Samsung Galaxy S models announced for Sprint, Verizon, U.S. Cellular

Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint

Over the past few days, we've learned the identities of a couple of Samsung Galaxy S phones headed for the U.S., including the Samsung Captivate for AT&T and the Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile, but turns out Samsung's got plenty of more Android love to spread around, as it announced three additional models forSprint, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular. Though the handsets share a lot of the same core features, they also have unique designs and carrier-specific services so here's a quick rundown of each one.

Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint: As you might have guessed from the name, the Epic will be a 4G-capable phone--the second for Sprint after the HTC Evo 4G--and features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen. According to Samsung, the benefit of its Super AMOLED display is that it has a higher contrast, wider viewing angles, faster response time, and allows for thinner design. We've tried the Super AMOLED screen on the Samsung Wave, and we can say that most of this is true.

Armed with such a display, 4G, and Samsung's 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, multimedia will, once again, play a central role much like it did on the Evo 4G. However, Samsung will make it even easier to get TV shows and movies on your device by including a video store on the Epic. The company has not revealed where the content will come from but said it includes "some of the biggest names in entertainment."

Other goodies include a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, a front-facing VGA camera for video calls, and the ability to act as a mobile hot spot for up to five devices. The Epic will ship running Android 2.1 and Samsung's TouchWiz interface, but if you're worried about another Behold II situation, don't worry: the Epic will get the Android 2.2 Froyo update. Sprint plans to announce pricing and release date in the coming months, but you can sign up for updates through its Web site. A 4G Developer Guide is also available now for anyone who wants to create apps for the Epic.

Samsung Fascinate for Verizon: The Fascinate is Verizon's first Android phone from Samsung. As with most of the Galaxy S models, the smartphone will be powered by a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, have a 5-megapixel camera with HD video capture, and launch with Android 2.1. Like the Epic, the Fascinate also has a 4-inch Super AMOLED display but this will be a touch-only device with the option of a regular virtual keyboard or Swype. In addition, the smartphone has a six-axis sensor (as does the Epic) that works with the built-in accelerometer for a better gaming experience.

It's not clear whether the Fascinate will also come with a video store, but it can support a number of video codecs, including DivX, and offers DLNA support, so you can wirelessly share content with DLNA-compliant devices, such as HDTVs and game consoles. It, too, can be used as a mobile hotspot for up to five devices. The Epic has 2GB of internal memory and ships with a 16GB microSD card (accepts up to 32GB cards). Verizon services, such as V Cast Music and Video, VZ Navigator and Visual Voicemail, are all available on the Fascinate as well. No word on pricing or availability date at this time.

Samsung Galaxy S for U.S. Cellular: U.S. Cellular has got a pretty busy summer with the upcoming launch of theSamsung Acclaim and HTC Desire, and we weren't really expecting this but we're glad to see them getting serious about smartphones. U.S. Cellular was a little less specific about the features of its Galaxy S model (aside from the aforementioned core specs), but we expect to hear more closer to the scheduled fall launch of the device.

Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile: Last but not least, we have the Samsung Vibrant. Though T-Mobile unveiled its identity late last week, there were few details about the smartphone, but we now know it will be an all touch-screen smartphone (same 4-inch Super AMOLED display as the others) and come preloaded with a full-screen copy of "Avatar," Amazon Kindle for Android, MobiTV, Slacker Radio, a month of free in-flight Wi-Fi access through Gogo Inflight Internet, and Samsung's Media Hub.

The Samsung Vibrant will be available from T-Mobile starting July 21 for $199.99 in either dark blue or lavendar, and RadioShack is taking in-store preorders for the smartphone starting July 1 (a $50 deposit is required).

Phew! Got all that? Now remember, Samsung will be hosting a Galaxy S event on Tuesday, June 29 in New York, where we expect to see most of these devices and hopefully learn more about availability, so check back then for more details and hands-on impressions, photos, and videos.