Thinking of getting an EPIC 4G

[BenChase7]

Here is the deal... My little brother (20yrs) wants a new phone. He currently has a dumbphone with T-Mo. I will probably add a line to my Sprint plan for him. He wants one with a Physical KB, so I'm thinking Epic or the EVO Shift. Since Sprint recently reduced the price on the EPIC, it is now more appealing. My concerns with it are the fact the Galaxy S phones still only runs Android 2.1 and all the GPS issues I hear about, again like the other Galaxy S phones. He is not a techy kind of guy, so rooting will not happen. What are the odds of the Epic getting 2.2 OTA, and are there problems with the GPS anymore on the Epic? Any input and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Also, He is in the Navy and stationed in Virginia, Anyone familliar with Sprint coverage in Norfolk, Richmond, and VA Beach?

Thanks!

 

[SlyFerret]

Even on 2.1, the Epic is a great phone.

They're working on 2.2.1. Samsung recently tweeted that it's getting close, but they want to make sure that it's right when they do it. Unfortunately... it was supposed to be last fall, so, they've missed their deadline pretty badly.

Reading between the lines of their tweets, and a conversation I had at the Samsung booth at CES, I'm left wondering if they're having trouble doing the OTA update reliably, or doing the OTA update without wiping the phone in the process.

The general population on this forum is pretty wound up about FroYo, and the fact that it's not available yet... so I'm sure you'll get some pretty passionate replies to this thread.

If your brother doesn't need a high end phone (complete with the extra $10/month premium data add-on)... there are a few other options on Sprint. Your best bet, honestly, is to go to a Sprint store and play with the "live" demo units so that you can get a feel for the phones.

-SF

 

[MannyrtFresh]

^ what he said " is to go to a sprint store and play with the "live" demo units so that you can get a feel for the phones ". Pretty much the only way you can tell wich one you want is by doing that.


thats what i did 2 weeks ago, played with the Evo and Epic 4G for like 2 hours at my local sprint store and after much thought ended up getting the Epic 4G just a few days ago and love it, nothing bad to say about it so far and battery power is awesome for a moderate user.

 

[BenChase7]

Thanks for the input so far. We will definately be taking a trip to the Sprint store to check them out next week (when he comes to visit). My main concern with having FroYo/2.2 is that it gives you ability to view Flash enabled websites (video) on the phone. Or, am I mistaken with this? I am also concerned about GPS issues, he wants to be able to use Sprint Navigation and Google Nav. Other than those two things, I think its the EPIC or the EVO Shift is what he wants, since he prefers a physical KB. I like Epic for the awesome screen and great specs, but I like the EVO Shift for 2.2 and HTC Sence (also great specs). Tough choice!

Thanks Again!

 

[MAKOKILLER]

I have never had a problem with my gps..phone works great. could really care less about froyo. my phone makes and receives calls just fine and I get all of my email. what else is there? if you want to watch a video go on your computer or watch it on tv.

 

[scionxa]

Even on 2.1, the Epic is a great phone.

They're working on 2.2.1. Samsung recently tweeted that it's getting close, but they want to make sure that it's right when they do it. Unfortunately... it was supposed to be last fall, so, they've missed their deadline pretty badly.

Reading between the lines of their tweets, and a conversation I had at the Samsung booth at CES, I'm left wondering if they're having trouble doing the OTA update reliably, or doing the OTA update without wiping the phone in the process.

The general population on this forum is pretty wound up about FroYo, and the fact that it's not available yet... so I'm sure you'll get some pretty passionate replies to this thread.

If your brother doesn't need a high end phone (complete with the extra $10/month premium data add-on)... there are a few other options on Sprint. Your best bet, honestly, is to go to a Sprint store and play with the "live" demo units so that you can get a feel for the phones.

-SF

coverage.sprint.com

 

[mrmojoz]

I have never had a problem with my gps..phone works great. could really care less about froyo. my phone makes and receives calls just fine and I get all of my email. what else is there? if you want to watch a video go on your computer or watch it on tv.

What a horrible, horrible attitude. You payed hundreds of dollars for a phone to just make phone calls and read e-mails? Why? You can do that on freephones. What a waste.

 

[Tandroid86]

Thanks for the input so far. We will definately be taking a trip to the Sprint store to check them out next week (when he comes to visit). My main concern with having FroYo/2.2 is that it gives you ability to view Flash enabled websites (video) on the phone. Or, am I mistaken with this? I am also concerned about GPS issues, he wants to be able to use Sprint Navigation and Google Nav. Other than those two things, I think its the EPIC or the EVO Shift is what he wants, since he prefers a physical KB. I like Epic for the awesome screen and great specs, but I like the EVO Shift for 2.2 and HTC Sence (also great specs). Tough choice!

Thanks Again!

I never had a GPS issue until I sent it in for service with Samsung. Just a thing to know for him at least on the Samsung side, if anything goes wrong he's better off fixing it himself than sending it in to be sat on for a week and all problems to be ignored. Oh and for it to come back with more problems.

Also, just as a heads up, it's pretty rare but it is an issue, ever since my phone came back I can't run any music player (Winamp, default one, etc) for longer than 3 minutes before it crashes.

 

[buggerritt]

If he is stuck on having the official Froyo, he will be annoyed, bitter, and complaining. If he is willing to root his phone, and flash to a leaked Froyo, the Epic 4G is the best phone on the market. With the leaked Froyo (when flashed properly), there is no GPS issue, Flash works great, the phone has great battery life, everything is outstanding. If he wants to go the extra yard and flash a custom Froyo ROM, he will be unable to live without the phone. He will laugh at the iPhone, the EVO, and the Shift. He will scoff at those who are afraid to root (I think they are the same ones who sleep with a night light on and wear foil helmets so that the aliens can't read their minds). But, if he is not tech savvy and just wants a physical keyboard, why get a smartphone? Why not just get a text friendly phone with a hardware keyboard? Any of the 3G phones can have GPS. I had it on my old ass Sanyo M1, 5 years ago. It worked great. BTW, I still have it is my glove box, as a backup phone. I doubt I will ever need it, though since I also still have my Touch Pro 2 sitting on my desk cradle, waiting for something bad to happen.

 

[BenChase7]

But, if he is not tech savvy and just wants a physical keyboard, why get a smartphone?

because he is still interested in having a capable and full featued smartphone. Myabe for games, video, camera, FB, etc. He's just not interested in rooting, ROM's and all that jazz.

 

[PC Jona]

just get him the tranform

the epic is fine regardless of 2.2 anyways

 

[MAKOKILLER]

What a horrible, horrible attitude. You payed hundreds of dollars for a phone to just make phone calls and read e-mails? Why? You can do that on freephones. What a waste.

oh yeah I text my wife every once in awhile. other than that it is just a phone dude. lighten up.

 

[outkast25]

Epics are to buggy. Im on my third one now . Too many issues. However this third on is the best running one ive had so far, but still has issues. The evo is way more reliable. From what i hear so is the shift.... you may want to think twice before gettn a epic.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I highly recommend the EPIC. It's the best phone that was released in 2010, hands down! If you want Android 2.2, see the DK28 thread. It's very easy to flash over with Odin with no issues whatsoever on my end.

 

[DavidBeier]

I was in a similar boat. I debated endlessly between the Epic and the Evo and what finally made the decision for me was the keyboard since, after spending a few hours with both, I realized I just couldn't live without a physical keyboard. Now that the Evo Shift is coming out, the keyboard is no longer an issue so it seems like it would be a tougher call but certain things got downgraded with the shift so I'd still pick the Epic at the end of the day. That said, there is certainly the case to be made for the Shift.

Case for the Shift - It has Android 2.2 right now and, if past history shows anything, HTC is MUCH better at upgrading their products than Samsung is. In all honest, Android 2.1 isn't even that big a deal to me but it's mainly just the principle that Samsung is so far behind the date. Also, THERE IS A GPS ISSUE with the Epic. Two nights ago, I was out on my porch with my bud who has a Droid 2, and we both pulled out our phones to find an address. His got a GPS lock in about 10 seconds. My Epic kept trying and failing and booting me out of navigator. After about five MINUTES, it got a lock and I could navigate. Then, just today, I was traveling with a co-worker to a location and we once again both pulled out our phones to navigate (this one had an Evo). Just as before, she got a lock and could use the navigator in about ten seconds while it took me 5-10 minutes. This isn't always the case with the Epic GPS but it happens enough to be maddening.

Case for Epic - Even though I'm ticked off at lacking Android 2.2, I honestly don't miss it. All the sites I visit load just fine and youtube works with the app. As angered as I am at the lack of an upgrade, I really can't think of many ways that it would change my experience. More importantly, the Epic is a stronger media player with way more video codecs that one can play and faster video performance (this is a must for me since I'm in the film biz). It also seems like the Epic has a better camera. The Epic's 5mp was rated better by most as higher quality than the Evo's 8 mp camera so it seems logical that the Epic's 5mp will definatly be stronger than the shift's 5mp. The Epic also comes with a 16 gig internal memory card vs the paltry 2 gig one you get with the Shift (you can swap it by why even bother with a 2gig card?) The Epic also has better hardware specs for smoother graphics performance. Perhaps the best thing about the epic is the Super AMOLED screen. This thing is gorgeous and it's not only bigger than the Shifts but also way higher quality (more colorful with deeper blacks). I really can't stress how much nicer the screen is enough. Pretty much every friend I have with a smartphone has commented on how vibrant the screen is. Whether they have an iPhone 4, Droid X, or Evo; everyone seems to be blown away by it. I even got a random compliment from some guy in line at the Panda Express.

For me, the GPS issues are moot because I have a Garmin GPS for my car. If I didn't, I might have SERIOUS Shift envy right now. As it stands, I'm glad I got the Epic.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

Once I heard the Shift wouldn't have an FFC, I immediately passed it up.

 

[Bomix]

What's FFC?

Yeah there IS a GPS issue, I have to do some weird Voodoo stuff to get it to work. but it's just 4 clicks and we're in business. not earth shattering.

I agree with the statement about going to sprint and playing with the phones.
I like the bigger colorful AMOLED screen compared to the shift, and the faster processor.

If he's not too concerned about those things, then maybe the shift is a good choice for him.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

What's FFC?

Yeah there IS a GPS issue, I have to do some weird Voodoo stuff to get it to work. but it's just 4 clicks and we're in business. not earth shattering.

I agree with the statement about going to sprint and playing with the phones.
I like the bigger colorful AMOLED screen compared to the shift, and the faster processor.

If he's not too concerned about those things, then maybe the shift is a good choice for him.

Front-facing camera.

 

[Bomix]

Front-facing camera.

...man I am so not with it these days.

 

[outkast25]

new issue on with my 3rd epic. my calls are going straight to voicemail and i can call out. I just ordered the evo shift, this is BS!