The Samsung Epic 4G was unveiled overnight in the US, and it’s the Samsung Galaxy S Pro model we’ve seen floating around online for a while now, but better. Not only does it have the specs of the Samsung Galaxy S and a slide out QWERTY keyboard, it’s a 4G phone that can jump online at terrific speeds in areas with WiMAX. There’s just one catch: Samsung UK just confirmed to us that it won’t be coming out in Britain. Bah! Read on for the details.
Should you happen to live in the States, today is your lucky day. The Samsung Epic 4G is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S we just reviewed (and loved) with two fantastic twists. Alongside the five megapixel camera, 1GHz CPU and 4-inch Super AMOLED screen, the Samsung Epic 4G has a slide out physical QWERTY keyboard, still a rarity on Google phones, and 4G WiMAX connectivity.
Unfortunately, the Samsung Epic 4G is only available with network Sprint in the US, and we just got word back from a Samsung UK spokesperson on whether a similar device with a keyboard is coming to the UK. The outlook’s not good: “There are no plans to launch that type of device this year in the UK,” we were told. Naturally, we’ve asked if that means next year instead, and are waiting for a response.
Read our Samsung Galaxy S review now
As with the HTC Evo 4G, we weren’t expecting 4G networks to appear in the UK overnight to make way for it, but it’s still crushing to find out that the Samsung Epic 4G’s form factor won’t be making its way to our shores anytime soon. We’d happily take all the features of the Samsung Galaxy S and a keyboard, and make do with 3G. Sadly though, you won’t even be able to import the Samsung Epic 4G, as it uses CDMA rather than GSM technology and won’t run on UK and European networks at all.
It looks like we’ll just have to make do with the Samsung Galaxy S in the meantime – far from a bad thing, but we always prefer choice.
Would you choose the Samsung Epic 4G over the Samsung Galaxy S? Are physical keyboards old hat? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Out TBC | £TBC | Samsung
