches, and the Apple iPhone 4 weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.8 b y 2.31 by 0.37 inches.)
Sprint has yet to release pricing details for the Epic 4G, but says the Samsung smartphone will arrive later this summer.