Sprint Epic 4G unboxing (Samsung Galaxy S)

If you want an Android smartphone with Samsung’s Super AMOLED display, but you don’t want a Galaxy S (or any of its US variants) because it doesn’t have a keyboard, you’re going to want to take a serious look at the Samsung Epic 4G from Sprint. The Epic 4G is basically the Sprint-branded variant of the Samsung Galaxy S Pro, with a bit of 4G connectivity added in for good measure, so you know it’s chock full of fancy features. The Sprint Epic 4G boasts even more features compared to its keyboard-less Galaxy S brethren, so we put our own Epic 4G through the ringer to find out if all those extra features make for a better handset.

Samsung endowed the Sprint Epic 4G with a front-facing camera, 4G data connectivity (on Sprint, where available) and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard – all these specs are unique to the Sprint Epic 4G in the US. There are variants of the Samsung Galaxy S available in The States as the AT&T Captivate and the T-Mobile Vibrant, but they all lack any support for 4G, a front-facing camera, and of course, the keyboard.

So, without further ado, we’d like to formally introduce you to the Sprint Epic 4G.

Specifications (Specs – sheet)

4.0-inch Super AMOLED WVGA (800×480) capacitive touchscreen
1Ghz Hummingbird CPU
5-megapixel camera with LED flash
512MB RAM, 1GB ROM
3G and 4G data connectivity
WiFi (b/g/n)
GPS (aGPS)
microSD
Video-out capable
3.5mm headphone jack
Front-facing camera for video calls
Mobile Hotspot feature
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
The Good

4.0-inch Super AMOLED display
4G for high speed data (where available)
Mobile Hotspot feature
Multi-touch support
Slide-out keyboard
Front-facing camera
View homescreen in landscape when keyboard is open
Hot-swappable microSD card slot (don’t have to remove battery and reboot in order to change microSD card)
Physical camera shutter button