Database Users

[Q] So I have to decide by Monday

Knowing what you know now about the Epic....
My upgrade time is Monday and I need to replace my old Touch Pro (can you imagine I am still using it). I would like the Epic becuase of the keyboard, and the hardware does look more impressive. However the EVO fanboys are a bit much and you cannot get a good review of Epic from them.
So I am asking you all what do you think... Should I take the Epic and be happy? I have to extend my contract 2 years and I want to be happy with my decision. The angst here over GPS and Froyo has me thinking it might be safer to go to Evo w/o the keyboard... even though I can't stand the attitutudes of the Evo users.
Let me know what you think. Any comments I would appreciate.

For a good unbiased review see engadget. They did a thorough workup of the epic. Also I reccomend using the search function, there are multiple threads just like this and should answer ur questions.
Sent from my Epic 4G

ravizzle said:
For a good unbiased review see engadget. They did a thorough workup of the epic. Also I reccomend using the search function, there are multiple threads just like this and should answer ur questions.
Sent from my Epic 4G
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read COUNTLESS posts. I am just looking for something a bit updated. It seems things change as the wind blows.

Well the ppl on the froyo leak say gps is fixed so if that and froyo are ur only 2 probs with epic, they will be solved soon with the ota (the leak is kinda buggy) which hopefully will come in the next few weeks.
Sent from my Epic 4G

I like them both. The keyboard sold the epic to me, along with the display.
I love my Epic. I play a lot of games too, so the choice was obvious to me.
Sent from my bathroom, with toilet paper.

I'm upgrading on thursday. I finally decided upon the epic because of the hardware keyboard, the awesome screen and the fact that I don't like sense. I went into the sprint store to get a feel for them. That definitely helped me. There have been a few moments here and there where I think "man, maybe I should get the evo." Especially after seeing how large the user community is. But I always come back to the epic. P.s. If you're the primary line then you should be eligible for yearly upgrades with the everything data plan. So you're only stuck with this phone for a year. Or give it thirty days ad switch to the evo if you're not satisfied.

I just got my epic and love it.
The only other phone I think I would consider is the G2 by T-mobile.
I wish we had froyo already but it should be out in a few weeks.
The epic's display is awesome.

keekah said:
I'm upgrading on thursday. I finally decided upon the epic because of the hardware keyboard, the awesome screen and the fact that I don't like sense. I went into the sprint store to get a feel for them. That definitely helped me. There have been a few moments here and there where I think "man, maybe I should get the evo." Especially after seeing how large the user community is. But I always come back to the epic. P.s. If you're the primary line then you should be eligible for yearly upgrades with the everything data plan. So you're only stuck with this phone for a year. Or give it thirty days ad switch to the evo if you're not satisfied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. I originally wanted Evo (didn't we all)... then I investigated Epic and found out its a whole lot more than just a keyboard for $50. The added hardware (processor, display, gpu, etc, etc, etc) make me think its plumb silly to buy an Evo... but man those Evo owners are very loud. No one is saying their phone is bad... obviously its great, but boy do they like to cut down the Epic.
In regards to primary line stuff... its currently set to my wife's line. She is on blackberry, but I will probably upgrade her to an Epic later this year so that we are on the same phone (unless a dual core 3.0 phone comes out... then I get it and she gets the Epic ).

I just jumped from an Evo to the Epic and this is my honest advice. If you are here for roms go with the Evo by far. The support for the Evo on this site and the lack there of for the Epic is like night and day.
If you don't plan on Rooting your phone and wanting everything stock go with the Epic. I don't see how anyone can argue differently.

imwillzillla said:
I just jumped from an Evo to the Epic and this is my honest advice. If you are here for roms go with the Evo by far. The support for the Evo on this site and the lack there of for the Epic is like night and day.
If you don't plan on Rooting your phone and wanting everything stock go with the Epic. I don't see how anyone can argue differently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Good advice. I like that there is a support community for Evo... but I would only root/flash if I really had to. I am not a power user... couldn't care less about overclocking (at least for now - a year from now who knows).. that being said my Touch Pro is currently unlocked/flashed to MightyROM, so it's not out of the question. I certainly will not be planning to root/flash anytime before official Froyo is released on Epic.

Epic obviously doesn't have same dev community as evo, but we do have a good growing dev community. We have 4 or 5 solid roms out right now and even if that number doesn't grow I'm happy, its about quality not quantity.
Sent from my Epic 4G

skywalkr2, I worked at Sprint for over 8 years (great place to work, left for an amazing opportunity elsewhere) and as a Pre owner, I was RABIDLY anticipating a new device this year to replace my Pre (greatest software on the market, worst hardware). I'm at work now and took a short break to look at my phone and happened to see this thread in the XDA app. As such, I don't have time at this moment to give my full opinion, but I can tell you that NOBODY did more research on this exact question than I did... and I ended up choosing the EVO AFTER I talked my own father into getting an Epic. I'll post the full list of reasons tonight, I just wanted to get in my two cents since obviously everyone in this forum is likely to tell you the Epic is the best. I was afraid you might see an overwhelming number of people telling you to grab an Epic and then you'd stop checking this thread.
I suggest you at least listen to my reasoning before jumping ship.

ravizzle said:
Well the ppl on the froyo leak say gps is fixed so if that and froyo are ur only 2 probs with epic, they will be solved soon with the ota (the leak is kinda buggy) which hopefully will come in the next few weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so fast. The reports I have seen about the GPS are mixed. For example, see this.
It does sound like one of the GPS bugs -- the bogus estimated accuracy of 30.0 meters that we see now on the Epic-- is fixed in the beta release. But to test the most serious bug -- the failure to achieve satellite lock over time because of a time-sensitive cache problem -- it will take more time and effort than these early anecdotal reports can boast. So far I have not seen any Froyo-release beta tester who seems to know how to test the GPS rigorously, and I am not risking my own phone to flash this leaked ROM.
So the overall status of the GPS is unknown, as far as I'm concerned.

WrlsFanatic said:
I was afraid you might see an overwhelming number of people telling you to grab an Epic and then you'd stop checking this thread.
I suggest you at least listen to my reasoning before jumping ship.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. I will definetely listen. It's exactly why I posted over here.

Dear OP,
If I were in your shoe, I'd wait at least till Epic gets Froyo update. Then you can make apples to apples comparison between Epic and EVO (assuming Evo doesn't get 2.3 update).
Or better yet, if you are a bit more patient, wait till january, when HTC Knight (Speedy?) becomes available. If Knights come with 2.2, it's more likely to get updated to 2.3 than current EVO or EPIC. The general consensus here is that neither EVO or Epic will officially get updated to Gingerbread. If you don't want to be stock with TP till January, get a refurb HTC Hero from ebay for about $100.

acegolfer said:
Dear OP,
If I were in your shoe, I'd wait at least till Epic gets Froyo update. Then you can make apples to apples comparison between Epic and EVO (assuming Evo doesn't get 2.3 update).
Or better yet, if you are a bit more patient, wait till january, when HTC Knight (Speedy?) becomes available. If Knights come with 2.2, it's more likely to get updated to 2.3 than current EVO or EPIC. The general consensus here is that neither EVO or Epic will officially get updated to Gingerbread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't the Knight 3g only?

Just upgraded from my trusty HTC Hero, about an hour ago. I have a lot to get used to, touch wiz is a lot different than sence. Definitely faster an nicer. Next thing to do is root and get rid out the bloat!

fczeuner said:
Just upgraded from my trusty HTC Hero, about an hour ago. I have a lot to get used to, touch wiz is a lot different than sence. Definitely faster an nicer. Next thing to do is root and get rid out the bloat!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get launcher po. Its like sense on steroids, and the tw notification bar with toggles is so awesome. I came from hero too.
Sent from my Epic 4G

I might have some perspective on this question. I had a Touch Pro 2 prior to my Epic. I thought the TP2 was a great phone. Now I don't know how I ever managed with it. So point one is, EITHER the Epic or the Evo will seem like a HUGE step up.
One of the other phones on our plan is an Evo, so I've had a fair chance to experience that phone and my Epic.
I would give both very high marks, and I think that the recent rating (can't remember from what publication) that gave them number one and number two of all phones was correct.
I waited for the Epic because I was used to the keyboard on the TP2, and thought it was very necessary. However, Once I got the Epic, with Swype, I find I almost never use the keyboard. It's still handy once in a while, but now I could live without it, as long as I have Swype.
For a short while we were successful in getting Swype to work on the Evo. When it did, the Evo really would have worked for me as well as the Epic. Alas, it has not proven possible to get the program to work reliably on there.
So oddly, the phone with the keyboard doesn't really need it because it has Swype, and the phone without a keyboard doesn't have Swype, and can't seem to have it.
That comes down to the sole "real" issue for me. Both have been nearly trouble free, and Android just annihilates Windows Mobile.
Radio Shack now has the Epic for $220.00, and the Evo for $150.00. When I bought the difference was $50.00, and then they lowered it within the first 30 days, so my total difference was only $20.00. For $20.00 more, I'd say take the Epic for sure. For $70.00 more, I'd say the scale tips in favor of the Evo.
Again, they're both just great phones. I don't think you can go "wrong" with either.
Harris

So, I have had both phones Epic & Evo. Here is my opinion about both.
Evo had a bigger screen and kickstand that I love and miss till this day. I loved the build qualitiy of the Evo, it just felt so much more durable. The evo is truly a great phone and i miss the heck outta it!
The Epic.... I love it! I love the keyboard, I tried so hard to get use to the on-screen keyboard on the EVO (even tried swype on it) and couldn't use it.. As I am a heavy texter (about 3000+ a month) the keyboard is a must for me. The screen on the Epic is well..... just EPIC! Its amazing! but then again the Evo had the bigger screen....
Both are awesome phones! If I could have both I would use the EVO to watch movies (kickstand) and to customize a lot. But I would def use the Epic as my daily phone. I strongly believe once we receive froyo there will be bigger & better things stored for us.
If you think you can live without a keyboard go for the EVO, but since your use to keyboards like the tp had then I would get the Epic.. (That is if you used it a lot?)
Like I stated both phones are great but I'd have to say Epic with the screen, keyboard & I personally think the camera quality is better on both the front and back. Defiantly the video quality is better on the Epic. 720p on the EVO looked like crap and didn't even look like 720p, the Epic is much crisp & clear IMO.
However I did miss HTC Sense (i loved the animations & clock) but with a couple apps from the market, you can make your phone feel like your using an HTC phone! Good luck on whatever you may choose, I'm sure you will be satisfied with either phone!

I ditched the epic.

This is not a bash thread. I owned the epic for roughly 4 months. It is a very good phone. Reason I dropped it was due to it felt cheap. The phone was pretty loose concerning the slider. Also I never used the keyboard. The amoled screen is nice but I needed a bigger screen. So I switched to the evo. And from what I can tell during normal everyday use is that its just as fast. I don't game and I know the epic is better for gaming. I still think the epic is a damn good phone. Just sharing my experience. Also even with gps turned on so far the battery life on the evo is a little bit better. It does not get hot during web browsing like the epic did.
Im still here though. Been here since the epic launched and still glad to try to help other if they need it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

My only complaint with Samsung is the software. They make awesome hardware, though. I think they do it on purpose because if they matched a software engineer to eke out everything from the hardware, you wouldn't really care about buying a new phone so much.

Even though Samsung sucks at supporting their Products, it'll be hard to go to any inferior screen.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

sultan.of.swing said:
This is not a bash thread. I owned the epic for roughly 4 months. It is a very good phone. Reason I dropped it was due to it felt cheap. The phone was pretty loose concerning the slider. Also I never used the keyboard. The amoled screen is nice but I needed a bigger screen. So I switched to the evo. And from what I can tell during normal everyday use is that its just as fast. I don't game and I know the epic is better for gaming. I still think the epic is a damn good phone. Just sharing my experience. Also even with gps turned on so far the battery life on the evo is a little bit better. It does not get hot during web browsing like the epic did.
Im still here though. Been here since the epic launched and still glad to try to help other if they need it.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how you can get better battery life on a stock EVO. The hardware in the Epic is simply more power efficient than the EVO, it's a fact.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Love the epic...agree the slider mech sux....

Ive never seen a problem with the sliding mech. Matter a fact I also have a moment and the intercept and those mechs are fine as well. I don't see how they're bad.
Anyway At this point jumping to the Evo isn't a bad idea at all if you want to. All of this "Epic is just a better machine" means squat when it's not even updated with an official Froyo yet. It's like having the most advanced yatch in a desert.
I for one love my epic but the second something esle comes along. I think i'll be leaving myself. Unless the device that comes along is also made by samsung. Then no thanks.

Electrofreak said:
Not sure how you can get better battery life on a stock EVO. The hardware in the Epic is simply more power efficient than the EVO, it's a fact.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well stock 2.2 battery life so far is great. Stock for stock there pretty close honestly. The epics display eats a ton of battery.
Also another thing I am noticing. On the epic I used roam control due to no sprint signal at work. If I left it on automatic the epic would lose signal, the radio would then reset itself 2 times before it would go to roam. So I used roam control to just roam only. On the evo it seemlessly switches between home and roam without completely losing the radio.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

No it doesn't. Its actually much more efficient than the Evo's.

imwillzillla said:
I for one love my epic but the second something esle comes along. I think i'll be leaving myself. Unless the device that comes along is also made by samsung. Then no thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The Tegra 2 LG Optimus looks pretty appealing, if it gets the advertised battery life. Wonder if it'll come out for Sprint.
That said, I do play some Super Mario now & then on the Epic. The keyboard + Game Gripper is nice for that. I can't do the screen controls, too slow.
I love the Epic to death, but Samsung support sucks.

To the person mentioning switching ... HTC shift.
I know a few buddies who went from the epic to the Evo. Both good devices. Sprint kind of limited.
SWYPED from my SUPASONIC

Evos a great phone. I had both the epic and the evo, switched back and forth for awhile before deciding in the Epic. The epic IMO is quicker, but the development on the Evo may have changed that by now, idk. I will say that my evo always had better battery life than my epic. Same apps and same usage, both with the Evo on 2.1 and 2.2. Battery isnt a big deal to me personally tho since I always keep a spare battery. Enjoy your Evo. I personally miss the development compared to the epic, but im hopeful that that will changer soon. If you end up not liking it, sell it. I sold mine for twice what I paid. My wife just sold her second evo for $550 cash off craigslist.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I've had a person on Craigslist practically begging me to switch his 1 month old Evo, for my epic. I have been really torn between what to do. I really like this phone, and it is only gonna get better when 2.2 offically releases and the source code drops. I think I would regret it if I traded and it turned out the epic is being pushed beyond what any other phone has done before performance wise with the release of the source. T-mobile just got their release for 2.2 today, so hopefully we are not far behind (ya I know, we are on CDMA).

Whoa.... Vibrant got an official update? I didn't see anything on those forums...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

heathmcabee said:
I've had a person on Craigslist practically begging me to switch his 1 month old Evo, for my epic. I have been really torn between what to do. I really like this phone, and it is only gonna get better when 2.2 offically releases and the source code drops. I think I would regret it if I traded and it turned out the epic is being pushed beyond what any other phone has done before performance wise with the release of the source. T-mobile just got their release for 2.2 today, so hopefully we are not far behind (ya I know, we are on CDMA).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't seen anything about the Vibrant getting official Froyo today...Do you have a link

The epic is my first samsung. I always have HTC from the ppc 6700 to the evo. I switched from the evo. Even tho I do agree the epic feel's cheap, but it does have better hardware than the evo.
Deal breaker for me was the camera, I was Surprised how crappy the evo was to take pic's, but at least the epic sux's less, it's actually pretty good.
Development is slower, but it's still gets plenty of love. I for one don't plan on flashing every other day.

heathmcabee said:
I've had a person on Craigslist practically begging me to switch his 1 month old Evo, for my epic. I have been really torn between what to do. I really like this phone, and it is only gonna get better when 2.2 offically releases and the source code drops. I think I would regret it if I traded and it turned out the epic is being pushed beyond what any other phone has done before performance wise with the release of the source. T-mobile just got their release for 2.2 today, so hopefully we are not far behind (ya I know, we are on CDMA).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its the release that I think your speaking of. It was for T-Mobile (UK) not T-Mobile (USA). I thought the same thing once I read about it, but read more and its for the UK.
I have both the Epic and the EVO. I love both phones, but I like the EVO a bit better. I'm sure my reasoning is totally different from others (as expected). I would love to compare the two with 2.2, but for obvious reason I cannot. I'm VERY tempted on rooting my Epic finally. Battery life (for me, as I cant speak for others) have been great on both. But again, everyone has their different uses on their phones.

Well imop, I wouldn't of down graded... When they come out with a better phone damn near every 6 months. I would've stuck with the Epic till something better came out ( like the dual processor ) thats coming... But if you got-it like that just to buy 500 dollar phones because it feel cheesy ( And I agree ) then you made the right decison...

bobbyblack said:
Well imop, I wouldn't of down graded... When they come out with a better phone damn near every 6 months. I would've stuck with the Epic till something better came out ( like the dual processor ) thats coming... But if you got-it like that just to buy 500 dollar phones because it feel cheesy ( And I agree ) then you made the right decison...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But in reality 500 bucks for a phone like Epic isn't bad at all. Us American just got used to super subsidized phones...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

In my opinion, I think the Epic is a great phone, the only complaint I would make is the battery life. Then again I use my phone constantly and run many tasks at the same time, but I'm sure emulators don't help either lol. As for the slider, that made all the difference when debating on buying an epic or evo. Even if it is a little loose the qwerty is almost perfectly spaced and is probably the best one i have used on any phone (and I have gone through a lot). As for the software we all knew that Samsung sucked at providing it, but thanks to hard working people there are plenty of ways to get the newest android versions through ROMs which don't take too much work to use.
Personally I don't plan on changing my epic until it can no longer support newer android versions, but that's just me

Here is the link, 1 of out of 2 I saw today for T mobile customers getting Froyo for their Galaxy S phones.
http://www.onlinesocialmedia.net/20101201/froyo-comes-to-t-mobiles-samsung-galaxy-s-users/

What better than samsung vibrant?

Hey.
I am thinking of getting android phone, and samsung vibrant is on my list, but I want to know what is better than vibrant at the moment?
Any other andriod phones better than vibrant at the moment that has good features?
I cannot afford Nexus S at the moment as its very expensive without any contract.
Thanks.

You may find other phones that people claim is faster, such as g2 or mytouch 4g or something...but I have yet to see another android phone with the amazing gpu performance of the vibrant..plus, with a few tweaks, this phone is faster than lightning...
But to be fair, Samsung support for the phone isn't all the best. Don't expect timely updates and such. However, our dev community here is awesome and with it, you probably wont miss support from Samsung...
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Vibrant and Nexus S are bascily the same, a bit different.
umm... i really can't think of any other phone. Vibrant has filled my needs, but if you plan NOT to put a custom rom on it, or Root it... then... dont get the vibrant, samsung has quit on us, and the devs are the only reason this section is alive.

I dont know how to root or what roms are, etc, but I was waiting for 2.2 I heard it had good features.
So but now that 2.2 is not coming out are there any roms that can fill that gap?

awaisuk said:
I dont know how to root or what roms are, etc, but I was waiting for 2.2 I heard it had good features.
So but now that 2.2 is not coming out are there any roms that can fill that gap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YES.
If your looking for a 2.2, there are some awesome ROMS.
Nero, Ginger Clone, and Axura are the most popular currently.
They DO have a FEW bugs, but they're pretty small ones.
there has been a LEAKED froyo(2.2) rom, if you want a stock one, there is one.
I think you'd love a Vibrant. Before you get irritated, when you buy it, open it right there, and in front of the guy who sold it to you check if the GPS works, some new ones still don't work, and if it doesn't ask for another, and another if you have to, but be sure to make the GPS work wether you use GPS or not, you'll get annoyed later.
Also, if you don't know how to root or flash custom ROMs, there are PLENTY of EASY STEP-by-STEP tutorials to do it.

Just get the nexus S if you don't want to root. Bad side of it is it doesn't have a external storage.

iynfynity said:
Just get the nexus S if you don't want to root. Bad side of it is it doesn't have a external storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup no ext SD was a definite deal breaker for me. Other then that it's a very nice phone.

The mt4g is a great phone for the casual person. But i wouldnt trade my vibrant for it, Im gonna wait for the fabled galaxy s2.
Fear the beard...

I actually went ahead and pulled the trigger on getting a Nexus S today. I love my Vibrant and I'm keeping it as I've had loads of fun with it because of all the community support. Macnut R14 was and is still my rom of choice with the phone and it's very smooth and not that buggy at all - and my GPS works.
Having said that, the reason I got the NS is due to direct Google support. Considering Gingerbread is out now and Samsung has yet to deliver Froyo to 3 of the 4 GS models stateside, I finally made the decision to drive something I know is going to get timely updates. If you're not going to root get the Nexus the trade offs make it about even. If you are going to root then the Vibrant could a strong choice considering what it has over the NS. I know I'll still be here flashing roms for my Vibrant even though I have a different phone to play on now.

If I didn't mind being on Sprint, I'd say the Sprint HTC EVO is better in some respects than the Vibrant. No other phones come to mind. I also still consider the Vibrant to be the best Android powered phone on T-Mobile ATM. FYI, I don't like phones with built-in physical keyboards so I tend to immediately rule those out. The lack of both the SD card slot and gorilla glass on the screen are deal killers for me on the Nexus S when comparing it to the Vibrant. The Nexus S offers nothing I want which I don't already have (EXT4 file system) or won't get in the future (Gingerbread). Timely updates aren't worth it to me.

qreffie said:
I actually went ahead and pulled the trigger on getting a Nexus S today. I love my Vibrant and I'm keeping it as I've had loads of fun with it because of all the community support. Macnut R14 was and is still my rom of choice with the phone and it's very smooth and not that buggy at all - and my GPS works.
Having said that, the reason I got the NS is due to direct Google support. Considering Gingerbread is out now and Samsung has yet to deliver Froyo to 3 of the 4 GS models stateside, I finally made the decision to drive something I know is going to get timely updates. If you're not going to root get the Nexus the trade offs make it about even. If you are going to root then the Vibrant could a strong choice considering what it has over the NS. I know I'll still be here flashing roms for my Vibrant even though I have a different phone to play on now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i envy you. i wish i have the money to buy nexus S. My mom wouldn't agree because my vibrant is 4 months old.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

iynfynity said:
i envy you. i wish i have the money to buy nexus S. My mom wouldn't agree because my vibrant is 4 months old.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe a job would help.

If you can, wait it out a few more months. There are indications that the LG Optimus phone is coming to T-Mobile in early March.

reuthermonkey said:
Maybe a job would help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately, i can't take a job right now. it's a long story. lol
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

For the price of the Vibrants right now this is the best bang for your buck stock or not. Fast processor, very customizable, 14gig storage STOCK with an external slot to increase that to only the limits of microSD cards.
My opinion is the casual user will not notice a difference in 2.1 2.2 or 2.3 aside from some cosmetics which can be imitated by many free market apps. Casual user.....
For the non casual user I will reiterate what my fellow enthusiast have already pointed out. We are blessed with some REALLY talented ROM developers that have been nothing but generous with their time and efforts.
I have never gone to a manufacturer for support on any phone I have owned. Majority of the time the communities solve the problem 1000x faster.
I would also like to point out I am not biased to this phone because I own it lol, it just happens to be the one I own currently. I for one LOVE my Vibrant. I have had a g1, my touch, every iphone and some in between.

I have only used two other android phones: the Mytouch 4G and the G2. Both are hands down a much better user/android experience than the Vibrant i now own.
The only thing that makes me think about keeping the vibrant over these other phones is that the vibrant kicks their asses when it comes to audio playback, the quality is noticeably better.
Appart from that, battery life on the vibrant is lame, the screen is big but the colors are off, withes are actually blueish. The stock software is horrible, touchwiz is a joke, seriously, so is the fact that this thing still runs 2.1.
For the more that people talk about the speed of this phone, i found it to be incredibly laggy and slow, from apps to file transfers.
Ironically the best thing about the vibrant is that it made me use my phone a lot less than the Mt4G or the G2. The G2 made me a very anti-social person.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

vibrant or nexus S
Currently have the iphone 4 from a trade I did with my nexus one. Going back to android! Stuck on which to choose the nexus S or the vibrant. Seems as if both phones are pretty much the same. Save a few hundred with the vibrant or go with the S

Thanks for all the answers, I got the Vibrant!!!!
Now, when it arrives, then need to do some reading on roms,flash,root, etc as I dont know anything about them....
To get full flash in browser, and to get GPS to work fully (if it does not work, hopefully it will) what ROM is the best to flash? And by flashing that rom, will I lose any of the stock rom features?
Because my vibrant will have stock 2.1

cthulion said:
Ironically the best thing about the vibrant is that it made me use my phone a lot less than the Mt4G or the G2. The G2 made me a very anti-social person.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I said the same thing to the T-Mobile Reps. a couple months ago The phone has actually changed the way I use smartphones. Before I was always tethered to my smartphone, now I have to make sure I don't forget to pick it up when I go or leave some place. I don't really use it that much. It's just not fun. I tend to carry my notebook with me, now, and of course my ZuneHD
I think my next phone will almost certainly have a full QWERTY slide-out. Swipes way of automatically adding typos to the dictionary is annoying. I spent like an hour last night just removing typos that kept registering as words when trying to send texts and stuff.

My thought is that the Vibrant is the best media device on the market right now. Great codec support, best screen, excellent storage.
I've considered buying the Nexus S to use as a phone and to keep the Vibrant like it's an iPod Touch, just a movie/music/game device.

[Q] Should I get the Epic 4G?

I'm still in the market for a new phone, and had my heart set on the Epic from the start. However, when I started delving deeper into the different phones, I started feeling apprehensive toward the Epic.
Why I want it:
Video/picture quality seems better than the other phones I was looking at
5row QWERTY
Non-smudgy back plate
Good stock SD card
Super AMOLED
Why I'm apprehensive toward it:
It's running 2.1 and people think Samsung is abandoning the phone
Ideally, I wanted a 4 or 4.3in display
To get 2.2 and faster speeds, I'd have to use a ROM -- I have no idea how to do it, and I also don't like the themes most of the community ROMs have.
The other phones I was interested in were the EVO 4g, the Nexus S, the Droid X, and maybe another Galaxy S phone.
So, my question to the Epic 4g community: How do you like the phone? Have you tried any of the other phones I've listed? Am I going to get shafted by Samsung and never get a 2.2 update, or is it just as easy to flash the leaked 2.2?

I lovemy epic. Greatest phone I've had. It does everything I want. I got the epic to future proof myself.
Itsvery easy to flash the leaked froyo. You don't even gotta be rooted! Also, theleaked froyo is bascally a release candidate, being almost complete but still lacking little things like bluetooth audio out.
If those are the phones on our short list, get the epic. When samsung finally releases official final froyo,those phones will have nothing on the epic.
If you can't wait for froyo, then a5least get a new dualcore phone so you can be sure you won't be left behind
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Agreed. The epic is absolutely fantastic. Even on 2.1 it's vastly better than the evo, which my girlfriend has. The nexus s however looks great and if that was on sprint it'd be a toss up for me. Don't listen to all the nay saying going on right now. Samsung easily had the best camera, screens and processor combo available for the current gen. Once you go oled it'd be hard to go back. I just recently flashed the new trulyepic 1.2 rom and imo, that's the way to go right now if want froyo. Runs fantastic.
Sent from my Epic 4g using XDA App

Well the first question I'd have for you is what carrier are you looking at? Because you just listed a bunch of phones in the OP that are on different carriers. As far as the Epic is concerned, I love it ... it has a LOT of issues, including Samsung's Froyo delay that you mentioned, but it's still one of the fastest phones out there (with a kick ass GPU mind you). Again, it depends on what you need. If you don't need QWERTY, then you might want to look at the Evo as that is one of the best supported phones on the market (in terms of the dev community).

NecroNetics said:
I'm still in the market for a new phone, and had my heart set on the Epic from the start. However, when I started delving deeper into the different phones, I started feeling apprehensive toward the Epic.
Why I want it:
Video/picture quality seems better than the other phones I was looking at
5row QWERTY
Non-smudgy back plate
Good stock SD card
Super AMOLED
Why I'm apprehensive toward it:
It's running 2.1 and people think Samsung is abandoning the phone
Ideally, I wanted a 4 or 4.3in display
To get 2.2 and faster speeds, I'd have to use a ROM -- I have no idea how to do it, and I also don't like the themes most of the community ROMs have.
The other phones I was interested in were the EVO 4g, the Nexus S, the Droid X, and maybe another Galaxy S phone.
So, my question to the Epic 4g community: How do you like the phone? Have you tried any of the other phones I've listed? Am I going to get shafted by Samsung and never get a 2.2 update, or is it just as easy to flash the leaked 2.2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes
the keyboard is convenient but i dont like it. my roommate has a g2 and it feels alot better..
yes
yes
yes!!
4 inch is fine. 2.2 might be out soon but the roms out leave very little to be desired anyway... then again u cant really go wrong with any of the phones on your list haha.

Thanks for the replies, guys.
nimaim said:
Well the first question I'd have for you is what carrier are you looking at? Because you just listed a bunch of phones in the OP that are on different carriers. As far as the Epic is concerned, I love it ... it has a LOT of issues, including Samsung's Froyo delay that you mentioned, but it's still one of the fastest phones out there (with a kick ass GPU mind you). Again, it depends on what you need. If you don't need QWERTY, then you might want to look at the Evo as that is one of the best supported phones on the market (in terms of the dev community).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The carrier isn't important to me. It relies solely on the phone -- although, I think Sprint has one of the cheapest plans.

If trade my epic for a nexus s any day... The screen on both if my epics became loose after weeks and I harshly use the keyboard anyway
Sent from my Nexus S with a keyboard

I guess it really depends on what you are coming from. I was a die hard blackberry user.... *throws up a bit* came directly to and specifically waited for the epic after seeing several inferior android phones but knew it was where I wanted to settle once I was able to dig deeper helping a few friends mod.
Point being if it will be the first phone of this caliber, I think you will love the epic and there is no reason not to in most cases as the phone is blazing, couple it with some of the mods from the devs here.... it will be sweet. That being said, the same would likely apply to most of the other phones in your list.
Sent from my Twin Jets EPIC using XDA App

Only if you want a keyboard. I think that's all the Epic has over the Evo at this point. Yes it's faster, yes the screen is better, but.. Samsung support is terrible, while 2.1 runs fine and there are 2.2 leaks its still a sorry state to be in for a "flagship" phone.
IF you're interested in Roms.. go with an HTC. While the Evo is running a 98% functional CM7 and MIUI, and (Insert popular rom name here), the Epic's (while the developers are all awesome! This is NOT a knock) are more or less just customizations and ported applications with a breakthrough here and there such as EXT4.
Samsung is absolutely ridiculous "#neveragain". The keyboard skips letters, the GPS is moody and only works when it wants to, updates are pretty much MIA. Yes the epic is a little bit faster, with a more colorful screen, but at what cost.
Thanks to the Skippy keyboard I've become a professional on the onscreen keyboards and am highly considering a Evo off of Ebay while I can still sell the Epic for more. Maybe that gives you an idea of what it's like to own a Samsung.
</endrant> All rants aside... it's not a bad phone by any stretch of the imagination. Samsung is just better at products that don't need much support after release... like TV's...

The epic (galaxy s phone) has the best diplay and fastest GPU on the market as of posting this.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-GALAXY S-CAPTIVATE ASSONANCE 5.2 @1.2ghz

[Q] Would you still buy a Samsung Epic 4G?

My wife due for a new phone. She has a HTC Touch Pro 2 now.
Would you still buy a Samsung Epic 4G or wait for something else? Here's the hitch, she loves the keyboard so... she wants a phone with a keyboard.
I've read the HTC EVO shift is not that great and the screen is smaller. That's why I was leaning toward the Epic 4G
Any suggestions would help. I know the Epic 4G is getting old and don't want her to get stuck with an older phone if a newer, better one is coming out soon.
p.s. Android phones only please. (I don't see Windows making it!)

The only thing better is the dual core, but then you get to go through all the development cycle again. Depends on whether you want stability or raw fracking power tech.
Sent from Bonsai 7.0.3

Thanks!
She will be keeping the phone with the stock rom.
I think it will be fast enough for her. She just uses it for internet, youtube, texting, emails. Nothing too major.

Yes if it for an everyday user it the perfect phone! Beautiful screen and super fast for an everyday user!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

I would hold off and wait, the new phones are coming soon. You might find something you like better, if not then you could always get the epic then for less probably.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

Well, if you want her to be involved in the latest tech, I'd wait a bit until there's a phone that's dual-core and has a keyboard. Unfortunately, I haven't heard anything coming soon like that, so it's your choice.
For her basic uses and stuff, she might want to wait only because the keyboard on this phone is a bit laggy in its current state.
If she's okay with that, then buy an Epic It's still a great phone.

Yea as long as she doesn't mind a little wobble here and there on her phone...

i personally would just get the nexus! its a google phone so you know it will be supported by devs and google themselves
edit: nvm i didnt see the part that said she likes the keyboard
just go with the epic
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Absolutely! I've loved my device and I'm itching for my new one. Developing on it has been rewarding, and all the missed sleep has been worth it.

I went from the tp2 to the Epic and I don't how to say it in nice words. I had the tp2 for 1 1/2 years and if I had know how good android was compared to winmo 6.5 I would have thrown that thing in a lake. Going to the epic felt like going from a 486 dx2-66 to a quad core computer. IMOP the tp2 was the worst touch phone I have ever owned. If she is like my wife and just wants a nice phone that works and no modding then I would get the epic now. Everything on it is allmost instant when touched and I have not had any keyboard issues at all.
My epic is stock rom and rooted no custom roms. have had it for 6 months and only locked up twice so far where I had to pull the battery.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

minics04 said:
My wife due for a new phone. She has a HTC Touch Pro 2 now.
Would you still buy a Samsung Epic 4G or wait for something else? Here's the hitch, she loves the keyboard so... she wants a phone with a keyboard.
I've read the HTC EVO shift is not that great and the screen is smaller. That's why I was leaning toward the Epic 4G
Any suggestions would help. I know the Epic 4G is getting old and don't want her to get stuck with an older phone if a newer, better one is coming out soon.
p.s. Android phones only please. (I don't see Windows making it!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just ordered my wife one a couple of days ago. Will be ordering my daughter one also.
Sent from my SPH-D700

The keyboard has issues with skipping letters, which makes it very difficult to type fast on, and there's a slight wobble when open (nothing drastic).
I would definitely factor in software support too, which is severely lacking with the Epic 4G. You have to consider all the bug/security/critical fixes that are a significant part of the updates. I, personally, have been having software issues from the DK28 leak to EC05, Eclair was the only one that was every completely stable for me.

for 19.99 hell yea.
i love my epic, but ive recently played around with a mytouch 4g and that thing is blazing quick and snappy. everyone here says the epic is the quickest and best non dual-core phone (and i trust them since they know more than me), but i feel that phone is more responsive. it's stock and so is mine. its running adw like my epic. why do you guys think the mytouch runs much smoother?

What kind of software problems do you have? I have seen very little on my end. Confuses me on xda where some say there are a lot of problems and some have very few to all most no problems. I type very fast on my keyboard and it never skips a beat.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA Premium App

Especially now that it comes with Froyo, an Epic is a no-brainer for these prices. I paid many times more and coming from an original Touch Pro, it was like going from a Dodge Dart hooptie to a Lamborghini.

DroidApprentice said:
Especially now that it comes with Froyo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure it comes with Froyo? I'm helping someone pick out a phone, and this person, like the OP's wife, will be using it completely stock and unrooted. I can't find the details on sprint.com either way, but Best Buy and Radio Shack both say 2.1 in their specs about the phone. I heard there were problems with the updates, so I'm not sure at all that it comes with 2.2, and that's a real consideration for someone who will be running this stock, I think.

edonnelly said:
Are you sure it comes with Froyo? I'm helping someone pick out a phone, and this person, like the OP's wife, will be using it completely stock and unrooted. I can't find the details on sprint.com either way, but Best Buy and Radio Shack both say 2.1 in their specs about the phone. I heard there were problems with the updates, so I'm not sure at all that it comes with 2.2, and that's a real consideration for someone who will be running this stock, I think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only go by what I saw in a local Sprint store. I would hope that they would have all their stock replaced with 2.2 versions out of the box, but even if they don't, a stock 2.1 phone should receive the 2.2 upgrade over the air fairly quick. I'd just advise trying to get it updated before installing much else on it. The latest Froyo is as official as it gets and is pushed everywhere to phones which can receive it, AFAIK.

i also came from a touch pro 2 and i was amazed how good the EPIC was I think it's a great phone. Plus radiosack.com has the epic for $19.99 with a new contract and $49 upgrade. That's a steal. I like the phone so much(and hated att service so much) the price drop doesn't even bother me. The last 6 months was worth the launch price.

itsmebryan said:
Plus radiosack.com has the epic for $19.99 with a new contract
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh my, thanks for that. We can't pass that up (totally new contract). If it doesn't have 2.2, I'll just go ahead and root it and put Syndicate on it.
With regard to the question the OP asked, I suppose my answer is that, yes, I would buy another Epic, at least right now. I've looked around at what Sprint currently has, and there's nothing I'd rather have than the Epic. The keyboard doesn't mean as much to me as I thought it would, but I'd still prefer the Epic to the Evo. I'm not sure the upcoming Nexus S is much better than the Epic. Now, once the Evo 3D comes out, that might be something to look at, but that's months away. I have no plans or desires to switch phones, but have been looking a lot to help someone else, and I'm glad that I discovered that the Epic is still the phone to get if you're tied to Sprint (company discount).

edonnelly said:
Oh my, thanks for that. We can't pass that up (totally new contract). If it doesn't have 2.2, I'll just go ahead and root it and put Syndicate on it.
With regard to the question the OP asked, I suppose my answer is that, yes, I would buy another Epic, at least right now. I've looked around at what Sprint currently has, and there's nothing I'd rather have than the Epic. The keyboard doesn't mean as much to me as I thought it would, but I'd still prefer the Epic to the Evo. I'm not sure the upcoming Nexus S is much better than the Epic. Now, once the Evo 3D comes out, that might be something to look at, but that's months away. I have no plans or desires to switch phones, but have been looking a lot to help someone else, and I'm glad that I discovered that the Epic is still the phone to get if you're tied to Sprint (company discount).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the keyboard doesn't mean that much to you, you might as well wait little over a week for the nexus, for the better form factor alone. I guess you're weighing price vs size & software support, all other things being almost equal.