I have been untethered to a mobile contract since August of 2009. During that span, I had a Samsung A900, and then multiple flavors of Blackberries and finally, my HTC EVO 4G. My EVO has taught me to love touch based phones as I have been previously an introvert when it came to any phone without a QWERTY keyboard. Blackberry spoiled me.

Now, I am a swype enabled maniac that can send off messages and e-mail in seconds (I doubt I can hang with the average 14 year old girl). Although, I think the love of my EVO is waning a bit. The release of new, sexier phones and the constant rumors of others have filled my head and heart; I think it is time to move on.

If you haven’t gotten the gist, I am a Sprint customer licking my chops for a new phone and to my surprise (of Sprint, no less); I have a healthy choice of smartphones to choose from. Even an Apple iPhone! You probably have read some of my older articles and should know by now, I am an Android convert (sorry RIM). That limits me to the following Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO 3D, and the Motorola Photon 4G.

Before I get into my selection, I think a bit of backstory is in order. In the summer of 2010, when I was looking for the replacement of my Blackberry, I almost chose the original Samsung Galaxy S Epic 4G due to its attached keyboard. It was more powerful than the HTC EVO and the screen was better. I went down to my local Sprint store and tried the Epic 4G, it felt good. For kicks and giggles, I also tried the display HTC EVO 4G and it hit me. For some reason the HTC EVO felt better. I went online and conducted a massive amount of research on both phones. Samsung’s disdain of updating their phones was the final nail in the coffin; I purchased an HTC EVO on eBay. I am happy I did.

Apparently, Samsung has learned its lesson and the Epic 4G Touch will get Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) when it is released. Even if they haven’t learned their lesson, I will root it and get ICS anyway. I like the HTC EVO 3D a lot, but I must admit the gimmicky 3D feature turns me off. In a sea of me-too phones that are all too similar, I can see why HTC implemented the 3D feature though. As for the Motorola Photon 4G, it looks like the successor to the HTC EVO 4G, all the way down to the kickstand. That would have been my ideal phone if not for the Epic 4G Touch and its tech goodness.

All signs point to me picking up the Epic 4G Touch until I heard of the rumored and supposedly Verizon exclusive Samsung Nexus Prime. If the specs turn out to be true, the 1.5GHz dual-core processor powered phone will at least be one of the most powerful handhelds if not the most powerful on the planet. This phone is rumored to be released sometime this year.

Do I pick up the Epic 4G Touch or do I play the waiting game? I’m not sure. There is nothing wrong with my HTC EVO and I could go another year with it without a problem. I guess I’ll leave it in your hands, my trusted readers. If you have an Epic 4G Touch, should I elect to purchase it? If you are interested in the Nexus Prime, should I wait for it (or if the exclusive deal is correct, move to Verizon)? Comment below!