Sprint First U.S. Carrier to Debut Galaxy S II With Samsung Epic 4G Touch

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sprint (NYSE: S), the first national wireless carrier to launch the groundbreaking data speeds of 4G, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the United States1, today announced the upcoming availability of the first Samsung Galaxy S™ II product to be available in the United States, Samsung Galaxy S™ II, Epic™ 4G Touch.

“The Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch is the next-generation premium smartphone that delivers top-of-the-line features and design, as well as blazing fast speeds with Sprint’s 4G network and Samsung’s new Exynos dual core processor.”

As Sprint’s 27th 4G-capable device, Epic 4G Touch boasts a 4.52-inch Super AMOLED™ Plus touchscreen and one of the industry’s fastest dual-core processors, the new Samsung Exynos™, bringing it rich content at blazingly fast speeds. Customers will benefit from a large screen which will offer a vibrant viewing experience delivering the best picture quality at the fastest speeds available.

Epic 4G Touch will cost just $199.99 (excluding taxes) with a new two-year service agreement or eligible upgrade. It will be available beginning Sept. 16 in all Sprint Sales channels, including Sprint stores, Web sales (www.sprint.com) and Telesales (1-800-Sprint1). Visit www.sprint.com/epictouch for more information.

Beginning today, customers can pre-order Epic 4G Touch at any participating Sprint store with the purchase of a $50 Sprint gift card. Customers who pre-order Epic 4G Touch will have their name added to the Device Wait List and be contacted to set up an appointment to complete their smartphone purchase beginning Sept. 16. Through the pre-order process, customers will know they are able to get the device they want and receive the full retail experience, including Sprint’s Ready Now service.

“Sprint is proud to build on the success of the first Galaxy S product, Samsung Epic 4G, with the first U.S. device in the next generation of Samsung’s award-winning Galaxy S lineup, Epic 4G Touch,” said Fared Adib, vice president–Product Development, Sprint. “Epic 4G Touch is a powerful smartphone that delivers vibrant and exciting content at lightning fast speeds. This device is ultra-thin yet ultra-powerful with a screen that rivals anything else in the industry.”

Epic 4G Touch is one of the thinnest smartphones, measuring just 0.38 inches thick. Its Super AMOLED Plus touchscreen display delivers brilliant colors with the most contrast, providing a vivid and crisp viewing experience. It is built on Android™ 2.3, Gingerbread, and powered by one of the fastest dual-core processors available along with the blazing-fast Sprint 4G speeds on America’s Favorite 4G Network2.

Other key features include:

Samsung Exynos™ 1.2GHz dual-core processor
Dual cameras: 8MP, rear-facing camera/camcorder with auto-focus and flash that shoots video in 1080p HD high profile and 2MP, front-facing camera ideal for self-portraits or video chat
3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capable, supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices on the Sprint 3G or 4G network
Voice Talk by Vlingo™ allows users to give their Epic 4G Touch voice commands, including voice dial, text message, navigation, music, Web browsing and search
Task Manager enables users to view and close the applications they have active and any items that may have been downloaded and to check on memory usage via the Task Manager widget
Screen grab feature allows users to easily take a screen capture of the phone screen by pressing the power button and the home key simultaneously
Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface provides superior multitasking and customization for an enhanced visual and intuitive smartphone experience
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/a capable
Visual Voicemail
Enterprise functionality provides support for exchange device management policies, offers increased security of data and services and enables mobile conferencing while on the go
microSD card slot that supports up to a 32GB memory card
Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Technology 3.0
Access to more than 250,000 apps through Android Market™

“We are proud to build upon the successful launch of the original Galaxy S with Sprint last year,” said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy S II, Epic 4G Touch is the next-generation premium smartphone that delivers top-of-the-line features and design, as well as blazing fast speeds with Sprint’s 4G network and Samsung’s new Exynos dual core processor.”

Epic 4G Touch requires activation on one of the Sprint Everything Data plans plus a required $10 Premium Data add-on charge for smartphones. Sprint’s Everything Data plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM includes unlimited Web, texting and calling to and from any mobile in America while on the Sprint Network, starting at just $69.99 per month plus required $10 Premium Data add-on charge – a savings of $40 per month vs. Verizon’s comparable plan with unlimited talk, text and 2GB Web, or $10 per month vs. Verizon’s 450-minute plan with unlimited text and 2GB web. The Mobile Hotspot option is available for an additional $29.99 per month supporting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices simultaneously (pricing excludes taxes and surcharges).

Sprint was unbeaten among major wireless carriers for customer satisfaction according to results from the 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index. In addition to tying for first place among wireless carriers, Sprint was also the most improved company in customer satisfaction, across all industries, during the last three years, according to the survey.

As the first national wireless carrier to test, launch and market 4G technology, Sprint made history by launching 4G in Baltimore in September 2008. Sprint currently offers 4G service in 71 markets in 28 states. For more information, visit www.sprint.com/4G.

Sprint’s annual developer conference, now called the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, will be held Nov. 2-4 in Santa Clara, Calif. Throughout the three-day conference, developers, enterprises and entrepreneurs will learn about Sprint’s open enablement strategy, creating applications for 4G and 3D, enterprise machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, go-to-market strategies, approaches to make developers more profitable, and current Sprint tools and capabilities across devices, networks and platforms. For additional information and to register for the conference, visit http://developer.sprint.com/devcon2011.

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 52 million customers at the end of 2Q 2011 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, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 6 in its 2010 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

About Samsung Telecommunications America

Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC, a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets, wireless infrastructure and other telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2010 consolidated sales of (US)$135.8 billion. Employing approximately 190,500 people in 206 offices across 68 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, semiconductor chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Visit www.sprint.com/newswroom or www.sprint.com/presskits for more information and images.

¹ Based upon reported shipment data for Q1 2011, Strategy Analytics’ U.S. Market Share Handset Shipments Reports.

² Based on number of Sprint 4G subscribers vs. those on other wireless 4G (WiMAX and LTE) networks in the United States.

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