I just got a the Behold 2 for one full day, but had a Samsung Galaxy for a couple of days before, here are my thoughts if you are considering this phone.
I am coming from an Iphone (2 years ago) and a G1 (last year)
Pros:
-Hardware
Great Screen, better than anything else on the market (Iphone included), 3.5 mm jack, micro usb well placed, nice looking / elegant device, good weight, smart choice to put the unlock botton on the right to prevent accidental presses. Keys now light up (improvement over the Galaxy); Android phone with most RAM to date, slimmest Android phone to date.
-Camera functions
Best imaging / camera solution on any Android, not only for the many options and changes on the software, but for the fact (finally) that pressing the button slightly gives you autofocus before you take a picture. Also, takes photos very fast... good job by Samsung
-Music player / Music
Didn't try it fully yet, but it seems to be improved over stock Android a lot. Also, the music quality is very good, beats the G1.
-Overall UI
I will put this under the Pros because Samsung made a few changes that really improve the Android experience. First, the tray that comes down from the top has recent applications and GPS / Bluetooth / Wifi toggles, saving you more space on the home screen.
Many complain that placing icons freely on the home screen and not in 'grid' style is annoying, I find it an excellent improvement so we are free to place what we want, where we want.
The Dialer-Contacts-Web-Quicklist fixed bar is a very good idea and proves to be useful because it doesn't take much space, however it should be more customizable.
I will definitely try Open Home and other Home screen replacements, but the Samsung interface is definitely not as bad as people make you think.
Overall the UI is snappy, it does not lag at all, and it's a major improvement over the G1 and other Android devices.
Bad:
-Battery issue
I wouldn't call it a battery problem (largest battery on any Android phone) but I would call it an interface problem. As it was pointed out in other forums, by opening Taskiller you can notice that the phone opens up random programs (myfavs, google maps, etc.) wasting battery when not needed.
Also, the battery is not well calibrated, and I still have to power cycle it to make sure of its true performance.
I refuse turn off autosync (what did i get an Android for?) and I hope this will be fixed either in the next update or when custom roms will be available.
-The cube
Not useful. Not a huge deal because one can decide not to use it, but it would be nice to customize the hardware key for something else.
-Minor problems
Setting up an exchange e-mail is not possible (doesn't let you jump to the next field).
Quick list not customizable.
The keyboard could be improved, but it's not as bad as people think and you could use custom ones. Vibration helps a lot into the typing.
Phonebook - the one accessible from the fixed bar unfortunately lists ALL your Gmail contacts (also the e-mails you used once and went into your contacts- in gmail 'ALL CONTACTS') while the one you access from Dialer --> Contacts does it the right way by listing only the contacts that should be synched (basically when a name matches a number or an e-mail, it will appear, in gmail "MY CONTACTS'). I did not find a solution to this yet (let me know if you did...) but it's pretty annoying, especially because you can't pin point to the home screen the right 'my contacts'.
Left pulling menu - I would rather have it from the bottom even if it clashes with the fixed bar, but you can choose to use a different home application.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After having the g1 I truly believe an Android phone should be judged firstly and foremost on the hardware, and the Behold 2 does not disappoint - I think it's the best looking and functional hardware on the market, far better than the Droid (a brick) or anything that is around.
In the software area, I do appreciate Samsung's effort to differentiate itself from the crowd by creating some changes, but the first results are mixed. I wouldn't dismiss the UI as fast as other websites, most problems are minor and can be fixed with a Home application.
Generally speaking I give this phone a 7 out of 10 that could easily become a 9 out of 10 when we will have custom ROMs - get rid of the cube, fix the battery issue, keep the good out of the interface, and use the powerful RAM at our disposal.
Therefore, this phone is here to stay (trust me I am picky about phones...) but I still hope it makes its way into savvy hands soon so we can enjoy it in its full potential.
Thoughts and comments are welcome!
I am coming from an Iphone (2 years ago) and a G1 (last year)
Pros:
-Hardware
Great Screen, better than anything else on the market (Iphone included), 3.5 mm jack, micro usb well placed, nice looking / elegant device, good weight, smart choice to put the unlock botton on the right to prevent accidental presses. Keys now light up (improvement over the Galaxy); Android phone with most RAM to date, slimmest Android phone to date.
-Camera functions
Best imaging / camera solution on any Android, not only for the many options and changes on the software, but for the fact (finally) that pressing the button slightly gives you autofocus before you take a picture. Also, takes photos very fast... good job by Samsung
-Music player / Music
Didn't try it fully yet, but it seems to be improved over stock Android a lot. Also, the music quality is very good, beats the G1.
-Overall UI
I will put this under the Pros because Samsung made a few changes that really improve the Android experience. First, the tray that comes down from the top has recent applications and GPS / Bluetooth / Wifi toggles, saving you more space on the home screen.
Many complain that placing icons freely on the home screen and not in 'grid' style is annoying, I find it an excellent improvement so we are free to place what we want, where we want.
The Dialer-Contacts-Web-Quicklist fixed bar is a very good idea and proves to be useful because it doesn't take much space, however it should be more customizable.
I will definitely try Open Home and other Home screen replacements, but the Samsung interface is definitely not as bad as people make you think.
Overall the UI is snappy, it does not lag at all, and it's a major improvement over the G1 and other Android devices.
Bad:
-Battery issue
I wouldn't call it a battery problem (largest battery on any Android phone) but I would call it an interface problem. As it was pointed out in other forums, by opening Taskiller you can notice that the phone opens up random programs (myfavs, google maps, etc.) wasting battery when not needed.
Also, the battery is not well calibrated, and I still have to power cycle it to make sure of its true performance.
I refuse turn off autosync (what did i get an Android for?) and I hope this will be fixed either in the next update or when custom roms will be available.
-The cube
Not useful. Not a huge deal because one can decide not to use it, but it would be nice to customize the hardware key for something else.
-Minor problems
Setting up an exchange e-mail is not possible (doesn't let you jump to the next field).
Quick list not customizable.
The keyboard could be improved, but it's not as bad as people think and you could use custom ones. Vibration helps a lot into the typing.
Phonebook - the one accessible from the fixed bar unfortunately lists ALL your Gmail contacts (also the e-mails you used once and went into your contacts- in gmail 'ALL CONTACTS') while the one you access from Dialer --> Contacts does it the right way by listing only the contacts that should be synched (basically when a name matches a number or an e-mail, it will appear, in gmail "MY CONTACTS'). I did not find a solution to this yet (let me know if you did...) but it's pretty annoying, especially because you can't pin point to the home screen the right 'my contacts'.
Left pulling menu - I would rather have it from the bottom even if it clashes with the fixed bar, but you can choose to use a different home application.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After having the g1 I truly believe an Android phone should be judged firstly and foremost on the hardware, and the Behold 2 does not disappoint - I think it's the best looking and functional hardware on the market, far better than the Droid (a brick) or anything that is around.
In the software area, I do appreciate Samsung's effort to differentiate itself from the crowd by creating some changes, but the first results are mixed. I wouldn't dismiss the UI as fast as other websites, most problems are minor and can be fixed with a Home application.
Generally speaking I give this phone a 7 out of 10 that could easily become a 9 out of 10 when we will have custom ROMs - get rid of the cube, fix the battery issue, keep the good out of the interface, and use the powerful RAM at our disposal.
Therefore, this phone is here to stay (trust me I am picky about phones...) but I still hope it makes its way into savvy hands soon so we can enjoy it in its full potential.
Thoughts and comments are welcome!
