Tag Archives: Samsung

Review: Lunatik Flack Jacket for iPad Mini

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Flak Jacket

Whenever I go on trips, whether it be all the way across the country or to the grocery store, I always bring my iPad Mini. If you are a person that brings their Apple tablet everywhere, then you have already have a jacket or cover… but now you may want to take a hard look at your previous purchases because Lunatik has just introduced a great new productive iPad Mini sleeve, The Lunatik Flak Jacket.

The Flak Jacket is a lightweight sleeve for iPad Mini that is made out of a protective three-dimensional polyurethane, that is commonly used in footwear and performance outerwear. It is available in three different colors – dark black, cool mint, or bright pink. The Flak Jacket is extremely well-designed to provide top-notch protection against impact and abrasion resistance. Inside the Flak Jacket sleeve, microfiber lines the interior which cradles the iPad Mini with a super soft, snug fit.

My favorite thing about the Flak Jacket sleeve for iPad Mini is not only the protection it adds, but that it allows me to use my iPad naked (without a case), yet still offer me protection when transporting my device. This way, I can fully enjoy my iPad and it’s incredible design as Apple intended.

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Another thing that makes the Flak Jacket special is the neat addition of a magnet, which allows for an easy open/close and is definitely an upgrade over other cases which use velcro or elastics. Also, the Flak Jacket is iPad Smart Cover friendly – which means that there is no need for you to take your Apple Smart Cover off your Mini when putting it in the Flak Jacket, the Mini, Smart Cover-and-all will fit into the sleeve no problem.

All in all, the Flak Jacket, in my opinion, is one of the best cases for the iPad Mini I have seen so far and it would make a perfect holiday gift for you or a loved one coming in at just $49. The durable and hard, yet flexible, outside paired with soft and cushiony inside protect your iPad Mini without any added bulk.

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The Lunatik Flak Jacket also fits perfectly for the Kindle Fire HD/X, Nexus 7, Nook HD, as well as the Galaxy Tab 2 & 3.

You can read more about and purchase the Flak Jacket for iPad Mini on Lunatik’s website.

Quick Review: Samsung Galaxy S III for Verizon Wireless

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Considering its predecessor, the Galaxy S II, sold millions upon millions of units, a lot of expectations have been mounted on Samsung’s shoulders for this quad-core smartphone. Is it really worth all the hype? How does it perform in everyday life? You can find out about all of this and more in my review of the Samsung Galaxy S II for Verizon Wireless.

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Specs

– Screen: 4.8″ 720×1280
– Processor: 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos
– Storage: 16GB/32GB/64GB, Up to 64GB SD card support
– Camera: 8-MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.9MP front-facing camera
– Connectivity: HSPA/3G, Wi-Fi 80.211b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, USB On The Go
– Ports: microUSB (MHL compatible), 3.5mm headphones
– Battery: 2100mAh, removable
– Price: $200 ($599 for full-retail)

What is it?

It’s the smartphone that was designed to put every other Android phone in the dust. It’s got a huge HD display with next-gen screen technology; Samsung’s new quad-core Exynos processor chip, and a bunch of new software; including this really cool eye-tracking ability to change the screens brightness!

Who’s It For?

This phone was built for a broad range of people, everyone from Android enthusiasts, to the people who still use a typewriter, all the way to the Apple Fanboys.

Design

There are many people who are just sold on the phone because they owned a previous Galaxy S device, as well as some people who don’t know anything about the phone but like the largeness of the device. That’s great, but what about the design and the feel of the device? Will it fit in your pocket? Ladies, what about your little clutch purse?

The new HyperGlaze polycarbonate chassis feels very cheap, nothing like the high-end smartphone as Samsung advertises. While it may be pretty to look at, it make’s the SIII feel very fragile, almost like a child’s toy.

The camera-button has lost it’s previous location, and now the the volume button placement makes it slightly tricky to activate the lock key on the other side.

However, while first impressions will be mixed, the build quality of the Galaxy S III is excellent. When the Galaxy SIII was unveiled, Samsung states that they created the new smartphone to resemble the Earth. The toughened glass front feels very solid when stroked and prodded, and the beautiful design of the chassis fits very well in the palm – very much like a pebble, thanks to the rounded edges.

Plus, on the back side of the device, there’s a compartment for a removable SD card, so smartphone users can further personalize their experience.

Using It

Samsung has changed the UI of the Galaxy S II (TouchWiz) a little bit, adding re-sizeable widgets and some brand new widgets like a brand new brightness toggle in the notifications tray.

The camera is very strong. It uses a very similar sensor as seen in the S II, and while the software optimisation has made it super quick and added in some key features, camera lovers might not want to use this as their daily camera of choice.

But overall, the phone just works. There’s no more lagging when flipping through the homescreens, playing games, or watching movies, like I experienced with the Galaxy S II. (My review here.)

Highlights

The Super AMOLED screen offers terrific sharpness and vivid colors when viewing pictures, movies, or playing games! Samsung has been known for there very vivid TV screens and they seem to have brought the best of their television screens to the new Galaxy S III.

Again, the Samsung Galaxy S was very fast, and I experienced no lag during my two weeks of testing.

Lowlights

The only real issue I have with the Galaxy S III is the design. If I am paying $200 ($599 for full-retail) I want my smartphone to feel like an expensive, solid device, not like a child’s toy.

Overall

Should you buy it? If you haven’t bought a new smartphone since 2010, and are looking for an Android phone, yes. But, if you are still on the edge about buying it, I would wait until the new iPhone (5th generation) comes out, and compare the two.

Get past the design and you’re looking at one of 2012’s leading smartphones: crazy powerful, with a beautiful screen, and more storage than an average USB stick.

It’s not perfect (I haven’t seen any phones this year hit that bar) but it’s very, very close… and it will probably be enough to entice those that simply can’t bear the thought of waiting until October to pick up the iPhone 5.

You can read more about and purchase the Samsung Galaxy S III here.

Review: Samsung Galaxy Nexus

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The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has a lot of bragging rights. The Galaxy Nexus was built by Samsung in collaboration with Google to create a new addition to what has already been a fantastic line of Nexus devices. The newest addition the Nexus family is as thick as Apple’s iPhone 4S, but also boasts super fast 4G LTE capability, a speedy dual-core CPU, 16GB or 32Gb of storage, 1GB of RAM, a 5 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video support, NFC chip, and Google’s newest Android software, Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0, if you like.

Ice Cream Sandwich is one of the biggest steps forward in the Android Software history. Like Apple’s iOS Software, Android 4.0 unites tablet and mobile phone so they will finally run the same software. More on this in my review below.

With all these new features and very strong specs, can this be the phone to beat? How does it stack up against Apple’s iPhone 4S? Or what about Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7? Lastly, is the Galaxy Nexus worth all the hype? Find out for yourself in my review below!

Hardware / Design

  • Packaging & Accessories

Samsung knows how to package their products perfectly. The box of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is just the like the device itself; sleek and unassuming. It isn’t too hard on the eyes, but it will rouse your intrigue and make you want to see what’s inside. After you take off the top, you come face to face with the phone itself. Unwrapping that, you have access to the earbuds, USB cord, and wall charger. Also included in the box are a Owners Manual, as well as a Tips & Tricks guide. The earbuds included with the are what you would expect coming from a mobile phone – average – nothing spectacular, nothing terrible.

  • The Galaxy Nexus

The Galaxy Nexus is a beautiful phone. The curves and the thin design of the device make the sheer size, (coming in at 5.33 inches tall by 2.67 inches wide) almost obsolete as the Galaxy Nexus weighs 0.3 pounds.

The case used on the Galaxy Nexus is a dark grey plastic. In recent products, Samsung has decided to use this plastic (instead of the metal and glass combination that Apple uses in the iPhone 4 & 4S), which is a bit of a disappointment. Holding the Galaxy Nexus in one hand and the iPhone 4S in the other, the iPhone feels much stronger and more durable than the shiny, flimsy plastic case used on the Nexus. On the front of the GN, Samsung is using a new screen named the Contour Display, which is ascribed to the slightly curved screen. The risk Google and Samsung took to create the first curved screen on a mobile phone really paid off well – the curvature of the Contour Display makes the Galaxy Nexus fit perfectly in the hand, as well as the aesthetically pleasing look.

Android’s newest emphasis on clean and simple means just that – they have kept the buttons and protrusions to a minimum. As customary for a Samsung Android device, the Galaxy Nexus has an on / off button on the right, and a volume rocker on the left. On the top of the device, you will find a speaker grille, a proximity sensor, and a 1.3 megapixel camera which is capable of recording in 720p HD video. On the back of the Galaxy Nexus, there is a 5 megapixel camera paired with a single LED Flash that is capable of recording in 1080p HD (more on this in the Camera section of my review).  On the bottom, you have a micro USB port, 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as a LED notification light, which is very out of the ordinary for Android devices. The newly placed notification center light is RGB, which means that it can create many different shades of colors depending on the type of notification you received. For example, if you got a Gmail notification, the light would be blinking blue. If you received a Tweetdeck notification, it would alert you in yellow. This may not be the biggest selling point of the Galaxy Nexus, but as I say, “It’s the little things that make someone or something great”, and that is certainly true for Samsung and Google’s newest product. Sadly, there is no microSD card slot to enter more storage into the Nexus, so what you see is what you get.

I found the plastic casing on the back of the Galaxy Nexus to be very flimsy and when I tried to take the back off to take the battery out, it seemed as if it was going to break. Putting the battery door / back of the Galaxy Nexus back on the device proved to be a challenge as well – you have to slide your fingers down the back very firmly to get it back in place.

As with the past Nexus devices, the Galaxy Nexus has stepped up the competition to a new level in terms of design and manufacturing quality. It’s not too light to be considered very fragile or flimsy, but not bulky enough to be considered heavy or burdensome. One thing that could be improved upon on the Galaxy Nexus is the back casing.

Internals / Display

Google and Samsung left little to be desired when creating the internals for the Galaxy Nexus. They added 1GB of RAM, 16 or 32 GB of memory (I reviewed the 16 GB model), a speedy dual-core TI OMAP 4460 CPU clocked to 1.2GHz, as well as the standard radios (Bluetooth 3.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, GPS). You will also find a barometer, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and compass. The Galaxy Nexus also has support for NFC (Near Field Communications) to make purchases with your phone using apps like Google Wallet or Google Offers.

I was a little bit disappointed of the quality as well as the loudness of the speaker grille on the back of the Galaxy Nexus that is be used for speaker phone, notifications, as well as listening to music or watching movies. The sound came out very distorted and was not as loud as other phones I have reviewed (more recent android phones from Motorola and HTC, as well as Apple’s iPhone 4S). Earpiece quality however was superb. Perfect sound quality and no distortion to be found. Friends and family could hear me as well as I heard them!

The Galaxy Nexus is one of the first mobile phones to have a full 720p screen. With a 1280 x 720, 4.65-inch display, the screen is definitely one of the devices biggest selling points. I had a couple of small issues with the screen though – this is also the same with most of Samsung’s recent products using the Super AMOLED Display. When the brightness was medium or below, the screen would over-hue or wash-out dark colors such as black, brown, or purple. When the brightness was notched higher, these problems were easily overcome.

Spec-wise, the Galaxy Nexus is, if not THE best, one of the best devices out right now. Aside from a few display issues, the screen on the Galaxy Nexus will blow you away. I would compare the Super AMOLED Display to that of the iPhone 4S’ Retina display. Pure eye-candy.

Battery Life / Reception

With the spectacular Super AMOLED Display on the Galaxy Nexus and the blazing fast 4G LTE, you would think the battery life would be terrible – you’re wrong. The 1750 mAh battery will easily last a moderate to normal user a full day of video-chatting, surfing the web, writing emails, you name it. Although for the heavy user, I would recommend turning off 4G and getting a spare or extended battery. I would normally hit the 20% battery left notification around 5:00 PM after turning the phone on at 9:00 AM using 4G LTE.

Verizon Wireless has been known for their blazing fast 4G LTE speeds as well as great reception all over the United States – in Dallas, the 4G LTE speeds are some of the fastest in the United States. Most of the time I had three to four bars and rarely did I hit or go below two.

Call quality on the Galaxy Nexus is second-to-none. There was no distortions or problems of any kind while both talking and listening to people on the other end of my calls.

Camera

When launching the Galaxy Nexus, Google was trying to compete with Apple and the iPhone 4S, Nokia and Windows Phone 7, as well as some other phone manufacturers for Android such as HTC or Motorola. Most of the devices listed above have a 8 megapixel camera; The Galaxy Nexus has a 5 megapixel camera. Sure, the camera software on the Galaxy Nexus is great, but that can’t make up for it’s average lens.

Here are some sample images I took with the Galaxy Nexus. (Click on the images to see them in full size.)

As you can see in the pictures above, the Galaxy Nexus’ pictures are of very low quality, but, if you happen to forget your real camera, the Galaxy Nexus would do just fine. Just don’t expect it to take printable-quality photos. Though if you compare it to other leading mobile phone manufacturers, the Galaxy Nexus is using what would be acceptable last year, today.

For the video camera on the Galaxy Nexus, it can capture great 720p and 1080p recordings, though the quality suffers from the same issues as the still camera. Not enough optics. Google also added live effects to the Galaxy Nexus video camera. It focuses on a person, then can make their head bigger, smaller, it can change the backdrop of your subject, as well as making bug eyes, alien heads, and such. Not very useful features, but it shows what the Galaxy Nexus can do.

Software

With the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich, Google is making a big, important step forward in the evolution of Android. Like I said before, it isn’t always about the hardware.  The new Operating System is a huge leap in functionality as well as UI and finish, and it’s nothing like any Android you know (or knew).

Almost every piece of the operating system, from the homescreen to the built-in apps, menus, and even widgets has been redesigned. That also goes for the font in the OS, which is a custom typeset named Roboto. I happen to think the new typeface is a welcome, clean addition to Android, and a big improvement over the old Droid Sans face.

Starting at the lock screen, things are very different. Google has added two new smart, useful tweaks to the Galaxy Nexus lock screen. The ability to unlock the phone using the front-facing camera to scan your face, conveniently named Face Unlock, as well as the option to jump right into the camera application directly from the lock-screen. Unfortunately, if you have a password or Face Unlock set up on the Galaxy Nexus, you cannot use this new feature.

Notifications have been cleaned up and tweaked too. Now you can access your notifications from the lock screen (given that you don’t have a password set), but you can also individually swipe messages or alerts to clear them. There’s also a convenient settings icon in the notification window, which will jump you directly in the settings app to  turn on wifi, change your password, or add a new email account.

When you hit the homescreen, you’ll see a the very familiar setup of five main screens, but with new navigation elements along the bottom. Going from the bottom up, you have a row of the on-screen buttons, then a customizable dock for your favorite apps or folders, plus a center button which brings you to your app and widget drawer. While flicking through your homescreens, you’ll realize that Google Search is now at the top of every single one. A subtle, yet very nice addition to the homescreen.

You can now make folders of apps by simply dragging one icon onto another, then to open it, all you have to do is tap on the folder icon. It’s very much like Apple’s iOS in that sense.

Opening the app drawer, you can easily access all your applications and widgets by swiping right-to-left. Again, much like iOS.

Menus, Settings, and lists have been changed as well and now it’s a lot easier to find the wifi or airplane mode toggles you’re looking for without hunting through many lists or menus.

Navigating through every screen on the Galaxy Nexus is buttery smooth. There’s no lag, no stutter. Animations are fluid, and everything feels fast and sleek. It’s like Ice Cream Sandwich is a lot more “there” than in previous versions of Android.

One last big piece worth mentioning is the vast change to multitasking in Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). Previously, multitasking was done by holding down the home button and waiting for a pop-up of your last few apps to appear. Google has changed all of that in ICS by providing a dedicated “Multitask” button in your virtual button list on the bottom of the screen. When using this new multitasking system, you will see the app icon, as well as a screenshot of the screen you were in when you last used the app. To clear an application from this new multitasking center, much like the notification center, you swipe left-to-right on the app icon/screenshot.

The main reason for Google’s drastic redesign of the Android software is for reducing the clutter and confusion from past versions of Android. I would say Google has accomplished that in the new Ice Cream Sandwich. That’s not to say that there aren’t still some hiccups here and there, but generally Ice Cream Sandwich feels like a modern, elegant operating system that’s been thoughtfully designed.

Overall

The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android smartphone ever made! It’s one of the best smartphone’s out now, and with a couple of minor tweaks (particularly to the camera), it could be the best smartphone ever produced.

The hardware is elegant and smartly designed. The software is beautiful and useful. Google has changed a lot of the bad, and replaced it with a vast amount of good. It’s faster, smarter, and a lot more friendly than any of its ancestors. Ice Cream Sandwich easily gives iOS and Windows Phone a run for their money, and in some ways, it’s a superior operating system than either of them.

If there’s something wrong with the Galaxy Nexus, it would be the camera/video camera, as well as the sheer size of the device. Comparing the camera to the competition, the Galaxy Nexus just doesn’t stack up in hardware and in photo or video quality. Also, most people find the size of the Galaxy Nexus to be overbearing or too big for their hand. Both of these things can be easily fixed and hopefully in the next Nexus device, we will see those changes.

Quick Review: Samsung Rugby Smart

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The Rugby Smart is the newest phone in Samsung’s very popular line of Rugby devices. Previous Rugby phones have been known for their durability and rugged design and the new Rugby Smart continues that tradition.

The Rugby Smart is dust-proof, can be submerged in up to 1m of water for 30 minutes, can be dropped from 12+ feet, and can withstand extreme temperatures from -60°F to +160°F. Oh yeah, and it runs on AT&T’s blazing fast 4G network. f

With a 1.4 GHZ processor, 5.0 Megapixel camera with 720p HD Recording capabilities, 3.7 inch Super AMOLED Display, and running on Android’s Gingerbread software, the Rugby Smart is not a phone to be messed with in the spec department.

Can this phone really withstand all the elements AT&T and Samsung are advertising? How does it compare to it’s Rugby predecessors? All of this and more in my review of the Samsung Rugby Smart.

Highlights

  • Design – Samsung did an excellent job designing the Rugby Smart – rugged and durable, but sleek and sophisticated enough to be used at a business meeting or presentation. Samsung also added a screw lock on the battery cover to provide added protection of the battery, SIM card and other internal components.
  • Hardware – The Rugby Smart is no slouch in the hardware department. With a blazing fast 1.4 GHZ processor, 5.0 Megapixel camera with HD Video Recording, 3.7 inch Super AMOLED Display, 32 GB of memory, running on Android’s Gingerbread OS, and 4G Speeds, the Rugby Smart makes a huge leap forward from it’s older relatives.
  • Camera – For a waterproof camera, the 5.0 Megapixel camera on the Samsung Rugby Smart is very good. No over saturating of colors here. See some of my sample pictures below.
  • MIL-STD 810F Military Standard Specifications – My contact at AT&T challenged me to torture the Rugby Smart, and despite all of my efforts, I sent her back a working phone! Bottom line, the Rugby Smart was dropped, drowned, buried, and more… and it still worked. That is really amazing.

Lowlights

  • Battery – The 1650 mAh might get a light to moderate user through the day, but for a person who is on their phone non-stop, making calls, sending emails, looking at websites, and downloading apps, I would recommend you keep a charger or spare battery nearby. For an example, I turned the phone on at 8:00 AM and I would normally get to around 2:00 PM when the phone would notify me that the battery was at 10%.

Conclusion

The Rugby Smart is a pretty impressive device – for the right person. The screen, camera, and internals are very high-end, but the battery is lacking.

If you’re a construction worker, frequent hiker or sports enthusiast, or a person that loves rugged devices, then the Rugby Smart should be right up your alley. It functions well and is indeed resistant to the elements that AT&T and Samsung advertise. It’s just not for hardcore Android fans who need the fastest, newest, phone. You can read more about and purchase the AT&T Samsung Rugby Smart for $99 on AT&T’s website.

Review: Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch

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Samsung had huge success last year delivering its Galaxy S line of Android phones to the global world, and for good reason: it launched as one of the thinnest smartphones in the world, the homegrown 1GHz Hummingbird processor was plenty fast for its day, and the 4-inch Super AMOLED display was a serious dazzler. Particularly impressive was its showing in the US, where Samsung managed to get all four national carriers  to release variants of the phone. But could it repeat the success in 2011?

That’s where the Galaxy S II comes into play. Introduced to glowing reviews in Europe several months ago, Samsung has managed to get three of the four US nationals back on board for the sequel (Verizon, the fourth, is rumored to be holding out for the Google Nexus 4G device that could be launching in the next few weeks). Expectations are obviously high, and Sprint is the first to take a stab at it with the release of the Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. Is it worth $199.99 on contract? Read on for my thoughts.

Unboxing

The packaging for the Epic 4G Touch isn’t that interesting or notable. The only thing you see on the front of the box is an ultra-colorful representation of the phone’s screen, which is definitely one of its biggest selling points, and probably the first thing customers are going to notice when they walk into a Sprint store. Like most versions of the Galaxy S II sold around the world, the Touch has a Super AMOLED Plus screen, 4.5 inches on this particular device — more on this in a bit. Inside the box you’ll find the battery, a micro-USB cable, a USB wall charger, and the usual assortment of documents and how-to’s/tips.  The one thing the box is missing is a set of earbuds, but that doesn’t matter that much as stuffed-in earbuds are rarely any good.

Hardware & Design

The Touch is one of the most genuinely featureless smartphones I’ve ever seen, and that is quite amazing! Almost the whole front of the phone is screen, and the rest of the phone just blurs away when the Touch is powered on. No chrome, no over-the-top colors or design aspects. Clean and simple. On the left side is a relatively small volume rocker and a hole for a lanyard or charm.The right side just has a power button -if you are coming from a Galaxy S and Nexus S you will have no problems adjusting. The top of the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the bottom has a mic hole and a centered micro-USB port. Samsung has been especially keen for the last couple years on covering power ports with a flap or sliding cover, but not on the Epic 4G Touch.

The back of the device is a big improvement over phones like the Epic 4G and Nexus S. Samsung was obviously paying attention to the complaints of gloss overload when it designed the S II, because the battery cover has a soft textured pattern done up in matte black. The biggest problem with the glossy covers of old (other than the fact that they generally gave off a cheap look) was that they attracted a lot of fingerprint marks and made the phone always look dirty. (Yes, I am a neat-freak.) Adding to the new appearance are the embossed “Galaxy S II” and “Sprint” logos, neither of which are that large -so it gives off a clean look.

Bottom line: this is a great-looking phone. To give you a sense of the weight, the first time I picked it up, I thought the battery might not be installed. Some might like a lighter phone, but I like a device with some extra meat to it. It’s a matter of personal preference.

Internals, Display, & Sound Quality

Just like the Galaxy S, most versions of the S II feature a homegrown processor and in this case, the 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos. Samsung hasn’t been shy about the fact that Exynos throws fireballs, and everything I’ve seen on the Epic 4G Touch tells me that the hype is very real. Browsing, which can stutter on even the fastest single-core Android devices, absolutely flies like a knife through butter; even when you’re dealing with complicated layouts and embedded Flash ads.

What of that monster 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display? It’s beautiful — think of the iPhone’s Retina display tripled. Colors came off very vivid, and vibrant. It’s not perfect, though. I had high hopes for improvements in outdoor viewability with Super AMOLED Plus; AMOLED displays tend to lag LCD in that department, and I didn’t see a huge improvement with the Touch. In direct sunlight, you can definitely squint and make out the display, but it’s not a comfortable experience even at max brightness.

Call quality on the Epic 4G Touch is very good, and max volume is very loud both for the earpiece and speakerphone with minimum distortion. There is no noise cancellation mic anywhere near the top, and my callers complained of a lot background noise when in a busy environment;but in quieter areas, I was told that I came through loud and clear.

Camera

The Epic 4G Touch is one of those rare phones where I actually feel comfortable saying you could use it in place of a midrange point-and-shoot camera. The 8 megapixel sensor produces shots that only start to look soft if you zoom in really close, but if you’re just browsing through a gallery or using a shot as your desktop wallpaper, it does a great job. The new Exynos processor was found to be a great help in autofocusing, though you still shouldn’t expect to fire off a burst of 3 or 5 shots per second like you can with your DSLR.

I found the video quality to be decent, but like all 1080p phones, the highest resolution setting tends to be at the very top of the phone’s capability. That said, it’s among the best you’ll find from a phone today.

The front camera advertises a resolution of 2 megapixels, but don’t be fooled. It doesn’t seem much better than the VGA and 1.3-megapixel front sensors out there on other phones, but, considering that you’re only going to use it for video calling or the occasional “is my hair okay?” check, that’s just fine.

Battery life, Performance, & Data Speeds

In my battery testing, I found that the Epic 4G Touch had similar problems to the original Epic 4G as that amazing Super AMOLED Plus Screen can be very hard on your battery life. Turning the phone on at 8 A.M, it would last until around 3 o’clock before it would power down and need to be charged. So, not the stellar battery-life I was expecting.

As performance goes, the Touch is definitely a screamer; clocking stock Quadrant scores in excess of 3,100. Meanwhile, Sunspider 0.9.1 yielded a 3455.2ms — a full 749ms better than the OMAP 4-powered Droid Bionic — and NeoCore clocked a respectable 59.8fps (it’s capped at 60fps, so that’s basically maxed out). Everything about the user interface backs up these numbers, too: it’s consistently smooth. Granted, Android UI performance tends to be a wild card over time, particularly as you add more apps, but I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.

Data speeds, vary significantly depending on your local market and the time of day, but I was really impressed by the numbers the Touch was putting up here Dallas, when I had WiMAX enabled: in my test runs, I got speeds between 8.4Mbps and 13.1Mbps down using Speedtest.net’s app. The upstream was a little less impressive — 1.3 to 1.5Mbps — but for most, it’s the downstream that matters most. Latency swung between about 70 and 95ms.

Enabling WiMAX naturally impacts battery drain, and I thought it was interesting that the Touch comes out of the box with it disabled — it’s a stark contrast to Verizon’s strategy of shipping its LTE phones with max speeds turned on. Fortunately, enabling it is a simple matter of pulling down the notification drawer and tapping the 4G button, which is also good to know if you’re going to be outside of a WiMAX market for an extended period of time.

 Wrap-up

The Epic 4G Touch is among the best Android phones I’ve ever used, no question about it — and considering its Galaxy S II name, that doesn’t come as a big surprise. It’s also perhaps the fastest. The only problem is that a WVGA screen is getting to be a really tough sell in this price range, particularly considering the massive display that only serves to exacerbate the issue; Sprint’s EVO 3D from HTC and Photon 4G from Motorola both do qHD resolution for the same price, so that’s something potential buyers will need to take into consideration on the Sprint network.