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Samsung Epic or Evo SHIFT? Which is worth the money?

Xelestial

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Jun 4, 2011
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Hi EVO Shift owners. I was wondering if you could help me make a big decision for me. You probably get this all the time, but I was wondering if you could help me make the decision between the Epic and EVO Shift. I have also posted a similar post on the Epic forums.

I have, for the past week, researched both, played with them, etc, and I can honestly say, price aside (there is a $100 difference for my account), I am already learning toward the Epic. However, I am worried that the Epic has a lot of issues, and I want a reliable phone. I'm pretty tech savvy I suppose, and I have a little experience with Android, but I don't want to be fighting with my phone.

A two year commitment and 324.00 is huge, so I was wondering if anyone could give me any insight on if this will be a solid phone and worth the money and time, from a users point of view. I really love the Epic, but I don't want long term issues for all that money and time. I made a mistake with my last phone and that's why I'm upgrading it at the one year mark, and I don't want to do that again. Would appreciate any help or information, thanks.

My worries/cons about the EVO Shift:

-Keyboard slider. I tried it and I really hated that it was so hard to get out.
-Lack of information about bugs. Are there any major ones?
-Smaller/more washed out screen
-Lack of features such as no Netflix/Lack of forward facing camera (not a big deal, but enough to make it a point against)
-Quality as far as keyboard lasting.
-EVO Shift becoming outdated quickly. Will I wish I had spent the extra $100 dollars for the Epic soon after?
 
-the keyboard slider loosens up the more you use it and honestly, i hate the slider on the epic. it's too loosse. so compared to the epic, the shift slider is a win
-there are a few bugs that have been reported but honestly i have not run into any of them, everything on my phone works great.
-the screen is probably not as nice as the epic's, but everything still looks great, and honestly, it doesnt' looked washed out at all unless you're looking at it directly next to a super amoled screen. and to me, lcd displays look much better in bright lighting. with my samsung phone, you can't see dick in sunlight.
-netflix will more than likely be available for the shift, and as far as ffc, unless you plan on video chatting (which i don't care about), it's not an issue.
-and doesn't every phone become outdated very quickly now a days? haha

overall, i love this phone. i am switching to the evo 3d when it drops but that's just cus i love tech toys, and not because i dont love my shift. it's a great phone. but so is the epic. i just dont' trust samsuck, cus well, they just suck.................at support, always have bugs, and they're phones just feel like cheap plastic toys. but that's just my opinion
 
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Agree with edp on all points.

-Keyboard slider. : Mine is great. I think the real complaint most folks have is that it doesn't have the spring assist like many do, but other than that I think its a quality build
-Lack of information about bugs.: Haven't run into any. I was squawking last month when I thought my headset jack had gone out. Upon further investigation I'd gotten pocket lint in the jack. Picked it out and worked great. (I guess I should use a case, but it gets in the way)
-Smaller/more washed out screen: Only an issue if in direct sunlight, and thats coming from someone with the brightness turned down to about 33% to save battery. If I turned it up it would be a lot better, but I'm inside most of the time.
-Lack of features: I'm sure Netflix will come soon. I don't video chat, so fwd facing camera means nothing to me.
-Quality as far as keyboard lasting.: I don't anticipate any issues here. I've had mine 5 months and it feels perfectly solid.
-EVO Shift becoming outdated quickly.: Same issue with all phones.

I had a coworker with an Epic and she had issues with battery life (a lot worse than mine) and her phone did funky things after a while. I think Samsungs hardware product quality just isn't as good as HTC.
 
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Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. You have already gone a long way into reaffirming my suspicion that HTC just makes a higher quality phone. I don't use video chat and my husband has a regular EVO, and he says it's not very widespread right now so he doesn't even use it. I have a crappy little free Samsung phone and it feels very lightweight and not solid, unlike my husbands past HTC phones, so I understand that. I however, am used to the spring loaded feature with my current little phone, so I just may not be used to the slider.

-the screen is probably not as nice as the epic's, but everything still looks great, and honestly, it doesnt' looked washed out at all unless you're looking at it directly next to a super amoled screen. and to me, lcd displays look much better in bright lighting. with my samsung phone, you can't see dick in sunlight.

That's a very good point as well. I have had that issue with other devices using non-LCD screens. And when I looked at the Shift screen just alone, it looked fine. It was only when I compared it to the Epic's screen that I saw a difference.
 
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HTC listens to their customers. That means as much if not more than any issue could outweigh. Samsung and customer service/support is non-existent. (at least from everything I've read) I have never liked the feel of a samsung phone. They always feel cheaply made, even if they aren't.

If I was you, I would wait for the EVO 3D. It should be out before the end of the month. IMO, it looks to be one of the most cutting edge phones released this year...
 
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HTC listens to their customers. That means as much if not more than any issue could outweigh. Samsung and customer service/support is non-existent. (at least from everything I've read) I have never liked the feel of a samsung phone. They always feel cheaply made, even if they aren't.

If I was you, I would wait for the EVO 3D. It should be out before the end of the month. IMO, it looks to be one of the most cutting edge phones released this year...

I'm looking for a keyboard in my phone, so that was a big thing. Plus, I've never been much for the 3D gimmick--I also just recently got a Nintendo 3DS which does 3D video and pictures, so it seems kind of pointless. However, thanks for the heads up.

Also, what you said about Samsung customer support...It's true! I've got a Samsung Washer/Dryer, Samsung HDTV, and my current phone is Samsung. On every single item, I've read if I've ever got any issues, I may as well forget about it. It does mean a lot that I feel like HTC will take care of me if I get into trouble. So with all that in mind, I've decided to get the HTC EVO Shift. If I end up hating it somehow, at least I could take it back within 30 days.

I'm still nervous about my decision though. Mainly because of the keyboard slide out thing and lack of a front facing camera. Funny though that I'm worried about that, because my current phone doesn't even have one.
 
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I think you will be happy. The shift is the little phone that could... It may have lightweight specs, but it really is better than it looks on paper. I bought mine just to tide me over until something better came along and I ended up being very happy with it. I am not really into the keyboard, but have grown to like the fact that it just works well. Battery life is pretty darn good for an Android phone as well.

Just know that even if you don't like it, Sprint gives you a 30 day no strings attached return policy with it too. If you end up not liking it you have a month to take it back...;)


:edit: just saw you posted about being able to return it... lol
 
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I think you will be happy. The shift is the little phone that could... It may have lightweight specs, but it really is better than it looks on paper. I bought mine just to tide me over until something better came along and I ended up being very happy with it. I am not really into the keyboard, but have grown to like the fact that it just works well. Battery life is pretty darn good for an Android phone as well.

Just know that even if you don't like it, Sprint gives you a 30 day no strings attached return policy with it too. If you end up not liking it you have a month to take it back...;)


:edit: just saw you posted about being able to return it... lol

Haha, no problem. You are making me feel better about my purchase :) The type of phone you get used to be no big deal years ago, but nowadays it's a pretty big commitment and a big purchase that can really affect your daily life.

That's the same spot I am in. I wanted something nice but just until I found the "most awesome phone ever" (yeah right) but I don't expect to fall in love with it. But I really hope I do.

From all the benchmark tests I've seen, the EVO Shift is currently Sprint's fastest phone. Not by much, but it is up there with the big boys, so I'm not incredibly worried about it's power. The EVO Shift gets a lot flack out there even still though because people look at the specs and size and believe it's a crappy little free phone.

I just hope I get used to the keyboard thing =/

Really appreciate all the insight I found here.
 
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Don't be worried about the KB. It is and stays tighter than any epic I have used. I have an otterbox commuter case on mine and it only makes the slider more stout than it already is. I think you will be happy, especially if you don't have super high expectations to begin with. It will definitely meet and exceed any ideas you have, I am sure... Keep us posted about whether you like it or not! (I am SURE you will)
 
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I couldn't be happier with my Evo Shift. I tried the Epic but it felt cheap to me. The Shift feels very solid, and the keyboard works great. I've had no problems of any significance. Even though the screen is smaller than the Epic I find it to be plenty big enough for my needs, which are mostly texting, email and actual phone calls. If I used a phone for more video, I'd get the Evo 3D. Good luck!
 
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I couldn't be happier with my Evo Shift. I tried the Epic but it felt cheap to me. The Shift feels very solid, and the keyboard works great. I've had no problems of any significance. Even though the screen is smaller than the Epic I find it to be plenty big enough for my needs, which are mostly texting, email and actual phone calls. If I used a phone for more video, I'd get the Evo 3D. Good luck!

Yes, that's pretty much what I use my current phone for. I'm not too much of a video viewer as I am not out in places where I can just hang out and look at videos and if I am, I have a laptop or a computer or TV. I do browse the Internet quite a bit though, so I hope that isn't an issue.

Just waiting on the phone to get shipped to me now :)
 
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