Samsung Epic 4G smartphone announced

The Samsung Epic 4G smartphone is on its way to Sprint networks in coming months... and it really looks the goods. Known on the rumor mill as the "Galaxy S Pro" before today's official announcement, the Epic 4G packs dual cameras with LED flash and (720p) video recording, a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a six-axis motion sensor. Running on Android 2.1, the handset also features WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot capability for up to five devices and access to 4G data networks (WiMAX) which Sprint says can deliver peak download of more than 10 Mbps (but expect 3-6 Mbps on average).

The Epic's image capture capabilities match iPhone 4 with a 5 megapixel main camera and 720p video, while a front facing VGA camera caters for video chat.

The Super AMOLED touchscreen supports multi-touch pinch, long tap and zoom and vertical and horizontal swiping gestures and there's also a digital compass, proximity sensor, light sensor and GPS on-board.

Epic 4G users will get "future access" to video and text content on Samsung's Media Hub with content tailored for the small screen available for rent or purchase. Android 2.1 will give also provide DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) support and access to Social Hub social networking integration tools.

Samsung Epic 4G key specs:

• Size: Dimensions: 4.9 inches 2.54 inches x 0.56 inches (124.8 mm x 64.6 mm x 14.2 mm) (LxWxT)
• Weight: 5.46 ounces (155 grams)
• Battery: Standard removable 1500mAh Lithium (Li-on) battery
• Memory: 1 GB ROM, 512 MB RAM
• Processor: Samsung 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird Application Processor
• Display: 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive display with pinch-to-zoom
• Google full HTML browser
• Simultaneous voice and data capability in 4G and Wi-Fi coverage areas
• 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices
• 4G data speeds (WiMAX) - peak download speeds of more than 10 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1 Mbps; average download speeds of 3-6 Mbps
• 3G data speeds (EVDO Rev A.) - peak download speeds of up to 3.1 Mbps; peak upload speeds of 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds of 600 kbps-1.4 Mbps
• Media player with 3.5mm stereo headset jack
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP Stereo and EDR
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n
• Digital compass, six-axis motion sensor, proximity sensor, light sensor, GPS
• Expandable memory: 16 GB microSD card included; supports up to 32 GB

No exact date has been set for release, but we'll keep you posted – we can't wait to get our hands on this little number.