With just hours before the official launch of the Samsung Epic 4G, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look inside the device, thanks to internal photos provided by the FCC.

Much of the Epic 4G’s functionality is provided by the circuit board to the left.  You can see a Qualcomm QSC6085, which enables CDMA and EVDO calling/data capabilities.

Next to the QSC6085 is the brains of the Epic 4G – a Samsung Hummingbird processor running at 1GHz.  The Hummingbird is actually quite similar to Apple’s A4 processor – both chips are manufactured by Samsung and both chips feature a Cortex A8 core.

Near the top of the main board you can see a NEC MC-10170 image processing chip – the same chip found in other Galaxy S devices.

Finally, there is what appears to be a Samsung memory module below the NEC image processor.  We don’t have a good close-up view of the chip’s part number, but it appears to be some sort of MCP.

You can see additional pics of the Epic 4G in various stages of disassembly below.

[View with PicLens]

It’s been a big week for Android news, and tonight, Sprint added to the fray by formally announcing that the Samsung Epic 4G will be available on August 31st for $250, after rebates, with a two year contract.  The Epic 4G is Sprint’s second 4G WiMAX phone, the first of course is the HTC EVO 4G.

Based on the Samsung Galaxy S platform, the Epic 4G features a 4” Super AMOLED display, Android 2.1, a 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, front (VGA) and rear (5MP) facing cameras, 720p HD video recording, 802.11 b/g/n/ WiFi, wireless hotspot functionality, and a 16GB microSD card.  And as you can see, the Epic 4G will sport a full QWERTY keypad.

Interestingly, the Epic 4G doesn’t appear to have any onboard storage, while other Galaxy S smartphones such as the Captivate featured up to 16GB of onboard memory.  We’re also a bit disappointed to see that the Epic 4G will sport Android 2.1 – according to Sprint, an Android 2.2 update will be available for the device in “the coming months.”

You can reserve the phone on August 13th here.

The Samsung SCH-R900 made an appearance at CTIA this year, and today the device passed through the FCC.  The SCH-R900 will be the first LTE phone to launch in the United States, and surprisingly it will be launched by discount wireless carrier MetroPCS.

The SCH-R900 offers Bluetooth, and 802.11 b/g WiFi, but other than that, we don’t know much about the device.  The device supports 850 and 1900 CDMA/EVDO frequencies, as well as MetroPCS’s 1700 AWS frequency.

MetroPCS plans to launch the SCH-R900 in the Q2 2010, and today’s FCC approval suggests that we will see the device any day now.

The Samsung Epic 4G is one of the more compelling incarnations of the Samsung Galaxy S.  With a slide out QWERTY keypad and WiMAX, the device promises to be a hot seller for Sprint.

So when can we get our hands on the Epic 4G?  The Android Police have a few data points that suggest the device will be on sale by August 20th.  They base this timeframe on the release date of a Samsung TV video featuring the Epic 4G.  Previously, Samsung TV videos for mobile phones have come between one and four days after the device was released.  The Samsung TV video for the Epic 4G is scheduled to be released on August 20th, so if the timing of this video is anything like previous Samsung TV videos, then the Epic 4G should be released before August 20th.

Sure, the Android Police’s theory isn’t solid proof, but the August 20th timeframe does jive with Samsung’s announcement that the Epic 4G will be available by “mid-summer.”  We’ll keep you up to date as we learn more.

We just posted a link to Amazon where the Samsung Captivate was on sale for a low $100 with two year contract.  Well, we now have an even better deal for you – LetsTalk.com is now offering the Samsung Captivate for free with a two year contract, including free shipping.

This deal does require you to sign up for a new 2 year contract with a minimum $60 monthly service plan (900 minutes) plus a data plan, which starts at $15 per month.  But if you were already planning on subscribing to a $60 monthly plan, this is a pretty sweet deal.

The Captivate was just released yesterday for $200 with a two year contract, so it’s interesting to see the phone’s price drop so quickly.  A year ago, who would have thought that we’d be able to “buy” an Android smartphone with a 1GHz processor and 16GB of internal memory for free?

The Samsung Captivate, AT&T’s latest and greatest Android smartphone, launched quietly this weekend for $200 with a 2 year contract.  But why not save yourself a C-Note and head over to Amazon, where the Captivate can be had for $99, with a service plan.  Better yet, that price includes Amazon’s instant rebate, so there’s nothing to mail in, and no waiting for a check in the mail.  Amazon will also waive the $36 activation fee for qualifying upgrades or new contracts.

Today is a big day for Android lovers on AT&T.  The Samsung Captivate is now officially on sale through AT&T’s online store.
The device costs $200 with a two year contract, or $500 month to month.  AT&T will also throw in free overnight shipping when you buy online, so if you order now you can get your Captivate early Monday.

This week will be a big week for Android phones.  On July 15th, the highly anticipated Motorola Droid X will be released by Verizon.  And just last week, we learned that AT&T will be making its own play on the Android front, with the July 18th release of the Samsung Captivate.

Both of these phones are quite impressive, and represent some of the leading designs on the Android market today.  Here’s how they stack up:

As you can see, the specs on both of these phones are pretty impressive.  We’re a bit disappointed with the lack of a flash on the Captivate, while the lack of Wireless-N on the Droid X is a downside.

We love the idea of 16GB of flash storage on the Captivate, while the 8GB of storage on the Droid X can only be used for apps.

It will also be great to see the Droid X’s 4.3” TFT LCD screen side by side with the Captivate’s 4” Super AMOLED display.

The Samsung Galaxy S made an appearance on the FCC today with the model number GT-I9000T, which corresponds to a Galaxy S reviewed by Slashgear, above right.  Slashgear’s device is missing the final ‘T’ in the model number – we’re guessing that this stands for a testing model that’s used for FCC regulatory approval.  A closeup of the GT-I9000T’s label is below.

FCC reports confirm 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 3.0 wireless goodness, but other FCC documents remain confidential at this point.

Today’s FCC filing is a good indication that the Galaxy S is slowly, but surely making its way to the United States.  Samsung official statements have the Galaxy S’ US launch scheduled for “later this year.”

Like other iterations of the Galaxy S, Verizon’s Fascinate will rock a 4” Super AMOLED screen, 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, 5MP camera with 720p video capture, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth 3.0.  Verizon also mentions the presence of the same six axis accelerometer that Sprint touted with their Epic 4G.  T-Mobile made no mention of the accelerometer with their Vibrant, but we’re guessing that all iterations of the Galaxy S will feature a six-axis accelerometer.

No word on pricing or availability, but we’d guess that Verizon’s Fascinate will come in at a similar price point as T-Mobile’s $200 Vibrant.