Sprint and Samsung today announced the impending launch of the carrier’s next 4G-capable smartphone, the Samsung Epic 4G. The new phone is part of Samsung’s quickly expanding line of Galaxy S devices that have garnered mostly favorable reviews over the past couple of weeks.

According to a press release, the Epic features a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen with a slide-out qwerty keyboard. Much like the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint, the device is being billed as a multimedia phone. The Epic will have access to the Samsung Media Hub, where users can purchase movies and TV programming.

The Epic also will be able to access Samsung’s AllShare service, which allows users to wirelessly share stored music, pictures and HD video to other DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) certified home electronics.

The Epic will come running Android 2.1 with an update to 2.2 (Froyo) coming at a later date. Additional specs include Samsung’s 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 5 MP camera/camcorder with autofocus, LED flash and 3x digital zoom for HD video3 (720p) video recording, front facing camera, visual voicemail and mobile hot spot functionality for up to five Wi-Fi enabled devices.

Even with the slide-out qwerty, the Epic has managed to stay slim. The new phone comes in at 14.22 millimeters thick, just 1 millimeter thicker than HTC’s Evo 4G. Sprint said it will announce pricing and availability in the coming months. Customers can pre-register for more information about Samsung Epic 4G online at Sprint’s website.

The 4G-capable Epic comes amid a flurry of high-end smartphone releases from Samsung. Just last week, Lee Donjoo, Samsung’s senior vice president of the company’s mobile communications division, told Bloomberg that Samsung hopes to double its market share, from 5 percent to 10 percent, by the end of 2010.