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Epic 4G has Epic First-Day Sales… But No Evo

Pictured: Maddi Hausmann Sojourner
By Maddi Hausmann Sojourner
September 07, 2010
Featured image for Epic 4G has Epic First-Day Sales… But No Evo

Sprint put out a press release on how well its Samsung Epic 4G did in first-day sales, August 31st.  Calling them “one of the Best First-Day Sales for Any Sprint Device,” Sprint mentioned opening their wireless stores early (8 am) to meet customer demand.  But there’s another E in the room, and I don’t mean elephant.  That would be the HTC Evo, which does have the first-day record for a Sprint device.  At least there is no doubt that the Epic 4G has edged out two other former record-holders, the Samsung Instinct and the Palm Pre.

The wireless company is now in the enviable position of offering 4G  service and two high-end Android devices to take advantage of their network and speeds.  The Samsung Epic 4G is the only version of the Galaxy S (all four major US carriers offer one) to have a physical QWERTY keyboard and a front-facing camera.  It has also garnered praise for its 4 inch Super AMOLED display.

Perhaps  Sprint may have hurt itself on pricing the Epic 4G, as it cost $249.99 after the $100 mail-in rebate.  Meanwhile, Amazon is selling the same smartphone for $199.99.  Both prices include a two-year contract with Sprint.

Source: AndroidSPIN,  Unwired View

Full Press Release from Sprint:

Second 3G/4G Phone, Samsung Epic 4G, Launches with One of the Best First-Day Sales for Any Sprint Device
The Only 4G Samsung Galaxy S Smartphone is a Hit, Receiving High Praise from Media and Excited Customers
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Sep 03, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) —

Sprint (NYSE: S) retail stores celebrated the arrival of America’s second 3G/4G phone Tuesday by opening their doors early to accommodate anxious customers interested in getting their hands on the acclaimed Samsung Epic(TM) 4G, the only Galaxy S(TM) smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard and front-facing camera along with a brilliant Super AMOLED touch-screen. Samsung Epic 4G didn’t disappoint as it became one of Sprint’s best-selling devices for first-day sales.

Tuesday marked another historic milestone as Sprint continues to lead the 4G revolution. In addition to two award-winning Android(TM) phones, Sprint offers Overdrive(TM) 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot, enabling 4G connectivity for up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, as well as five Sprint mobile broadband devices that can access Sprint 4G data speeds.

“We’re very excited by the customer response to Samsung Epic 4G and the capabilities of our 4G network,” said Fared Adib, vice president of product development for Sprint. “With its beautiful Super AMOLED touch-screen, full QWERTY keyboard and two cameras, Samsung Epic 4G is a terrific smartphone that delivers the promise of the Sprint 4G network. As we continue to build out our 4G network, more and more of our customers will realize the benefits of these amazing devices and the realities of life at these blazing-fast speeds.”

Samsung Epic 4G is available in all Sprint retail channels, including Sprint.com, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and national retail partners, RadioShack, Best Buy and Walmart. It costs $249.99 (taxes excluded) with a new line or eligible upgrade after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new service agreement on select plan with Premium Data add-on. Customers can use the Reserve Now process if their local company-owned retail store temporarily runs out of inventory. Reserve Now allows them to purchase a $50 gift card to hold a Samsung Epic 4G when the smartphones arrive back in stock.

Samsung Epic 4G works on Sprint’s 3G and 4G networks. This flexibility allows customers to enjoy 4G performance in any Sprint 4G market or to use Sprint’s reliable 3G mobile broadband network when outside a 4G area. Sprint 4G is already available in 51 markets and continues to expand to new cities, bringing wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G1.

Customers also praised Samsung Epic 4G:

  • “I’ve been an Android user since the very beginning and I’m switching to Sprint because I want 4G. I can’t wait to have a phone with a flash for one thing, definitely the Hummingbird processor, the super AMOLED screen, 4G.” – Mike Huntington
  • “The main thing is just that full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. It’s going to give me a bigger keyboard, and it’s going to give me faster processing speeds.” – Jason Von Moss
  • “I just heard a lot about the Google Android system and the operating system so I’m excited to try something new. I think the integration with social networking sites, e-mail, just the transition taking video, pictures and post them directly to your networking sites is probably the biggest feature I’m looking forward to using.” – Sean Powell
  • “I really like the slide-out keyboard, the fact that it seems to be a really fast, bright LED screen.” – Keith Gray

Accolades Continue to Roll In

Samsung Epic 4G received Editor’s Choice awards from Laptop and PCMag. Respected technology and telecommunications media and analysts lauded Samsung Epic 4G:

  • Epic 4G’s 4-inch Super AMOLED display absolutely mesmerized us. – CNET
  • Like the EVO 4G before it, the Epic 4G sort of blows everything out of the water on paper: 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 5 megapixel primary camera with LED flash and 720p video recording paired with a VGA front-facing cam for video calls, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, six-axis accelerometer, and a 1GHz Hummingbird core. –Engadget
  • Overall it’s Samsung’s best Galaxy S series phone and yet another compelling reason to switch to Sprint. –Laptop
  • The one stand-out feature that the Epic will offer you that the Vibrant, Fascinate or Captivate won’t is the front-facing camera that will allow videoconferencing. – IntoMobile

Blazing trails with Sprint 4G

Samsung Epic 4G joins a powerful list of 4G-capable devices from the only national wireless carrier to offer 4G service today. Sprint 4G offers a faster wireless experience than any other U.S. national wireless carrier.

Sprint is the only national carrier offering wireless 4G service today in 51 markets: California – Merced, Modesto, Stockton, Visalia; Delaware – Wilmington; Florida – Daytona Beach, Jacksonville; Georgia – Atlanta, Milledgeville; Hawaii – Honolulu, Maui; Idaho – Boise; Illinois – Chicago; Maryland – Baltimore;Massachusetts – Boston; Michigan – Grand Rapids; Missouri – Kansas City, St. Louis; New York – Rochester, Syracuse; Nevada – Las Vegas; North Carolina – Charlotte, Greensboro (includes High Point and Winston-Salem), Raleigh (includes Cary, Chapel Hill and Durham); Oregon – Eugene, Portland, Salem; Pennsylvania – Harrisburg, Lancaster, Philadelphia, Reading, York; Rhode Island – Providence; Texas – Abilene, Amarillo, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Killeen/Temple, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, San Antonio, Waco, Wichita Falls; Utah – Salt Lake City; Virginia – Richmond; and Washington – Bellingham, Seattle, Tri-Cities, Yakima.

Sprint is delivering the power of 4G as the majority shareholder of Clearwire, the independent company that is building the WiMAX network. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 48.1 million customers at the end of the second quarter of 2010 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, Common Cents Mobile and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. With its customer-focused strategy, you can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprintand www.twitter.com/sprint.

1Up to 10x Faster claim: Based on download speed comparison of 3G’s 600 kbps vs. 4G’s 6 Mbps. Industry published 3G avg. speeds (600 kbps-1.7 Mbps); 4G avg. speeds (3-6 Mbps). Actual speeds may vary.

EDITOR’S NOTE:
Visit www.sprint.com/newswroom or www.sprint.com/presskits for more information and images.

SOURCE: Sprint

Media:
Sprint
Mark Elliott, 603-621-4511
[email protected]
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