Sprint has officially announced pricing and launch details for the long-awaited Sprint variant of the Samsung Galaxy S in the Samsung Epic 4G. The device will launch at the end of the month on August 31st for $249.99 after $100 instant discount and $150 mail-in rebate, while retail pricing is set at $499.99 before discounts.
The Epic 4G will be the first Samsung Galaxy S variant with WiMax support and a sliding hardware QWERTY keyboard along with being identical to the reference design in terms of hardware configuration with a 4.0 inch wide capacitive Super AMOLED display, 1GHz ARM Cortex based Hummingbird processor, 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, 720p video capture and Bluetooth with stereo audio support. Additions to the device include a six axis accelerometer, DLNA media streaming and front-facing video camera for video calls.
The Epic 4G will launch with Android 2.1, with an update to 2.2 slated for later this year. Sprint will also begin pre-sales on Friday until the initial shipment is exhausted with availability across all Sprint sales channels on launch date, including an 8am early open for select Sprint Retail locations.
Looks nice but with only 5mp compared to 8 on the evo and no htc sense and the same processor why charge $50 more? On top of that you have to wait for mail in rebate unless buying it at best buy. Not worth it. Swype keyboard almost makes the physical keyboard obsolete so that in itself shouldn’t require a price increase. Not to mention you still have the $10 so called premium charge.
50 dollars more than every other Galaxy S phone from the other carriers.
WAY TO GO SPRINT
Funny how some people are so clueless about the difference between AMOLED and Super AMOLED.
Why the extra $50 is for the slide-out keyboard, nicer screen, and better battery life ofcourse… Whatever… Guess I’m paying $50 extra. Then the $10 a month executive bonus fee. Executives need million’s of dollars to survive, didn’t you know that? If they don’t get it, they will most likely die, and you wouldn’t want blood on your hands. I don’t like it, I know I’m being boned by Sprint. But I don’t have a choice with my lust for new tech and poor coverage with other carriers.
For the person that likes the 8mp evo camera over the 5mp epic camera, look at the size of the hole on the back of these phones. Look at how tiny the hole is that let’s light in. At most I’d say with the exposure that tiny hole would give the sensor a quality 3mp image, anything above that is generally marketing fluff. I dare you to take a dslr digital camera at 8mp with a big lens, and your EVO and blow the pics up to poster size, you will then understand.
@Nanfy Every other Galaxy S phone from the other carriers doesn’t have a QWERTY keyboard, front facing camera, LED flash or 4G radio in it.
So yes, WAY TO GO SPRINT!!
@JJ
Supposedly the sensor in the 5mp camera is better then the 8mp on the EVO, the pictures I’ve seen look better IMO. The Hummingbird processor is faster then the Snapdragon even though they are both 1Ghz CPU’s, it’s almost like comparing that a Pentium 4 3.0Ghz is equivalent then that of a Core2duo 3.0 Ghz. Plus the Epic has a superior graphics chip that can do 60 fps unlike that 30 fps cap the EVO has.
At the cons list, I don’t know if Touchwiz 3 is better or not then Sense, Touchwiz 2.x got many bad reviews. I also don’t know if the reception problems that some of the Galaxy S GSM phones have will duplicate on CDMA, time will tell with that one.
No doubt in my mind that the hardware in the Epic dominates that of the EVO, but it depends solely on Samsung to have integrated the hardware with proper software aka drivers.
Good points and thanks for the info. Hopefully htc will come out with something to replace the evo that is not capped at 60fps. Although I will be rooting mine sooner or later and I heard that people with rooted evo’s get 60fps. As for the better graphics, it doesn’t bug me too much. Both the evo and epic have the same pixels: 480 by 800. Its the amount of colors that the epic has more. It’s not that big of a deal. I like the form factor of the evo not to mention I love htc sense. I wonder if htc will start using the hummingbird processor. That may be the only thing that I envy.
As far as the 5mp camera vs 8mp-who cares! Most people don’t use their phone camera to take professional pictures and again, the difference in quality isn’t that big wether the whole is bigger or not. Who cares.
My issue is the advertised $499.99,
implying that a consumer could purchase one at full price, and put it on their plan of “choice”, I find this, at best misleading!
SPRINT should clearly state that this is the “replacement cost” with no insurance, or an off contract “Everything Plan” exclusive price!
Thank You
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F1, many people who bought EVO 4Gs are likely to upgrade. They’ll have to pay the full retail price. That’s why we headlined the full retail price.
I cant imagine many EVO owners putting out $500 so quickly after buying an EVO. Anyone who does that must have some money to burn,
F1, I dont find it misleading at all. $499 is the no contract price. It doesnt imply that it can be had on any plan. It just means there’s contract to sign. Thats all.
Well, the samsung looks nice but even with the bad battery life I will be keeping my evo and the great htc sense. The only thing replacing my evo is evo 2 or another great htc phone. Samsung has a good phone here and in the end this is going to bring more people to sprint. So either way anyone chooses its good news for sprint. They need to keep on, especially with verizon coming out with one droid after another and a possible ipad like device from google. Either way I will go try out phone at sprint and check out this so called super amoled.
@ Chris
Sorry my point was not regarding this “Phonenews” article, I was addressing the SPRINT marketing strategy.
I do appreciate the niche group you are siting, however my concern is about the remaining, 45 million, none “Everything Plan” account holders of SRINT.
By last years account, only about some 3 million accounts, had converted to the “Everything Plans”, however, even at 4.5 million (including a generous inclusion of new EVO/4G accounts), that would still, only be 10% of the total SRINT client base, leaving some 40 million (potential) accounts behind, facing a $499.99 Epic, that is not obtainable to them.
As I have stated on countless occasions before,I just believe, the consumer should have the choice, which product, they would like to own, again, just like when one purchases a car, no one eliminates your choices but you yourself, due to, hopefully your own rational decision making process, and yes you have access to any public road, irregardless of it (the Car choice), being a KiA or a Bentley!
Mind you, I am a firm believer, in “Network neutrality”, Google and VZW want to eliminate equal access to information, by categorizing wireless as a separate category, rather then the evolution of data access, you see I canceled my land-line, back in 1997, back when there was hardly any decent service, in hopes, of the new products, that are just beginning to arrive on our shelves today, to make it to us sooner.
SPRINT has the first 4G Network( in some places), as such, they should take advantage of this edge, this is a limited time advantage, they should, if they indeed have the network, let people buy the product.
In closing,I do not object to the higher charge for 4G (i.e.Premium Octane) speed access,that would be a choice, you the educated consumer should be able to make.
Thank You
@ Chuck
1.”$499 is the no contract price”??
For whom? To use as the paperwight de jour?
It is “de facto” exclusive to the Everything Plan, by default all others are excluded.
2.It just means there’s contract to sign. Thats all.”
Why would you have to sign a contract, if you are “putting out $500”?
Thank You
Ooops “paperweight”
@ Chuck
Did not intend to be short with you, just had to get the point across.
Thank You
Those that have not converted to an Everything plan would not be forced to pay the $499 price.
The $499 price is only if you have upgraded phones recently, and thus are not eligible for phone upgrade pricing.
Customers on grandfathered plans can opt to switch to an Everything plan and they same time they upgrade handsets, and get the upgrade customer pricing.
Now, if you don’t want to get an Everything plan, Sprint has made it quite clear you can’t get a 4G phone. Your best bet (if you object to this) is to wait for Clear to start shipping 4G smart devices later this year, and pick up one of those instead.
@ Chris
I appreciate your diplomatic approach, however as you stated:
“…if you don’t want to get an Everything plan, Sprint has made it quite clear you can’t get a 4G phone”!!
Again, SPRINT is shooting it self in the foot, poor short term marketing strategy, with longterm negative effects, directed towards their own client base, clearly T-Mobile & VZW are rapidly deploying their next generation network and with the advent of the multiple carrier iPhone G4 being within reach, there is “not that many days left till Christmas” as they say.
Also, this is the latest “CLEAR” invitation:
http://clear.m.delivery.net/w/webView?cid=12778663544&mid=1095771312&pid=5012&vid=13701&ee=bWExNDUzNkB5YWhvby5jb20_&si=&mv=H&bv=H&oc=H&sc=&k=11K2Im
Thank You
I know a few people looking to get this, a change in carriers, plan or an added $10 fee is the sacrifice but really is it a sacrifice?
If you dont want an everything data plan, then why would you buy an android phone? I wouldnt pay $500 to use that powerfull of a phone just to make calls and make a fashion statement.
Verizon foreces people to pay for for internet when they have a 3G phone don’t they? I dont see the difference.
forces* sorry.
@ Pat
“If you dont want an everything data plan, then why would you buy an android phone?”
Millions of SPRINT customer’s, have been awaiting an ANDROID phone for years, ever since the introduction of the original G1, on T-Mobile, you might even recall, SPRINT CEO Dan Hesse’s controversial statement a couple of years back, “ANDROID is not ready for SPRINT”!
The issue, is in the forcing of millions of current account holders,
to make a choice between, no ANDROID or giving up their existing affordable “all you can eat Data plans”, for a more lucrative Everything Plan., in other words, categorically discriminating on all “pre” Everything (DATA) Plans.
If ANDROID O.S. requires a special code for DATA access, why is that not the case on any other carrier?
Neither Windows Mobile, nor the Blackberry require the Everything Plan, it was initially introduced before ANDROID on SPRINT, exclusively with the use with Samsung INSTINCT, back in 2008.
To force the consumer to abandon their current plans, not just the data portion, but as a whole, for a choice in an (ANDROID) operating system, amounts to me as “reverse discrimination”, with the clear potential for a class action suit, easily setting the standard against this type of ill practice of greed.
Consider the fact, that no other carrier has followed suit in this above described practice, case and point, AT&T with the APPLE iPhone,
this lack of copying of policy industry wide, in it self speaks volumes, perhaps the FCC needs to (re)examine this exclusive practice by SPRINT.
On the other hand, to charge a premium on 4G, in my opinion is fully justifiable, however, I still question it’s wisdom, as a viable long-term marketing strategy.
Thank You
Clarification note:
My statement:
“Millions of SPRINT customers, have been awaiting an ANDROID phone for years”.. might be somewhat exaggerated, since I am not aware on the actual data of the carrier based ANDROID OS ratio, I would be curious as to the existence of an actual study conducted on OS preferences within the cellular consumer society.
One point at this juncture of the cellular evolution should be safe to state, that being that the vast majority of consumers today, are still not using “Smartphones.
Thank You
For all off u…that need to know the difference be twin 8 mega pixel and 5 mega pixel……..8 its better any day, but the application that the EPIC has is out of this world….u have over 20 modes to use the camera including add a person mode ……action mode will take shots by movement, smile shot and i can go over and over , so the 5 mega pix its better than the 8 be-cos u get custom pics with out using photo shop or other apps, plus i will know winch one is better cos i have the EVO and THE EPIC and the epic blows the evo out of the water with all the other apps that can handle, can u just imagine the network capabilities of the EPIC are insane, u can share all the media on your phone with the rest of your network and and the media on your network with Ur phone, and the accessories are beyond good, u will have to wait to see how good this phone is, i’m lucky for being a high executive from Sprint and my vote its for the EPIC take it from some one that has the two phones.
Who cares about the camera. You don’t choose a phone because of a camera. That is why self standing cameras are still selling. I’m not going to use my phone as my only camera when I go on vacation. So that isn’t going to be someones sole decision for choosing a phone. What do you mean by saying “the epic blows the evo out of the water with all the other apps that can handle”? Do you mean camera apps or all apps? How can the epic handle the network better than the evo? They both use the same wimax chip and same processor even if the epic is slightly faster. You are really narrow minded. These phones are about the same and have some features that outdo the other. But the epic blowing the evo out of the water?
The features you say the samsung has are great and sound very interesting but my sony hd camera does the same thing at 12 megapixel and that is what i use most of the time not my phone. This is why customers of sprint can’t trust sprint employees. Your just trying to sell the most expensive phone to as many people as possible. Its that easy.
I’ll stick to forums of real people who use both phones and post their experiences. Thanks but no thanks. I’ll wait for the phone to come out for us regular people before making a decision and I will be using more than the camera features to make a decision.
F1, Clear has said they will be selling smartphones later this year. The iSpot is for people that already own an Apple Mobile Device, or want to use an iOS device over Android or other options.
This entitlement to my plan rears it’s head with the release of every new smartphone. One would think after four years, 3 Instincts, 2 Web OS’s and 3 Androids this might be dropped but no, guess the premium data fee is too much.
@ Chris
Rumor has it, that “Best Buy Mobile”, is in the process of contracting CLEAR as a house brand with phones & plans.
Thank You
@ Chris
Regarding CLEAR,this link would have been perhaps more suitable.
http://www.clear.com/shop/devices?intcmp=lnav_dvs
Thank You
F1, it isn’t a rumor, we’ve covered Best Buy Connect WiMAX service… search PhoneNews.com for the coverage.
@ Chris
Thank You
To be truthful after looking at the reviews and videos of the epic 4g on androidandme I am really tempted to sell my battery hogging evo and get the samsung epic. Its not that thick with the addition of the keyboard and the amoled screen, mainly because it helps with battery life. I hear the 4g radio in the epic uses less battery than the evo 4g since it has a sleep mode that the evo doesn’t have.
All I know is that once I start using 4g on my evo on a regular basis and the battery gets worse than what it is I will be getting rid of the evo and probably going back to the hero till another htc phone gets released and this way save $10 fee that I’m not even using since I don’t get 4g yet.
This samsung looks better and better every day I have to plug or swap the battery on my evo. I can’t wait to try this phone out when it gets to the store.