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8.0
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Criteria Comments Rating
  • Reception and call quality The Epic is hands-down has the best call quality I have ever experienced on a cell phone. great!
  • Display Super AMOLED makes the colors pop and the blacks deep. The brightness is unrivaled, so the Epic is usable in direct sunlight. great!
  • Battery life Two batteries are a necessity for days that involve heavy usage. so-so
  • Camera No comments
  • Ease of use There is a bit of a learning curve for those new to Android. good
  • Design and form factor The Epic is a beautiful piece of hardware. I love the all black design with the chrome accent. great!
  • Portability (size / weight) To accommodate the large screen and slide out keyboard, the Epic is a chunky-monkey. so-so
  • Media support Media Hub and Amazon MP3 come pre-installed. Amazon MP3 has an expansive music selection. I found Media Hub to be lacking in overall content. good
  • Durability I have had it for 8 months and so far it has withstood the abuse. My wife did have to put her Epic into the shop for a defective screen. :( so-so
  • Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) Android apps keep growing everyday. The selection is only second to Apple. good
Detailed review
The Samsung Epic 4G is the best cell phone I have ever had. After 8 months of use it is still incredibly zippy. For a perspective Sprint customer, I would highly recommend the Samsung Epic 4G. It is the only option for those looking for a top-shelf Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard.

The major issue that I have with the Epic is more of an issue with Samsung. I despise fragmentation. The length of time it takes Samsung to roll-out Android updates is so frustrating! I finally received the Froyo update (no thanks to Sprint) back in late February. It wasn't even the latest version of Android! Now I am impatiently waiting for my Gingerbread update. They promised it in mid-May. It's May 26th!

The Samsung Epic 4G is a slick piece of hardware. There is no doubt that after 8 months of being on the market it is still one of the highest performing single core processor phones on the market. The 5 MP camera on the back takes remarkable photos. The QWERTY keyboard is a joy to use (it has a 'smiley face' button). The screen is drop-dead gorgeous.

If you can look past the fragmentation issues (honestly, Froyo is great), the Epic is a top choice for Sprint customers. I am definitely not sorry I got the Epic 4G. I can say this for sure: my next phone will be the Nexus S 4G. Fragmentation drives me bonkers!