This is not meant to be comprehensive comparison, just noting a few things that have jumped out in the first day of using my Epic 4G.
Screen (Appearance):
The Epic's screen is bright and vibrant, the contrast/black levels are untouchable in a current mobile device and, like all PenTile matrix based displays, has a distinct cheese cloth effect when viewed closer than about 18" or so.
SAMOLED on an RGB matrix would be killer, but that gets into yield and power issues and isn't available in devices like this and as a result I personally prefer proper RGB based LCD panels.
Screen (Touch-responsiveness):
The Epic is the best touch-screen I've found on an Android device to date. The Evo is VERY close, and it may be down to skin optimization or drivers rather than hardware, but both are excellent.
The Droid 2 was terrible in this regard. My finger would be half an inch from where I started to drag from before there was any response. The Droid X was better but not this good.
The iPhone has been the benchmark in this regard since it launched. Unless I put the devices side by side I can't tell the difference in responsiveness, and I have to look for it even then. Nothing here of concern at all.
GPS:
Not as bad as I feared, but the Epic is clearly last in every test I've run, and this goes back as far an original HTC Tilt on Windows Mobile. The best accuracy in autonomous mode I've achieved, with 8 birds locked, is +/- 98.4 ft.
Compare this to an Evo at +/- 33-56, an iPhone 4 at +/- 33, an ancient eTrex at +/- 55 feet and a Garmin 530HCx with a solid lock at 10ft (the Garmin is at 55 feet with just three birds).
I don't know if this will be an issue for navigation or not. Won't affect me directly, I was just testing out of interest.
4G:
I have three 4G devices and get 4G coverage at home and work.
The Evo 4G will simply not hold a 4G lock at my house; it reports it being available and then instantly drops the connection.
The Epic finds the 4G signal, connects in seconds (much faster than the Evo), and holds on to it quite well.
My third 4G device is a Sprint Overdrive. This crucifies both the Evo and the Epic. It has several more bars indicated signal, gets 2-3x the speed, and is an entirely different league.
All tested in the same location.
Camera:
iPhone 4 decimates the Evo, and the Epic, which both annihilate the Droids.
Both the Epic and the Evo are very useable however.
As "the camera you have with you" both work well. They don't compare to the cheapest and most basic dedicated point and shoot cameras of course, but for the sorts of things they're generally used for they are quite servicable.
Build:
In order, I'd say iPhone 4, Epic/Droid 2, Evo and then the Droid X.
The Droid X is the most awfully plastic feeling device I can recall in years. Yes, I know that all but one ARE plastic, but the Evo, Droid 2 and Epic all feel way better than the Droid X.
The Evo I've had issues with in terms of light leaks and the fitting of the back.
The Droid 2 feels solid and the Epic is just as, if not more, robust feeling. I'm not generally a Samsung fan and I am very surprised at how polished and solid the Epic feels. The glossy and unadorned front contrasts nicely with the non-slip back.
WiFi HotSpot:
The Evo gave me fits in this regard. I could test it at work and show a 4+ Mb/s connection over 4G, but any device (iPhone, iPad, Mac Book Pro and a multitude of Dell and Toshiba laptops) would never see more than 200-300 Kb/s on any connected device.
The Epic is hitting double that on connected devices even when it is on a 3G connection. In general I'm seeing just a 25% drop in available hotspot bandwidth compared to what the phone is seeing itself.
Compared to an Overdrive, if it is getting 4Mbps downstream, then devices connecting to it are getting 3.5Mbps+.
---
Anyway, just a few things I've noticed. Some good, some bad. In general it's my favorite Android phone so far.
Screen (Appearance):
The Epic's screen is bright and vibrant, the contrast/black levels are untouchable in a current mobile device and, like all PenTile matrix based displays, has a distinct cheese cloth effect when viewed closer than about 18" or so.
SAMOLED on an RGB matrix would be killer, but that gets into yield and power issues and isn't available in devices like this and as a result I personally prefer proper RGB based LCD panels.
Screen (Touch-responsiveness):
The Epic is the best touch-screen I've found on an Android device to date. The Evo is VERY close, and it may be down to skin optimization or drivers rather than hardware, but both are excellent.
The Droid 2 was terrible in this regard. My finger would be half an inch from where I started to drag from before there was any response. The Droid X was better but not this good.
The iPhone has been the benchmark in this regard since it launched. Unless I put the devices side by side I can't tell the difference in responsiveness, and I have to look for it even then. Nothing here of concern at all.
GPS:
Not as bad as I feared, but the Epic is clearly last in every test I've run, and this goes back as far an original HTC Tilt on Windows Mobile. The best accuracy in autonomous mode I've achieved, with 8 birds locked, is +/- 98.4 ft.
Compare this to an Evo at +/- 33-56, an iPhone 4 at +/- 33, an ancient eTrex at +/- 55 feet and a Garmin 530HCx with a solid lock at 10ft (the Garmin is at 55 feet with just three birds).
I don't know if this will be an issue for navigation or not. Won't affect me directly, I was just testing out of interest.
4G:
I have three 4G devices and get 4G coverage at home and work.
The Evo 4G will simply not hold a 4G lock at my house; it reports it being available and then instantly drops the connection.
The Epic finds the 4G signal, connects in seconds (much faster than the Evo), and holds on to it quite well.
My third 4G device is a Sprint Overdrive. This crucifies both the Evo and the Epic. It has several more bars indicated signal, gets 2-3x the speed, and is an entirely different league.
All tested in the same location.
Camera:
iPhone 4 decimates the Evo, and the Epic, which both annihilate the Droids.
Both the Epic and the Evo are very useable however.
As "the camera you have with you" both work well. They don't compare to the cheapest and most basic dedicated point and shoot cameras of course, but for the sorts of things they're generally used for they are quite servicable.
Build:
In order, I'd say iPhone 4, Epic/Droid 2, Evo and then the Droid X.
The Droid X is the most awfully plastic feeling device I can recall in years. Yes, I know that all but one ARE plastic, but the Evo, Droid 2 and Epic all feel way better than the Droid X.
The Evo I've had issues with in terms of light leaks and the fitting of the back.
The Droid 2 feels solid and the Epic is just as, if not more, robust feeling. I'm not generally a Samsung fan and I am very surprised at how polished and solid the Epic feels. The glossy and unadorned front contrasts nicely with the non-slip back.
WiFi HotSpot:
The Evo gave me fits in this regard. I could test it at work and show a 4+ Mb/s connection over 4G, but any device (iPhone, iPad, Mac Book Pro and a multitude of Dell and Toshiba laptops) would never see more than 200-300 Kb/s on any connected device.
The Epic is hitting double that on connected devices even when it is on a 3G connection. In general I'm seeing just a 25% drop in available hotspot bandwidth compared to what the phone is seeing itself.
Compared to an Overdrive, if it is getting 4Mbps downstream, then devices connecting to it are getting 3.5Mbps+.
---
Anyway, just a few things I've noticed. Some good, some bad. In general it's my favorite Android phone so far.
