An Evo user's thoughts on the Epic...

[bjb.butler]

My immediate first impression: It looks better in person that it does in pictures online. I thought it looked pretty bland when I first saw it online, but in person, it's not bad. It definitely looks better than the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, but I still think that the Vibrant looks the best. Once I picked it up, I was surprised by how light it was. Initially, I was disappointed; I thought for a split-second that it was a dummy model that I was holding. It was noticeably lighter than the Evo. I couldn't, however, decide if this was good or bad. The lack of heft puts the Epic 4G dangerously close to being perceived as "cheap and plastic-y". The phone (as well as the other Galaxy S phones) just didn't feel that solid to me. Especially compared to phones that have some noticeable heft to them, like the Evo and Nexus One. I feel that if it were dropped from waist-high, it would shatter into a million pieces or something.

The lack of heft aside, the phone feels really good in the hand. It's rounded corners fell better than the Evo. But because of the keyboard, the phone is pretty thick. I noticed that trying to use the phone with one hand can be difficult sometimes (and I have fairly large hands), especially when trying to reach things at the top of the screen (like the notification bar).

The screen: I have mixed feelings about Samsung's Super AMOLED screen. When I turned on the screen for the first time, one word popped in my head: OVERRATED (the same word that came to me when seeing the iPhone 4's "retina display" for the first time). I honestly don't see the hype. Yes, if you're looking at a picture / movie, the colors look amazing. But looking at text, on the other hand, is a different story. The main problem that I had with the SAMOLED screen is the "screen door effect". You can see the individual pixels! What's worse, you can see them without even looking hard. They are just there, in your face. I have perfect vision, and I have to put my Evo pretty close to my face in order to make out individual pixels. On the Epic, you can see them everywhere. It's really bad when looking at text on a white background (like on almost every website). You can see the white lines in-between the black of the letters. It's like looking at a mini chess board. Here's a picture so you can get an idea for yourself:

I would rather take a regular AMOLED, TFT LCD, or Retina display any day of SAMOLED

Ahhh, the keyboard. This is the ONLY reason I even considered swapping the Evo for an Epic. In short: it's really good. It's one of the best landscape keyboards I've ever used. The keys are really clicky, and are a nice size. My only complaint is that I wish they were domed more. Because they are flat, my fingers tended to slide over to adjacent keys. I'm sure with time I would be really fast & accurate on it. The only landscape keyboard that's better than this one is the one on the Touch Pro 2. That this is amazing.

I'm not gonna talk too much about the software, since we all know what Android is about. What I will say is that TouchWiz isn't that bad. It's actually better than the skin Motorola has put on the Droid2 and DroidX. It's not as good as Sense UI, but it's definitely better than stock Android. Overall, everything I did on the phone was super fast. Scrolling was smooth, and it didn't lag at all. No complaints.

Minor annoyances: -There is a dedicated smiley button on the keyboard

 

[Iczer]

Everyone makes a big deal out of the whole $50 more. You're spending at least $200 for the Evo, what's $50 more for the Epic?

Also, Are those pictures of your phone with the pixelation? Maybe you have a defect, my screen is insanely crisp and clear. It blows the Evo out of the water. I compared it to today with a co-workers Evo and he was jealous of mine as well.

*edit*
After looking at those pics, I'm assuming they're taking from a pre-release since it was in July.

 

[gme109]

My immediate first impression: It looks better in person that it does in pictures online. I thought it looked pretty bland when I first saw it online, but in person, it's not bad. It definitely looks better than the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, but I still think that the Vibrant looks the best. Once I picked it up, I was surprised by how light it was. Initially, I was disappointed; I thought for a split-second that it was a dummy model that I was holding. It was noticeably lighter than the Evo. I couldn't, however, decide if this was good or bad. The lack of heft puts the Epic 4G dangerously close to being perceived as "cheap and plastic-y". The phone (as well as the other Galaxy S phones) just didn't feel that solid to me. Especially compared to phones that have some noticeable heft to them, like the Evo and Nexus One. I feel that if it were dropped from waist-high, it would shatter into a million pieces or something.

The lack of heft aside, the phone feels really good in the hand. It's rounded corners fell better than the Evo. But because of the keyboard, the phone is pretty thick. I noticed that trying to use the phone with one hand can be difficult sometimes (and I have fairly large hands), especially when trying to reach things at the top of the screen (like the notification bar).

The screen: I have mixed feelings about Samsung's Super AMOLED screen. When I turned on the screen for the first time, one word popped in my head: OVERRATED (the same word that came to me when seeing the iPhone 4's "retina display" for the first time). I honestly don't see the hype. Yes, if you're looking at a picture / movie, the colors look amazing. But looking at text, on the other hand, is a different story. The main problem that I had with the SAMOLED screen is the "screen door effect". You can see the individual pixels! What's worse, you can see them without even looking hard. They are just there, in your face. I have perfect vision, and I have to put my Evo pretty close to my face in order to make out individual pixels. On the Epic, you can see them everywhere. It's really bad when looking at text on a white background (like on almost every website). You can see the white lines in-between the black of the letters. It's like looking at a mini chess board. Here's a picture so you can get an idea for yourself:

I would rather take a regular AMOLED, TFT LCD, or Retina display any day of SAMOLED

Ahhh, the keyboard. This is the ONLY reason I even considered swapping the Evo for an Epic. In short: it's really good. It's one of the best landscape keyboards I've ever used. The keys are really clicky, and are a nice size. My only complaint is that I wish they were domed more. Because they are flat, my fingers tended to slide over to adjacent keys. I'm sure with time I would be really fast & accurate on it. The only landscape keyboard that's better than this one is the one on the Touch Pro 2. That this is amazing.

I'm not gonna talk too much about the software, since we all know what Android is about. What I will say is that TouchWiz isn't that bad. It's actually better than the skin Motorola has put on the Droid2 and DroidX. It's not as good as Sense UI, but it's definitely better than stock Android. Overall, everything I did on the phone was super fast. Scrolling was smooth, and it didn't lag at all. No complaints.

Minor annoyances: -There is a dedicated smiley button on the keyboard

 

[Iczer]

Yeah I'm pretty sure that picture is a demo or prototype, look at the Gmail bar. My Epic looks flawless. Not bragging, just saying that doesn't reflect actual release day pictures.

 

[Stoney62]

Everyone makes a big deal out of the whole $50 more. You're spending at least $200 for the Evo, what's $50 more for the Epic?

Also, Are those pictures of your phone with the pixelation? Maybe you have a defect, my screen is insanely crisp and clear. It blows the Evo out of the water. I compared it to today with a co-workers Evo and he was jealous of mine as well.

*edit*
After looking at those pics, I'm assuming they're taking from a pre-release since it was in July.

Taken by an EVO's camera?

 

[Iczer]

Taken by an EVO's camera?

lol

 

[kristv]

Good comments by the OP. I have to disagree about the screen though. I have excellent vision as well and did not notice any screen door effect when I played with the phone in-store. The screen is excellent, rich in color and sharp. I think it makes the Evo's screen look a bit drab and washed-out.

Also, the cost difference is not really an issue, considering you can get the Epic for $200 at Walmart or Amazon. The price shouldn't be a deciding factor when comparing these phones because you can get around the price of the Epic one way or another.

 

[Adrift]

You only notice the "screen door effect" when holding the display really close to the face. If you are going to be holding the phone close enough to see the effect then possibly one should wait until technology has advanced to the point of there being no individual pixels, or an actual retina display (Apple's version is not a real example, they are simply putting an advertising spin in there)

By the way, the picture of the original Galaxy S phone you have there, using a similar window as that on my Epic, I don't get the effect like you see in that picture. Possibly they sharpened that picture to better illustrate the percieved effect?

 

[mrvirginia]

You only notice the "screen door effect" when holding the display really close to the face. If you are going to be holding the phone close enough to see the effect then possibly one should wait until technology has advanced to the point of there being no individual pixels, or an actual retina display (Apple's version is not a real example, they are simply putting an advertising spin in there)

By the way, the picture of the original Galaxy S phone you have there, using a similar window as that on my Epic, I don't get the effect like you see in that picture. Possibly they sharpened that picture to better illustrate the percieved effect?

i agree. even in the first pic you can see that from far away and that's really bad. either a defect or someone else altered those pictures. in a few weeks, i'll be the judge. and i'll be certain to do a 2 part, 15min a piece, video comparison of the two.

 

[ghdtpdna]

That is pentile matrix all of Samsung's AMOLED and SAMOLED screens use.
It makes reading text difficult for SOME for others it's barely noticeable.

 

[jim2point0]

Nice review.

I also own both an EVO and the Epic. My decision to switch was based on the keyboard and the processor speed. Both lived up to my expectations. The speed actually exceeded my expectations, whereas the keyboard isn't as good for games as I thought it would be. Wish it had a more game-like dpad. I think EVERYONE is pissed off about the decision to have a dedicated smiley button.

I'm actually very impressed with the screen. Unfortunately if you look closely you can see the pixels... but only when it's still. I honestly think it's mind bogglingly good when playing games or watching movies. The size of the EVO's screen is definitely a plus. So big. But I can see my Epic SO MUCH BETTER in direct sunlight. Even with auto-brightness on. With my EVO, I had to manually crank it up to 100% to get even a slight idea what I was looking at. People say the EVO is better in sunlight but that is not my experience.

I actually found it to be so much faster than the EVO (even with 2.2). Games feel soo much smoother. Especially 3D games. And I am a huge gamer. Also, surprisingly, TW isn't all that bad (as you said). I actually plan on keeping it for a while. On my EVO I ran launcher pro, but sense is nice too. The EVO has the edge in widgets. No manufacturer's UI has anything close to the same quality widgets that sense has.

I actually don't mind the weight of this phone. I know the EVO feels heavy and sturdy, but the reason the SGS phones are so light is because of their screen technology. Both phones have the same soft-touch back.

All in all, I'm really glad I made the switch. I'm having a lot of fun with the Epic. The only thing I miss from my EVO is the GPS... but we're getting a fix for this this month.

Oh and one more thing. Stock battery life on my Epic KILLS what I experienced on my EVO. I'll post some battery life results later. I almost think my phone is a fluke.

I'd definitely recommend this phone to a new Sprint customer. But that's just my vote. I'm sure other EVO users will chime in.

 

[linzgeneral]

You only notice the "screen door effect" when holding the display really close to the face. If you are going to be holding the phone close enough to see the effect then possibly one should wait until technology has advanced to the point of there being no individual pixels, or an actual retina display (Apple's version is not a real example, they are simply putting an advertising spin in there)

By the way, the picture of the original Galaxy S phone you have there, using a similar window as that on my Epic, I don't get the effect like you see in that picture. Possibly they sharpened that picture to better illustrate the percieved effect?

I had looked at the captivate a few weeks back an immediately noticed the pixelation myself, actually posted about the Lego look of the text. I was very surprised and disappointed. I later learned this is a function of the super amoled screen. I totally agree with OP. Those who are saying otherwise might not know what to look for. If you compare the same text on the Samsung and EVO, there is no way you can tell me that the text on the Samsumg is sharper. Images and videos are a different story.

 

[dr g]

The pixels are quite clear to this Evo user, both on the Vibrant and the Epic (naturally). But it's not much of an issue, with all the other positives to this screen.

 

[tx_brandon]

Lol @ that faulty screen being used as examples. I don't see the PenTile effect and I'm looking for it.

 

[tjung0831]

I just picked up my wife's Epic tonight and the display blows my Evo display away....not even close. I love my Evo but wow does the display on that Samsung device look amazing. I don't care for slider phones so no need for me to sell my Evo and pick up the Epic but there is a lot about it that I like and I think if you're on the fence about getting an Epic don't be.
I've had my Evo since launch day, so I only have to keep it 9 more months before i'm eligible for an upgrade and I'll definitely being going with whatever new super Amoled device Sprint is offering next June.
The Epic appears to be an extremely nice addition for Sprint.

Tim

 

[Blitzpwnage]

I just picked up my wife's Epic tonight and the display blows my Evo display away....not even close. I love my Evo but wow does the display on that Samsung device look amazing. I don't care for slider phones so no need for me to sell my Evo and pick up the Epic but there is a lot about it that I like and I think if you're on the fence about getting an Epic don't be.
I've had my Evo since launch day, so I only have to keep it 9 more months before i'm eligible for an upgrade and I'll definitely being going with whatever new super Amoled device Sprint is offering next June.
The Epic appears to be an extremely nice addition for Sprint.

Tim

Finally someone who truely appreciates SAMOLED screens, When I bought my Epic from radioshack a sprint rep was there and we compared the 2 screens on full brightness, it was just amazing, also if you tilt the Epic screen you dont get the white wash look because of TFT and LCD backlights. I love the Evo but my Epic is just a work of art. I also love the keyboard.

 

[RTan]

Has anyone tried the Aquarium Live wallpaper from the Android market? The fishes come alive in my Epic device.

 

[ghdtpdna]

Lol @ that faulty screen being used as examples. I don't see the PenTile effect and I'm looking for it.

You have to get your eyes checked if you can't see it when you are trying to.
It is not noticeable to most people unless you TRY TO LOOK for it.
For people with average eye sights, it will show up if you look close enough.
It's just a matter of "if it bothers you or not".

 

[done12many2]

My immediate first impression: It looks better in person that it does in pictures online. I thought it looked pretty bland when I first saw it online, but in person, it's not bad. It definitely looks better than the Samsung Captivate on AT&T, but I still think that the Vibrant looks the best. Once I picked it up, I was surprised by how light it was. Initially, I was disappointed; I thought for a split-second that it was a dummy model that I was holding. It was noticeably lighter than the Evo. I couldn't, however, decide if this was good or bad. The lack of heft puts the Epic 4G dangerously close to being perceived as "cheap and plastic-y". The phone (as well as the other Galaxy S phones) just didn't feel that solid to me. Especially compared to phones that have some noticeable heft to them, like the Evo and Nexus One. I feel that if it were dropped from waist-high, it would shatter into a million pieces or something.

The lack of heft aside, the phone feels really good in the hand. It's rounded corners fell better than the Evo. But because of the keyboard, the phone is pretty thick. I noticed that trying to use the phone with one hand can be difficult sometimes (and I have fairly large hands), especially when trying to reach things at the top of the screen (like the notification bar).

The screen: I have mixed feelings about Samsung's Super AMOLED screen. When I turned on the screen for the first time, one word popped in my head: OVERRATED (the same word that came to me when seeing the iPhone 4's "retina display" for the first time). I honestly don't see the hype. Yes, if you're looking at a picture / movie, the colors look amazing. But looking at text, on the other hand, is a different story. The main problem that I had with the SAMOLED screen is the "screen door effect". You can see the individual pixels! What's worse, you can see them without even looking hard. They are just there, in your face. I have perfect vision, and I have to put my Evo pretty close to my face in order to make out individual pixels. On the Epic, you can see them everywhere. It's really bad when looking at text on a white background (like on almost every website). You can see the white lines in-between the black of the letters. It's like looking at a mini chess board. Here's a picture so you can get an idea for yourself:

I would rather take a regular AMOLED, TFT LCD, or Retina display any day of SAMOLED

Ahhh, the keyboard. This is the ONLY reason I even considered swapping the Evo for an Epic. In short: it's really good. It's one of the best landscape keyboards I've ever used. The keys are really clicky, and are a nice size. My only complaint is that I wish they were domed more. Because they are flat, my fingers tended to slide over to adjacent keys. I'm sure with time I would be really fast & accurate on it. The only landscape keyboard that's better than this one is the one on the Touch Pro 2. That this is amazing.

I'm not gonna talk too much about the software, since we all know what Android is about. What I will say is that TouchWiz isn't that bad. It's actually better than the skin Motorola has put on the Droid2 and DroidX. It's not as good as Sense UI, but it's definitely better than stock Android. Overall, everything I did on the phone was super fast. Scrolling was smooth, and it didn't lag at all. No complaints.

Minor annoyances: -There is a dedicated smiley button on the keyboard… wtf. It would be much more useful it they put the @ symbol there, instead of it. -For some reason, Samsung likes putting the lock/power button on the right side of the phone. Not a big deal on the other Galaxy S phones, but every time I would lock/unlock the phone, the keyboard would move/open a little.

Final thoughts: It's a really good phone. If I had the choice today to either get a free Epic or a free Evo, I'm about 65% sure I'd take the Evo. If I was a new Sprint customer, there is almost no way to justify taking this phone over the Evo, especially seeing as how it's $50 more… Unless, of course, you abso-freakin-lutely need a physical keyboard.

I currently own both the Epic and Evo and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Epic screen looks AMAZING compared to the Evo's. The picture you are using as an example here does not accurately depict the actual display on either of the two Epics I have seen in person.

I do prefer the Evo's Froyo 2.2 with HTC Sense, but I can say that the Epic does feel as fast or faster without even having 2.2 yet.

The Evo does feel solid in comparison, but that is to be expected by design. As for a slider, the Epic feels great and is just as or more solid than my previous sliding phones.

As far as the feel of the phone in my hand during a call, I'd have to say that the Epic feels much better.

 

[mc-fine]

He is right about text on a white background. Try engadget and look at the text and mess around with the zoom levels and you will notice a certain fuzziness with the letters. I saw the same thing messing with my brother's vibrant and same holds true for my Epic. Not sure if its an issue of no font anti-aliasing at certain zoom levels but its there. More of a nitpick when you consider how great videos and the rest of the screen looks.

And the pic above is so zoomed in that of course you will notice the pixels regardless of what screen you are looking at.

 

[Android XTC]

I love the Epic. I have decided to ditch my Evo for good. The Evo feels like you are holding a brick in your hand compared to the Epic. The Epic looks and feels more refined even the battery area looks more finished than all the red sticker paper HTC has all over the back of the EVO. The call quality is also better on Epic clear clean and crisp not raspy like you know who. I do miss HTC sense and the kick stand but im getting used to touchwhiz now. The amoled screen is wonderful and vibrant and not as washed out looking as you know who.