Samsung Behold II Review

[jasallis3]

Yet another pretender to the next-gen mantle for T-Mobile users. I had this phone for exactly 4 hours before I realized it wasn't nearly worth the 449.00 price (if you have a month to month Even More Plus plan). Where shall I begin?

Firstly, it's not true Android. It's Android with Samsung's TouchWiz interface layered over it, and it ruins the experience. It's clucky, sluggish, and doesn't allow for half the customization options my G1 has, even before I rooted it. My biggest gripe: you can't shut off the notification on the stock messaging app. That means if you use Handcent or Chomp (and you should, the stock app is horrendous), you will ALWAYS get two notification tones, two icons, and two copies of the same notification when you pull down the notification drawer. This may seem minor to some, but Android is about customization, and when you can't change that, and can't get rid of the redundant TouchWiz navigation icons on the bottom of the display, it shows that Samsung is limiting what you can do.

The music player didn't recognize any artists or albums on music I drag and dropped to the sdcard, and even worse, it includes the track number before each song. Ace of Spades by Motorhead becomes 06 Ace of Spades by <unknown>. So to browse through music alphabetically, you go through all your "01" tracks first, then "02" etc.... Maddening. On my G1, track, artist and album were all recognized instantly, and the track numbers are omitted. And no, it's not the stock Android music player. Most of the standard Android apps / features / options are NOT stock Android on the BH II, they've all been... devalued by Samsung's tinkering.

I won't even discuss the uselessness of the 3DCube interface for multimedia apps.

Merely scrolling through the three home screens was a choppy, sluggish affair, and the Samsung enhanced app drawer was clumsy as well.
You can't use a wallpaper app like Backgrounds to change the wallpaper on all three home screens, only the primary one. That means (for now) you're limited to the stock wallpapers or photos as wallpaper on the remaining two home screens (each home screen gets it's own wallpaper).
The Settings menu has been tampered with, and it's not nearly as intuitive as the G1. In my 30 or so hours with the phone, I was unable to find the option to use the network (with less accuracy) or wifi (better accuracy, but limited to whatever hotspot you're linked to) as my location option for maps and location base apps. It appears to me it's GPS or nothing at all.

Also, regarding the Android Market, I have about 60 apps on my rooted G1. When I went to download the important ones (limited to apps being stored on the internal memory instead of the sdcard, c'mon Google, FIX THAT) the phone would not find apps I'd paid for, such as Twidroid Pro, and a few others who's names escape me at the moment. I would search TWIDROID, and only get the lite, free app listed. When I spoke with a pretty knowledgable employee at my local T-Mobile store, he said he had the same problem. Apparently the Samsung phone is not reading all available apps in the Market.

Also I read that download speeds on this phone are limited to 3.6Mps, which would make this useless if/when T-Mobile raises their 3G speeds, as specualtion indicates they will.

Would HTC PLEASE release the Passion / Dragon for T-Mobile? I love my G1, but would love to have a Droid like phone availble for us. THe Cliq and the Behold II aren't cutting it.

Needless to say, this phone went back less than thirty hours after I purchased it. This is the first phone in my life that I returned.

Sigh.

[thefran1996]

yes, i know that phone is just not ready.
i mean come on!! Android 1.5?!?!?
Why would they put that on the phone!!

[sunsguy]

Good review. And I agree. I went into Tmobile yesterday to test it out and after using it for 5 mins I could tell that it wasn't any good.

[li2327]

Sounds like the mytouch my have been a better choice. HTC seems to do a better job at making Android devices.

[havikx]

ya know.... when the g1 originally came out....i couldnt choose betweeen the g1 or the behold. they were both really nice. but the original behold lacked the app greatness that the g1 had. g1 was the iphone killer. (still is ya little 3gs fanboy)

i thought for sure the behold 2 with google support would be an amazing phone.

what the hell is samsung doing? i used to love their phones. now they are just crap.

[edit1one]

I got my Behold 2 a couple of days ago. I came from a G1 with all the latest Cyanogen Mods and tricks. I've got to say on my part that i'm very happy with the behold. The simple fact that I'm not carring around my charger everywhere I go is worth the money. I know the cube feature is not the the coolest but u can just not use it.

Everything else seems to be faster on this phone I have nothing but good things to say about how it feels in hand and just all around looks better then the My touch.

And to get around the layout just download open house and add the Hero theme and there you go. Just like the sprint Hero. This is what I have and everything looks and runs sweet.

I've been runing IM, 3G, and using the internet all day and I still have 3 bars.

[kam187]

Its looking dificult to mod because of the security locking. But it has a ton of ram! (320mb).

It looks like its going to be a headache to customize etc, but it feels like it could be a nice challenge :) If anyone wants to sell theres drop me a PM. Or a straight swap for a galaxy in almost new condition! We can arange some secure method for the exchange.

[kam187]

So i'm selling my galaxy/swapping for a behold 2 to take on the challenge :)

http://androidforums.com/samsung-i7500/20437-selling-my-galaxy-pm-me.html

Let me know if you're interested.

[737flyer]

I got my Behold 2 a couple of days ago. I came from a G1 with all the latest Cyanogen Mods and tricks. I've got to say on my part that i'm very happy with the behold. The simple fact that I'm not carring around my charger everywhere I go is worth the money. I know the cube feature is not the the coolest but u can just not use it.

Everything else seems to be faster on this phone I have nothing but good things to say about how it feels in hand and just all around looks better then the My touch.

And to get around the layout just download open house and add the Hero theme and there you go. Just like the sprint Hero. This is what I have and everything looks and runs sweet.

I've been runing IM, 3G, and using the internet all day and I still have 3 bars.

I have the Samsung Behold 2 and am DYING to get around the layout "issue". Can you walk me through it step-by-step (with the open house & add the Hero theme)?

I did a market search and could not find "open house", what is it? Thanks Jim.

[kam187]

I think he meant 'open home'

[737flyer]

I think he meant 'open home'

I figured it out that it was "open home", so have done one search after another for Open Home on the android market. Only find the skins, not the program. Then "aHome" seems to pop up as the actual program, but a search of the market for this, only leads to more "skins" that say that you must have aHome installed (which of course is what I am trying to find with no success).

HELP>>>

[edit1one]

Search for "Open Home Full" the icon is a glossy blue house.

[edit1one]

Here's a screen shot of what I have my Behold 2 looking like.

[737flyer]

Here's a screen shot of what I have my Behold 2 looking like.

Very helpful! Thanks. Halfway home now. First part is done - Open Home Full is a phone saver. This phone was on it's way back till you helped me out with the "work around" of that AWFUL Samsung Layout. Man, I spent 3 days of my life wasted trying to figure out where half my Android settings went, now they are back. Thanks again!

Now, if I can just hunt down that Hero skin you have and make the phone more appealing I will feel complete. Jim

[Sick Sense]

It's no Droid, but it's still a nice phone. I wanted to stick with T-Mobile, so my options came down to the Cliq, MyTouch, or Behold 2. I chose the Behold 2 for the gorgeous AMOLED screen and the added RAM (320MB). So far, I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

Yes, it does come with Android 1.5, but Samsung will be offering 2.0 in 2010. However, I'm hoping to root this bad boy and upgrade to 1.6 or 2.0 sooner than later. I'm fine with waiting for a little development to take place, so I don't mind doing a short stint with 1.5. Everyone gripes about Samsung's UI, but it's not that bad.

The AMOLED screen is a huge plus for this phone! Put some high resolution photos on your three desktops and watch them come to life. The colors look amazing on this screen! I get satisfaction out of doing simple tasks like scrolling through my contacts, so watching videos is pure ecstasy. The contrast looks great and the colors glow on the screen. It'll be hard to switch back to a phone without an AMOLED screen once you own one.

Going back to the Aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I like the way this phone looks and feels. When you hold it, you notice right away that it feels much more "grown up" than the MyTouch. The materials look better and the construction is quality. There is a nice balance between black and brown and the phone looks elegant. On the back cover, there is a patterned silhouette of the continents layered over a glossy black background. The front is not quite as good looking as the Galaxy's, but still looks nice. Once again, the screen steals the show.

The camera is also a big plus on this phone. Great software matched with a 5 mega pixel camera means quality images. You have the ability to control a lot of the camera's settings including white balance, ISO, resolution, etc. Additionally, you can add cool effects and create mosaics using different preset patterns. But it's the quality of images that will blow you away. This is one of the nicest cameras I've seen on a phone. But of course, if you want professional grade photos then buy a real camera.

Some reviewers say their phone lags. Mine has never lagged. Everything runs smoothly and feels no different than a Hero or G1. Both of my good friends own a Hero and G1 and I've spent a good amount of time playing with both. Yes, SenseUI on the Hero is better, but performance wise I've noticed no differences in speed or lag.

The "cube" is pointless, but not a problem. Don't push the cube button and you will never see it...:)

Samsung didn't do as bad as some say with their UI. Besides the cube, everything else works fine. Once again, I would prefer 1.6 or 2.0, but I'll deal with 1.5 while waiting for some development or an official release by Samsung.

The touchscreen works well. Milky smooth response and great vibration feedback when you type on the keyboard. Since I'm in love with the AMOLED screen, operating the touchscreen is that much more enjoyable :)

I've had this thing since the 18th and I've enjoyed every moment with it. If anyone has specific questions let me know. Yes, the critics have been harsh on this phone, but for me it works. Plus, since everyone will be buying the supposed "better" phones, less people will be rocking the Behold 2. That's a plus for me ;)

[King Eros]

I just laugh at the ppl when they say they only played with the phone for 5 min to a few hours and said f**k this. I get nothing out of playing with anything in that short of time. The behold II is a cool phone for the ppl on the fence about it and for the ppl who only played with it for a few minutes. It's fast, no sluggish or lag for mines....Chill with all the negative talk of samsung UI on top of android lol that's gotten old quick. It works just fine on mines stat nerds. Yep the cube is pointless, don't use it. It doesn't make phone lose value; it's just a button you can either push or ignore...It doesn't interfere with anything. The screen is the best out there...now coming from the memoir, the keyboard took a slight fall but not a big deal...it's still good and typing is easy. Just don't try it driving. Also, coming the memoir I miss that camera, but behold II takes great shots in good lighting. Indoors you will get a lot of noise but who cares it's the best cam on android market. My biggest complaint from the multimedia stand point is the video footage. Recorded video sucks. It outputs in 3gp which I hate and the quality sucks. But oh well, I never used it much on past phones.

I bought this phone, played with it, learning curve took a little time and now this phone is my best device to date. Kudos to samsung making the UI work with android. Forget all the spec nerd talk. I don't want my phone to make me breakfast, sexually please me, wash my clothes, and drive me to work. Folks be easy, it's a phone. Behold II is a serious piece of hardware, feels nice in the hand, and is a big boy toy. Can't wait to see what samsung has up its sleeve for the next android...

I did try dxtop and better keyboard and that was a mistake. I don't recommend it. If you turn the device off, it'll be stuck on the android screen. I had to hard reset

And like dude said, since everyone will be buying "better" phones, I too will be rocking out with Behold II with the few

[geedup]

How's the battery life on it and does it support flash? Also, where is the 320mb RAM coming from. Everywhere i've seen is saying the phone has 200mb RAM or less..

[Sick Sense]

http://www.tmonews.com/2009/11/samsung-behold-ii-now-available/

I've read it in several forums actually... If you Google it you will find a lot of speculation as well as supposed confirmations. The 200 you are referring to is the ROM memory, not RAM. As for battery life, you'll need to charge it by the end of each day. Sometimes sooner with heavy, heavy use. Flash is not supported...

[mrbill]

It's no Droid, but it's still a nice phone. I wanted to stick with T-Mobile, so my options came down to the Cliq, MyTouch, or Behold 2. I chose the Behold 2 for the gorgeous AMOLED screen and the added RAM (320MB). So far, I'm extremely happy with my purchase.

Yes, it does come with Android 1.5, but Samsung will be offering 2.0 in 2010. However, I'm hoping to root this bad boy and upgrade to 1.6 or 2.0 sooner than later. I'm fine with waiting for a little development to take place, so I don't mind doing a short stint with 1.5. Everyone gripes about Samsung's UI, but it's not that bad.

The AMOLED screen is a huge plus for this phone! Put some high resolution photos on your three desktops and watch them come to life. The colors look amazing on this screen! I get satisfaction out of doing simple tasks like scrolling through my contacts, so watching videos is pure ecstasy. The contrast looks great and the colors glow on the screen. It'll be hard to switch back to a phone without an AMOLED screen once you own one.

Going back to the Aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I like the way this phone looks and feels. When you hold it, you notice right away that it feels much more "grown up" than the MyTouch. The materials look better and the construction is quality. There is a nice balance between black and brown and the phone looks elegant. On the back cover, there is a patterned silhouette of the continents layered over a glossy black background. The front is not quite as good looking as the Galaxy's, but still looks nice. Once again, the screen steals the show.

The camera is also a big plus on this phone. Great software matched with a 5 mega pixel camera means quality images. You have the ability to control a lot of the camera's settings including white balance, ISO, resolution, etc. Additionally, you can add cool effects and create mosaics using different preset patterns. But it's the quality of images that will blow you away. This is one of the nicest cameras I've seen on a phone. But of course, if you want professional grade photos then buy a real camera.

Some reviewers say their phone lags. Mine has never lagged. Everything runs smoothly and feels no different than a Hero or G1. Both of my good friends own a Hero and G1 and I've spent a good amount of time playing with both. Yes, SenseUI on the Hero is better, but performance wise I've noticed no differences in speed or lag.

The "cube" is pointless, but not a problem. Don't push the cube button and you will never see it...:)

Samsung didn't do as bad as some say with their UI. Besides the cube, everything else works fine. Once again, I would prefer 1.6 or 2.0, but I'll deal with 1.5 while waiting for some development or an official release by Samsung.

The touchscreen works well. Milky smooth response and great vibration feedback when you type on the keyboard. Since I'm in love with the AMOLED screen, operating the touchscreen is that much more enjoyable :)

I've had this thing since the 18th and I've enjoyed every moment with it. If anyone has specific questions let me know. Yes, the critics have been harsh on this phone, but for me it works. Plus, since everyone will be buying the supposed "better" phones, less people will be rocking the Behold 2. That's a plus for me ;)
I bought the behold 2 prepared to send it back after I got it becuase the reviews sucked on this phone. I honestly don't know what they expected from this phone. I think they are being more critical of the cube ui, than the device itself. I still have the G1 and MyTouch, both are rooted and modded, this phone is smoother and all around a better device than my other Google phones put together. I don't use the cube, because honestly that does suck, the cube ui is slow and laggy, NOT ANDROID!!! It is rumored that we will get an update pretty quick on this device, but I expect to have mine rooted and modded by the time they have that ready for an OTA update. The phone price is High, so what...I am a techie and I wanted it. Plain and simple, when you are complaining about this phone, it doesn't add up to actually owning it. I will put my phone against yours (performance wise) and you will be complaining about yours afterwards. Quit reading the reviews..... NOTE: Camera is the best of any Google device; however it itself like ALL other Google devices gets sluggish between task. Nuf said...............

[acarabaj]

I am having a weird issue with my sd card unmounting and my phone makes me reformat the sd card and i have to reload all my files. Does anyone know what I can do to fix problem?