Samsung Epic 4G Touch review



The brilliant Exynos processor is just as speedy on the Samsung Epic 4G Touch as it is on the Samsung Galaxy S2. What this means for a modern smartphone is that every screen feels responsive. In fact, flipping through home screens (there are seven of them) is faster and smoother than the iPhone 4S.

Samsung includes the most common widgets: AccuWeather, an Agenda tool, calendars, several clock options (such as classic and modern) and Google Search. Adding a widget couldn't be easier: you press and hold on any open area of a home screen and select the Widgets button.

The home screens are spacious enough for a few widgets and app icons, and all icons fall quickly into place on a grid. There is rarely any confusion about how you start apps. There's one clear icon called Applications on the lower left of the main screen where you can see all loaded apps.

Along the bottom of the screen you will also find icons for phone, contacts and messaging. These icons always stay available even when you slide to the left or right to see more home screens.

The interface is highly intuitive and leaves little room for improvement.

There is a handy folder scheme for grouping icons like there is with the iPhone 4S, and it arguably works faster. When you hold down on any icon, you can drag and drop onto a folder. Then, you can click that folder to see a group of icons.

Samsung added a unique interface control feature: you can tilt the phone to change the zoom level in the browser, for example, and you can even adjust how sensitive this feature is to movements. Another trick is that you can mute a call by placing the phone face-down on a table.

Another interesting addition is that the Samsung Epic 4G Touch uses blinking lights to let you know about incoming messages, whether the phone needs a charge, and even if you have missed an alert.