The HTC EVO 4G vs the Samsung Epic 4G.
America’s only 4G smartphones and available exclusively on Sprint.
I think it’s only natural to compare the two, so that’s exactly what we did.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8y-nOP4bM0
Operating System
Both phones are powered by Android – the EVO 4G has recently been updated to Android 2.2 (with HTC Sense UI) while the Epic 4g still has Android 2.1 (with Touchwiz UI) but the update is expected in the next couple months.
Edge: EVO
Processor
Both phones have 1GHZ processors, though the EVO sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon and the Epic features a Cortex A8 Hummingbird. In performance tests, the Hummingbird is faster.
Edge: Epic
Display
Both phones have the same resolution of 480 x 800 but the EVO has a 4.3″ screen while the Epic has a 4″ screen. The biggest difference is that the EVO uses a TFT LCD display while the Epic uses one of Samsung’s new Super AMOLED displays.
Edge: Epic
Storage
The Epic is the clear winner here with 16GB of space (expandable to 32GB) while the EVO has a mere 8GB.
Edge: Epic
Battery Life
To be honest, the battery on both is a bit of a weak point. Both feature 1500 mAh batteries and both get similar life from the batteries.
Edge: Draw
Cameras
Both phones have cameras with flash and front facing cameras for video chat via Qik. The EVO bests the Epic hear with it’s 8MP dual LED rear facing camera and 1.3MP front facing camera compared to the 5MP single LED flash and VGA camera on the Epic
Edge: EVO
Price
EVO – $200 w/ 2yr contract
Epic - $250 w/ 2yr contract
Edge: EVO
Other
The EVO has a kickstand for when you’re watching videos and don’t want to hold the phone and HDMI out and can function as a wireless hotspot for 8 devices.
On the other hand the Epic works as a wireless hotspot for up to 5 devices and has a handy dandy slide out qwerty keyboard though with its built in Swype keyboard on the touchscreen you probably won’t use it very often.
Overall
Both are great phones so you really can’t go wrong with either one, though we’ll give the edge as the best smartphone to get to the Samsung Epic 4G over the EVO since it’s newer, slightly faster, and has a better screen. We’ll overlook the fact that it’s running Android 2.1 since the update should be coming soon.
Winner: Samsung Epic 4G by a hair
Related posts:
- Epic vs Fascinate vs Captivate vs Vibrant – Samsung Galaxy S Phones Compared
- Samsung Epic 4G Review (Sprint 4G Phone)
- Motorola Droid X vs HTC Evo 4G
- HTC EVO 4G Video Review
- HTC EVO 4G Vs Apple iPhone 4
About Gary Ruplinger
I picked the epic over the ego about a week ago really loved the screen quality and a lot of other features about the phone but signal quality sucked I took it to Sprint they claimed the fixed got home same issue so I decided to trade for the evo let me tell you it was the best decision I could have made I think the evo is blowing it away in every aspect except for the screen clarity but is rather have one completely amazing phone than to have one that’s okay with a great screen to me I give the evo the trophy hands down
What truly amazes me regarding all these reviews of phones/smart-devices is that you people never actually review the phone aspect of well… the PHONE! WHen you go to do a review of a cellphone, rule #1, don’t forget to review THE PHONE!
I primarily use a phone to make phone calls, and while it is a plus to be able to do all these other nifty things with it (texting, web browsing, email, streaming music and videos) I still want to know about actual phone functionality, i.e.: not just call clarity (because clarity is usually about the same on these smart devices).
That said, I can personally tell you that the functionality of the phone and phone interface and dialing pad on the HTC Hero and EVO are the absolute WORST of any phone I have ever had the displeasure of using in my 15+ years of experience with cellphones.
• There is a huge lag on both the speed-dial and manual dialing on these HTC phones. The “pre-pend” function straight up sucks and the dialing mistypes or stutter-types constantly.
• I also absolutely hate how the HTC always “has to” completely black-out the screen within 10 to 15 seconds of placing a call (a crappy feature they don’t allow you to turn off or adjust), which sucks if you’re dealing with automated systems where you have to enter numerical selections.
• I also hate how HTC always has the dialing pad down and you have to #1) bring the screen back after it went black, and then #2) select to bring the dialing pad up, oh and #3) bring the screen back a second time because it will black-out again. Why the hell do they need to do this, to save the battery charge!? Because it doesn’t help increase the length of battery charge at all and is just another hoop one has to jump through when using the phone.
• And even if I’m not dealing with an automated system I still like to use things such as speaker-phone and mute, both of which are a hassle to use thanks to the piss poor way in which HTC set up the phone aspect of this phone.
Basically, HTC was so focused on making a smart-device that they almost forgot the phone part of the “phone”, and then hurried up and tacked it on at the last second as an afterthought.
I have owned several Samsung phones in the past and their call clarity and quality have been just fine (HTC was fine here too), but the actual dialing interface and intuitiveness of a Samsung has always been spot on for a phone, whilst HTC’s is atrocious.
I will be trying the Epic this time around because I want a phone to work as a phone should, and not just be some smart-device who only included the ability to make phone calls at the last second, as an ad hoc “courtesy”. Trust me, HTC’s phone is no courtesy, it’s an insult to those of us who still actually need to make a lot of phone calls.
~ DRACULA
I’m ready to upgrade but I’m torn between these 2 phenomenal phones. I wanted the EVO originally…gun-ho all the way BUT the I waited till the EPIC came out and I fell in love all over again.
I’m fully aware of both capabilities…
I am a fanatic for the cam and editing capabilities (epic) and high resolution on their new amoled display … BUT then my other prime concern is a fast operating system ….
So WHICH do I chOOse??
Help…suggestions?? Anythingbto help sway me one way…
NV25
Both have 1GHZ processors and are very fast so if that’s your only other concern, go with the Epic – I’ve used both and have to say I like it a little better than the EVO. You don’t get the HDMI out that the EVO has on the Epic (or the kickstand) but I don’t that’s a dealbreaker for most people… and yes, that Super AMOLED screen is gorgeous.