Archive for August, 2010

Recently, I’ve hit a state of extreme wanting of new technology, particularly in the cellular phone market. I had been using MetroPCS for several years, and despite the fact the service has always been good to me, and I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to save money, I decided to stray so that I can acquire a level of technology more suiting to my level of geek.

So yesterday, I went out and bought an HTC EVO 4G from Sprint after getting a call from a sales rep that they finally got some in stock. Of course, I had a change of heart today when Sprint released the Samsung Epic 4G, and managed to arrive at the store at the exact minute of it’s release… so I feel obliged to write a comparative review of these phones, and help out with others making their choice between the two. So here I go.

HTC EVO 4G

My Rating:

Overview:

Truthfully, from the moment I first tried it, my instinct was “This phone is great!” And that still stands true, don’t be fooled from the fact I exchanged mine. This is a solid device, but as with any other, has it’s own caveats.

Specs:

I’m not going to cover too much here, because the specs on both phones are in fact VERY close, however, there are some key differences.

The EVO supports up to 8 devices with Sprints own mobile hotspot feature, where as the Epic only supports 5. This isn’t a big deal really though, because who wants that many people using the internet on their PHONE?

The EVO also features an 8MP camera on the rear of the device, while the Epic provides a 5MP camera. That being said, somehow, the Epic seems to take better pictures. The EVO camera can capture 720p video at 24 frames per second, but the Epic does it at 30fps. This is a minor difference, but might matter to some.

Processor-wise, these phones are basically the same. The only other thing the EVO has that the Epic does not, is HDMI output.

The Good:

The phone feels pretty solid, despite rumors I’ve heard around the web. The interface is pretty responsive, and the phone came with Froyo (Android 2.2) pre-installed. The 4G internet was blazing fast, and aside from a few twitches, the phone was fast.

Also impressive, was that after first getting the phone, and playing with it all day trying out all the features, I had a damn hard time killing the battery. I guess some people either got unlucky, or just ran too many apps at once and let it go. It wasn’t until I was streaming Sprint TV over 4G while signed on to AIM, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace that I was able to finally kill the battery, after 6.5 hours of continuous usage from a half dead battery on a phone I just bought and hadn’t charged yet. NICE!

The Bad:

BLOATWARE! Sprint, get it through your head: not everyone wants a Nascar app. We certainly don’t want the Amazon MP3 store running on our phones constantly, checking in with home servers and killing our battery. Despite my best efforts with task killers, this one particularly was hard to kill. Please also give us the option to disable Qik, your video chat app. We don’t need it on 24/7.

Also, the phone is quite cumbersome to use for me, and I have very large hands. Be warned. It definitely does not feel like it would survive a drop on a hard floor either.

Summary:

If you want an iPhone killer, this phone will do the trick. I don’t have a lot of bad to say about it, overall it is a good device for the power user.

SAMSUNG EPIC 4G (Galaxy S)

My Rating:

Overview:

The Epic might be slightly thicker, but it’s worth it for the extras in my opinion!

Specs:

Again, both phones are very similar. However, the EPIC features a Super AMOLED screen instead of a traditional LCD, with over 16 million colors available. The screen on this phone is absolutely gorgeous!

The Good:

The EPIC for right now comes with Android 2.1 instead of Froyo, but with the Samsung Touchwiz interface, you won’t miss 2.2 at all. This phone genuinely feels like working an iPhone on steroids. You have a dock at the bottom for basic tasks such as the phone, contacts, text, and access to your apps menu.

What I like best about this is that the apps menu is arranged horizontally, and swiped through a panel at a time like on the iPhone. I find this a much easier way to find the app I need.

Overall, camera quality is much better on the EPIC, and feels worth the price increase alone. Additionally, the super AMOLED screen should provide better battery life in theory. I cannot attest to that yet because I have not had the phone long enough to tell you.

Samsung improved where HTC failed with the task management, making the majority of apps automatically close when you back out of them, and providing a built in widget for managing running apps. The pull down menu on the top is also more useful, providing shortcuts to enable or disable WiFi,, GPS, etc.

The Bad:

Not much bad to say here, at least not yet. The phone does feel as big as the EVO, but easier to hold. It is certainly lighter, yet it feels more delicate. Having the small power button located on the side is awkward. Lacks a kickstand like the EVO, which would have been VERY useful given the quality of this phone.

Summary:

I’m playing favorites. I love this phone, and if you don’t absolutely insist on working strictly with a touch screen, or don’t hate slider phones, get this, it won’t disappoint.