Samsung Galaxy S Phones Compared: Epic 4G, Continuum, Fascinate, Captivate, Vibrant, Tab

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Some of you may have seen the TV commercials for the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones and wondered how they compare.  How do you navigate the constellations of the Samsung S Galaxies?

This article should help you figure out which Samsung Galaxy S phone is right for you.  The Samsung Galaxy S is released with various names and numbers all over the world. In the United States, each cell phone carrier has given their Galaxy model its own brand name. It's known as the Samsung Epic 4G at Sprint, Samsung Fascinate/Samsung Continuum at Verizon, the Samsung Captivate at AT&T and the Samsung Vibrant at T-Mobile. 

All Samsung Galaxy S phones have a super-fast 1 GHz hummingbird processor with efficient 3D graphics processing, Super AMOLED 4 inch touchsreen, 5 megapixel camera, microSD, Wi-Fi, and Android 2.1.  Samsung has added on TouchWiz software for a social hub, as well as a media hub for online viewing.  Differences come in the amount of internal storage, size of the microSD card included, mobile hotspot capabilities, keyboard style and the speed of data networks.

Update 11/28/10 12:57 PM: We've updated this article to include details of the Samsung Galaxy Tab and Samsung Continuum.

Samsung Electronics expects to sell up to 25 million smartphones by the
close of
2010.  They have already shipped 1 million Samsung Galaxy S phones to the United States.

The Samsung Epic 4G received excellent reviews and is the only Samsung Galaxy S smartphone to have full slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Epic has a front-facing camera for video conferencing and uses Sprint's 4G data network for faster data streams.  It also has a camera flash and mobile Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities (unlimited for $29.99 a month).  4G connectivity to WiMAX comes from a ANADIGICS AWT6264 chipset.

The Samsung Fascinate from Verizon has been shrouded with the most controversy because search is not provided by Google but by Bing.  Most users will not even notice a difference, except for a more graphic look.  Reviews of the Samsung Fascinate have been excellent except for the preinstalled Bing.  It offers mobile hotspot service for an additional $20 a month for 2 Gigabytes, 2 GB of internal storage, 16 GB microSD and a camera flash.  Verizon is heavily promoting the Samsung Fascinate with a Buy One, Get One Free Verizon Wireless promotion.

The Samsung Continuum has two screens, a 1.8-inch 96 x 480 Super AMOLED screen (Ticker Display) below the
primary 3.4-inch (480 x 800) main Super AMOLED touchscreen and many of the same features of the other Samsung Galaxy S phones, including Android 2.1, running on a 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, 384MB of RAM/512 MB Flash,
2GB of internal storage, and an 8GB microSD installed.  Other specs
include, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, DLNA, DivX video playback, 3.5mm
headset jack, 3G mobile hotspots, and a 5-megapixel 720p video-capable
camera with LED flash. Reviewers liked the small size and thought the ticker could be beneficial for some.

The Samsung Captivate reviewers have called it the best Android smartphone with social networking, better than the iPhone. It does not have a camera flash, mobile hotspot or come with a microSD included. The Samsung Captivate is heavily discounted (below $50) at the Amazon Wireless Beta website and at Wirefly.

The Samsung Vibrant is highly-rated receiving editor's choice from two reveiwers. It does not have flash for the camera or mobile hotspot. The Vibrant has 16 GB of internal storage and comes with a 2 gigabyte microSD card. Wirefly is selling the
Samsung Vibrant

for $49.99 with a contract for new customers with no activation fee
this weekend. Renewing T-Mobile customers pay $149.99 with a contract.Online retailer Amazon Beta Wireless as of this writing is selling the Samsung Vibrant for $99 for new customers with a contract and $149 for renewing contracts.

Reviewers of the Samsung Galaxy Tab all liked its compact
paperback-book size, two cameras (for video chat), ability to view Flash
webpages and crisp, glossy touchscreen.  The Samsung Galaxy Tab is
available from many carriers with different options.  Only T-Mobile,
Sprint,Verizon, and U.S. Cellular enable mobile hotspots at different
prices read review and see chart).

We will be exploring the Samsung Galaxy S phone series in future articles. Check the Samsung Glaxy S page to see when they appear.

Many of these models are named in Wireless and Mobile News'
Review of Reviews Top Ten Best Android an' Droid Phones Now an' Later.
 

Samsung Galaxy S News: Samsung Fascinate Will Google with Android 2.2 - How to Google Now.
Samsung Galaxy S: Samsung Epic 4G has ANADIGIC AWT6264.
Samsung Fascinate Goes On Sale Online 2Day, in Stores 2Morrow
Review: Samsung Fascinate (Verizon), Review of Reviews
Droid X vs Samsung Fascinate - Which Will Win the Android Galaxy?


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