Epic 4g or Nexus S?

[McPlot]

My wife needs a new phone. She is leaning toward the epic 4g because of the keyboard. But the Nexus S is free at best buy right now. What do you suggest?

 

[mouseglider]

My wife and I have Epics, and for us they are perfect phones, but how can you beat free + plus a pure Google phone?

I was going to get my wife either a Nexus or an Epic when they were both $199, but ended up getting her an Epic when they were free under the same program.

Bottom line, they are simuliar in a sense, but free is free! IMHO

 

[cheburashka]

Epic.

 

[crzycrkr]

Depends how important the keyboard is to you. Nexus is the better phone, but if you need the keyboard, Epic.

 

[VicH]

I got the EPIC and really like it. Idea is to get used to the swype then get next phone without a keyboard. The transition is frustrating at times. Like the phone though. Good luck

 

[Scratch59]

My wife needs a new phone. She is leaning toward the epic 4g because of the keyboard. But the Nexus S is free at best buy right now. What do you suggest?

I would have to say that with the Gingerbread swype keyboard being what it is, and the newly released swiftkey app in the market, that the Epic's keyboard has worn out its welcome. I have had problems since day 1 getting it to recognize dual keystrokes that happen quickly (like in 007 or loop) where two characters happen at the same time. Save yourself the headache and go with the Nexus for newer hardware and a "purely google" experience.

 

[c0c0nutsp0rt]

Can't beat FREE! I say get the Nexus.

I really like my Epic but I wish it was thinner. I also stopped using the physical keyboard and now use Swype 90% of the time.

 

[enik]

If you need to have the keyboard than the epic but if you think you can do without go for the Nexus. The battery life and speed is better which is odd seeing as its almost identical hardware...

From Nexus with love

 

[nmoreman]

My family has 2 Epics and 2 Nexus's. We LOVE the Nexus's. They are faster, more responsive, and the size.
Personally (I'm a lady), I had both, went with the form factor. I did not use the keyboard, so its thinner.

And its faster. I have had to hack and put roms on the Epics to make them perform close to the Nexus.

Yes, they will both be updated, and the Epic will be gone, but I cannot imagine needing more speed or
space than the Nexus.

And you actually would be happy with either, but free trumps, and I think the Nexus is a better phone
having used and maintained both for nearly a year.

 

[dominick]

I've had my epic since January and I honestly don't think I've used the keyboard more than 100 times. The virtual keyboard, whichever one you eventually choose, is so much more convenient. But mostly, the keyboard fails imo because Shift key is below the Fn (aka CTRL) key, which is opposite to a normal keyboard - not to mention the ! and the @ are in a weird place. The only good thing imo about the slide-out is the stand-alone numbers.

When I upgrade, I will go with no phyiscal kb.

cheers/dom

 

[ratsttam]

I was in a similar boat a couple months ago, debating between the two of them. The NS was 199, the Epic was 149, and wasn't sure if the 50 was worth it to have the newest OS and Sprint not messing with things, as well as a super thin phone. The specs are pretty similar between the two otherwise. Than BB tanked the price of the Epic to 0 for a couple days, and I pulled the trigger on it. If the NS was dropped to the 0-50 range at that time, I would have probably gone that route. Can't beat a near top of the line phone for free, either way you roll with it.

I find myself really only using the keyboard when I have something rather long to type out, and can't get to a computer to do it. I kinda like the TouchWiz interface, but I would be perfectly happy with a 3rd party launcher solution too. On screen keyboards are plentiful, and a lot offer the basic keyboard free, with a pay version to unlock other options.

 

[Anonymous98134001]

The thing that makes the Nexus S better from my understanding is the Software. Hardware is almost all the same. I'm sure we all discovered that and discussed this in the forum months ago. I was pissed when I bought my Epic because 32 days later the Nexus S was released on Sprint....grrr...

Anyways, I found a MUD client called BlowTorch. I can login and play on a MUD I've been playing on since 1997. The keyboard which I never used is now paying for itself. The softkeyboard takes away the screen when I'm using the client. Hardkeyboard is getting used finally. Kinda like the saying with a Condom or a Gun, I would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. After much *****ing about regret on my phone, it all worked out in the end....for me.

That's the biggest thing to remember in these "Which is better A or B?" "What phone should I get?"
Everyone has different needs. These two phones have pros and cons, In the end you need to compile what you have learned through your questions about A and B and apply them to get YOUR answer, not Joe over there who only uses his smartphone for texting.

 

[jrz5024]

The two phones are nearly identical when considering hardware, so software and aesthetics should be your primary concern. Really, you should ask yourself the following questions.

1) How important is a hardware keyboard to me (this is the primary defining characteristic between the two phones)
2) Will I need to use expandable memory (as the Nexus S has no SD Card slot)
3) How comfortable am I with rooting (since the Epic's stock software, TW, is a bloated, buggy piece of garbage, and rooting is pretty essential to make your phone not suck)

 

[srkmagnus]

OP, did you get a replacement? If not, Nexus S is my choice. People have complained way to much about the Epic.

Sent from my wildheroc using Tapatalk

 

[eharty]

If you can do without the keyboard, I would definitely get the Nexus S.

I got my wife a Nexus S 4G last week and I have to admit I really like the phone without all the crap that Sprint and Samsung add in. It is very fast and the reception seems to be about the same or perhaps a bit better than my Epic. I didn't think I would like not having a keyboard but I have gotten used to it. If Best Buy has it for free again I may get one for myself. It sure would be nice to get updates when Google says they are ready and not wait forever for Samsung/Sprint to add their bloat.

 

[Paul627g]

If I was going to go with a Nexus and you were willing to wait I would consider seeing what the next Nexus is going to be. Supposably nicknamed the Nexus Prime. Not that there is anything wrong with the Nexus S 4g or the regular Nexus S on T-Mobile, but lets face it before long that technology will be quickly outdated and you may regret the purchase even if its free once your locked into that new 1 yr minimum contract upgrade.

 

[coolqf]

My wife needs a new phone. She is leaning toward the epic 4g because of the keyboard. But the Nexus S is free at best buy right now. What do you suggest?

Have her hold both phones and send you a mock text or e-mail. The EPIC might turn her off once she sees how much bigger it is, but if after seeing it, if she still wants the EPIC, then def get the EPIC. My g/f would find the EPIC too big, so I'd rather get her the Nexus S. When the iPhone comes out to Sprint, she might actually get that because, for its size, it'll pack the most power/feature. And chicks dig the Apple brand as well as visual appeal. Both, at which Apple is king.

 

[Paul627g]

Have her hold both phones and send you a mock text or e-mail. The EPIC might turn her off once she sees how much bigger it is, but if after seeing it, if she still wants the EPIC, then def get the EPIC. My g/f would find the EPIC too big, so I'd rather get her the Nexus S. When the iPhone comes out to Sprint, she might actually get that because, for its size, it'll pack the most power/feature. And chicks dig the Apple brand as well as visual appeal. Both, at which Apple is king.

How did that fruit device get dragged into this thread? I think the next line of devices like the SGSII and others will redefine the Android scene for power/looks and appeal once word gets around and we see what that baby can do

 

[cerobles1]

I think coolqf should have his privilages suspended for mentioning the fruty device. It's like saying "bomb" at an airport. Did we all forget what fruit was eaten by Adam n Eve? Exactly my point. Getting sidetracked. Good luck on getting a new phone.

 

[disposed#AC]

The biggest reason to buy the NS over the Epic is the rom support.

The epic is an older device and there are still very few roms even worth mentioning and even the good ones are pretty meh. The NS on the other hand has support for MIUI, CM7 and a whole ton of quality roms.

If you buy from sprint you get 30 days to return it. Try the NS first IMO then if you dont like it swap.