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Reviews and Video Thread

Yet another detailed review:
Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch (Sprint) Review - eCoustics.com
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The general summary I'm finding is:
great processor (very fast and responsive)
no complaints with regards to touch wiz 4
decent sound
decent but not outstanding call quality
no complaints about lower resolution; though a few note the raw numbers are lower than expected.
a few complaints about the mhl port and hdmi options (not sure if this phone has mirroring)
Most felt the camera and video recording were top notch.
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Compared to the photon:
a little faster (more responsive)
reception not quite as good
call quality not quite as good (not exactly the same thing as reception)
One person prefer photon camera due to saturation but I suspect this is a setting.
 
Are they comparing at the pics on the phone or on a PC monitor? Obviously, the SAMOLED Plus screens are a bit on the oversaturated side, so you really need to do any pic comparisons on a computer. That picture displayed elsewhere may not be as saturated as it looks on the phone.

I was told by my Sprint rep that the camera on the Photon was terrible. In the Wirefly Schmackdown, the Epic Touch picture had better focus and looked sharper zoomed in than the Photon.
 
Unfortunately none of the reviews are very analytical with regards to comments so I can't really tell how or why he made the comment he did; but i feel it might be an exception since most of the reviewers feel the samsung is quite good in this area.

Are they comparing at the pics on the phone or on a PC monitor? Obviously, the SAMOLED Plus screens are a bit on the oversaturated side, so you really need to do any pic comparisons on a computer. That picture displayed elsewhere may not be as saturated as it looks on the phone.

I was told by my Sprint rep that the camera on the Photon was terrible. In the Wirefly Schmackdown, the Epic Touch picture had better focus and looked sharper zoomed in than the Photon.
 
Motorola's typically have very good call quality and reception and from everthing I've heard the Photon is pretty much top of the class.

So, as previsously menioned, even if it's not as good as the photon it still sounds like it's average to above average in both of these areas.

Really, the only legit issue I see coming out of the reviews is the size... which is a personal decision as opposed to any fault of the device. I would have preferred they stuck with the 4.3" screen but I think I'm probably the minority with that preference.

It looks like Sprint/Samsung have a huge win on their hands with this one.
 

And unlimited data.

And since Sprint is making a big deal still about unlimited data and how this justifies the changes because their customers want, blah, blah, it seems that unlimited data will last a while longer.

Oh, and if you have a two year contract, it will last the term of the contract.
 
So with this change; is there any reason not to switch to verizon ?

Well, I will NEVER be a verizon customer. Ever. This may seem silly to some but I had their land line service in 2001 and actually had a CSR tell me "if you don't like our policies you're outta luck because guess what sir, there is no other phone service available in your city from anyone else." They tried to charge me $90 installation and other fees it just went on and on and on. I said "How much to cancel?" He said free... so I opted for that and went and got Sprint cell phone service (200 anytime mins, 1000 n/w free long distance $40/mo lol). This incident was over 10 years ago now, but for me, I'll never forget it. The guy was just suuuch an asshole I was floored. "We're a monopoly.. don't like it? LOL you have no choice, chump!" Oh I found a choice.
 
And unlimited data.

And since Sprint is making a big deal still about unlimited data and how this justifies the changes because their customers want, blah, blah, it seems that unlimited data will last a while longer.

Oh, and if you have a two year contract, it will last the term of the contract.

Agreed, I bet come Oct. 7th all this cutting is going to make sense. Once their "Network Vision" takes off service will hopefully be like night and day.
 
Wow! Its impressive for ANY device to get a 9/10 on Engadget. (On Engadget, (they seem to be bias) 9 is usually reserved only for devices with half-eaten fruit stickers on the back.)
 
Finally received my Free TPU Matte Black Case for the Epic Touch 4G. I knew I would have that before the phone. It came with a micro fabric cleaning cloth as always, and a screen protector. I will hold onto the screen protector but I don't think I will use it. I never use one. I always take good care of it. Plus, it has Gorilla glass on it.
 
The best bits from Engadget's review:

"As preposterous as it may sound that an already wonderful phone may have been improved upon by a carrier, we think Sprint's variant may have done just that: beefing up the screen, adding an LED notification light, using a larger battery and adding a couple capacitive touchscreen buttons could indeed make the phone even more desirable than it already is, as painful as it may feel to admit it."

"Suffice it to say for this review, the Epic 4G Touch doesn't disappoint in its display either.To take things an extra step, we compared the Epic's Super AMOLED Plus side by side with the IPS WVGA display in the T-Mobile G2x, cranking the devices' brightness up as high as they could go. The G2x, which has a higher pixel density by nature of its 4-inch display, still appeared dimmer and more pixelated."

"but at least Samsung makes up for it with a killer shutter button that mimics a double-detent focus. Pressing it will lock in the focus and exposure, and the image is taken as soon as you lift your finger off the trigger. Just like any double-detent camera, this gives us the ability to snap pictures at a moment's notice"

"Our evaluation of the 1.2GHz Exynos dual-core CPU show that it's in a class of its own, outmuscling competing processors in both our real-life performance tests and the usual less-than-reliable benchmarks"

"Our calls were absolutely solid. The phone's reception is on par with the best handsets around, and we never suffered from dropped calls or degraded quality. Our calls came in absolutely clear, and we think the speakers go to 11 because we had to actually turn down the volume to comfortably hear the other end of the line. The same thing could be said about the loudspeaker for calls and music, which both came out loud and clear without needing to strain our ears or feeling like we needed to break out the headphones. However, the sound seemed a bit limited when watching a full-length blockbuster movie, though we believe this had to do with the quality of the movie itself and not the phone."

"In several locations -- including a basement next to a window -- the GPS pulled up our location in less than ten seconds"
 
That's what they make TPU, Silicone and other types of cases for. That's one of the reaasons I don't get the "plasticy cheap" feel crap from everyone. Granted, some leave their phones naked but I bet the majority do not. Once it's covered...who cares what it's made of?
 
Wow! Its impressive for ANY device to get a 9/10 on Engadget. (On Engadget, (they seem to be bias) 9 is usually reserved only for devices with half-eaten fruit stickers on the back.)
The original EVO got a 9/10 as well. As for Epic Touch, really think it deserved a 9.5.
 
Agreed, I bet come Oct. 7th all this cutting is going to make sense. Once their "Network Vision" takes off service will hopefully be like night and day.

network vision? is this about the new 4g future plan direction? do you have inside knowledge? TELL US NOW !!!!!!


...

ok never mind, I'll just wait.


If these changes accelerate their plans for those multi modal towers that provide lte+wimax+3g, then I say keep it coming. The most important thing about sprint service is the allowance for unlimited 4g, price is nice too, but the unlimited 4g is key.
 
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