You know what handset we haven't heard about in a while? The Samsung Epic 2, successor to the Epic 4G and its sliding QWERTY keyboard on Sprint, which first popped up way back in June 2011 on a leaked list of devices rumored to be headed to the Now Network. That's why it's kind of a surprise to see the image you see above, which shows the SPH-D705 Epic 2 making an appearance in a Cellebrite system. Unfortunately for us, the listing doesn't make any mention of when (or if) we might see the Epic 2 actually launch.
When the Epic 2 originally leaked, the specs that it was said to be packing included a 4-inch display, 1.2GHz single-core processor, 8-megapixel camera, and a QWERTY keyboard. Obviously that's not exactly the most impressive feature list when compared to the high-end handsets that've come out recently. Because of this, The Verge suggests that one reason for the Epic 2's absence may be that Samsung took the time to retool the Epic 2 and give it a bit of a spec bump. Another possibility mentioned is that Sprint may have passed on the Epic 2 and that it could be headed to a smaller carrier a la the HTC Merge. Typically when a Samsung-made device features "SPH" as part of its model number, that's an indication that it's headed for Sprint or one of its prepaid brands, so a release on an operator like Boost may be in the cards.
We'll keep an eye out for more details on the Epic 2 and pass them along as we get it. Until then, you can check out a purported test photo from the SPH-D705 courtesy of Pocketnow below. Any of you think you'd be interested in picking up the Epic 2 if it ever sees the light of day?
Via The Verge, Pocketnow, ACSyndicate
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