Samsung Behold vs T-Mobile G1 Phone
Filed under: Cell Phones, Handsets | By: Peter Chubb
Posted on: November 11, 2008 | 174 Comments
The T-Mobile G1 Phone is always being compared to the Apple iPhone 3G, but that is an unfair fight. Maybe the first Google Android powered phone should be compared to something that is more on a level with the handset, like the Samsung Behold.
The specs on both are impressive, but you can’t help but notice how much better looking the Behold is, but Samsung have a knack of designing nice looking phones. The Samsung has a 3-inch LCD color touch screen, 5 megapixel camera and camcorder with flash and auto-focus, included 1GB microSD Card and an HTML web browser. The Samsung Behold sounds impressive on paper.
The T-Mobile G1 has a slightly larger 3.2-inch TFT-LCD flat touch-sensitive screen; the camera is a lower 3.2-megapixel with auto-focus and only has a 192.0 MB built-in memory. Overall the hardware on the Samsung Behold is a much better handset, but it is the software on the T-Mobile G1 that’s makes it a good phone.
Which of the two do you think is a better handset?
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i think the samsung is way better than the g1
wow short and to the point well i have the G1 but now thinking about the behold. because the G1 is acting up now! it would freeze on me, drop calls when i have service which sucks, the battery life stinks, and also now it rings but dont show who is calling or wont let me answer
ok peoples, ive had both phones and honestly, the g1 is way superior to the behold. but it really all depends on what u look for ina phone. the samsung has better memory an camera, and maybe looks better, but the g1 gets over 100s of free games, and apps. theres apps that letchu do jus about anything on the g1. it can really save you some money as well. trust me, g1 is the way to go, unless you really taking pics. that being said, the camera on the g1 isnt bad at all.. its better than the average cell phone, jus not as good as your real expensive phones. but g1 is most deff better overall.
i have the behold and i think it rocks! it is by faar the best phone ve ever haaad my old friend has the g1 and i hate it ! the neww one looks coool but the behold is still better and alwaays will be :]
I tried both in-store yesterday. I’m not a tech geek so are the more surface differences I saw (besides what was mentioned above):
- Behold isn’t capable of WiFi, G1 is.
- Behold is small and sleek, G1 seems big and clunkier plus it’s not completely flat (the bottom part is angled upward).
- Behold has only a few hard buttons for calling, going back, and scrolling. G1 has a full keypad as well as buttons for calling, going back, and scrolling.
- Touchscreen: Behold is touch reactive (any contact makes it work). I was surprised to find that, just like the iPhone, the G1 is heat reactive (ie nails…yes, I’m a girl…or a stylus won’t work). However it seemed I had to push/drag a little harder with the Behold, which in turn made the G1’s touchscreen seem smoother when operating.
- Texting: Behold has QWERTY when turned on its side, and 12-key phone-style tying when held upright, including T9 predictive text. G1 requires you to slide open to the QWERTY keyboard. However the gap/edge caused by opening the sliding screen makes texting with the right hand feel awkward. I’m assuming the angle at the bottom of the phone that I mentioned earlier was to try and alleviate this, but I still didn’t like it.
- Web: Unfortunately when I tried the Behold they didn’t have the web wasn’t working on it. I’ve read it’s capable of full web browsing but that many sites (including Facebook) still only recognize it as mobile web. The G1 is full web browsing, similar to the iPhone, and was very easy to navigate.
- Free Apps: G1 will have them, however I’m not sure if/how it’ll work with the Behold. I’m calling T-Mobile today to find out, and to see if there’s a site I can go to to preview what apps are available.
- I was in the store for a half hour and felt it was time to leave, so the only other thing I looked at was the settings which were easy to understand. Seemed there were more settings options on the G1 than the Behold. I wasn’t going to use a store phone to call people and test out the sound quality or be rude and make noise listening to music. You can go to gsmarena or cnet or something like that if you want those and other details.
Overall, my personal preferences have me leaning towards the Behold. I mean, really, what do you need WiFi for if you already have an unlimited data plan? And I like the touch reactive screen for texting. I’ve tried the iPhone more than once and I can’t text well on it. Texting on the Behold with my fingers was easier than the iPhone, and (this may sound prissy, but whatever) even more precise when using my nails. The only thing holding me back is apps…if I find they won’t be as accessible for the Behold as the ones for the G1, or that the apps for the iPhone pummel the ones available for T-Mobile, then I might just <> switch to AT&T to get the iPhone.
I know this is late response, but the Behold is not heat sensitive and you can use stylus. Just to be clear for those who like to use the stylus.
Follow-Up:
I called during lunch…I’m still unclear as to what apps, if any, are available for the Behold, but the G1 uses Android’s apps. Here’s their website with a preview of some (but not nearly all) of their apps available: http://www.android.com/market
Word is that since it’s open source, the sky’s the limit with how many apps will develope.
I have the G1 and my coworker has the Samsung Behold and while the Samsung Behold is a nice, sleek multimedia phone, the G1 offers so much more in the way of applications and consistant data updates. I prefer the heat sensitive pad simply because of the ease of movement. The Behold’s touch screen takes a bit more pressure. The video application plays better on the G1 (though to date I have not found ANY video app to beat or even match the Blackberry Pearl 8120’s app). The screen is larger for video playing on the G1 and the video itself is larger. Both have excellent MP3 capabilities and the Behold’s pictures are amazing. the G1’s pictures are excellent as well, but I’ll give the Behold the upper hand here as that is what it does best. My coworker and I both prefer the G1.
Follow-Up:
I called during lunch…I’m still unclear as to what apps, if any, are available for the Behold, but the G1 uses Android’s apps. Here’s their website with a preview of some (but not nearly all) of their apps available: http://www.android.com/market
Word is that since it’s open source, the sky’s the limit with how many apps will develop.
ugh! this is my problem as well i need to know about the apps. im a blackberry pearl user i have had mine for the past 2 years so i felt it time to ungrade well the curve was to big so i went for the blkberry flip omg ugh hated it so i sent that back and went for the behold. i’ve called searched online and still nothing about apps the only answer i got over the phone was to wait until i got the phone and go to tmobile from there the rep said that they load each phone with its own apps so she couldnt tell me just what they all had so im waiting and will keep you posted if you like………oh yeah the g1 i didnt go for it because the look was just awful to me and it was to heavy to bulky.
I had the G1 for 2weeks and just returned it for the behold. The G1 as a whole is a sick phone. but if you realy break it down it’s not all that . You have no notifications for missed calls, IM,or messages. so if you don’t hear it the one time it rings then you won’t know untill you open up your home screen again. This was a big deal for me . texting wasn’t all that hard but was kind weird . nothing like a side kick. Apps. don’t buy in to all the hype there not all that , just alot of the same stuff. I downloaded 20 of them . some are ok but for the most part very weak, and don’t work as discrided . Phone is very clunky and feels a bit like a brick in you pocket. the bluetooth sound very low in your ear. and the battery life is horrable.like i said i had it for two weeks and if i played with it even alittle durning the day it wouldn’t make it untill i got off work . I’m not a G1 hater , I just feel that everybody should know what their getting in to . remember this is the first try for ANDROID and it has alot of bugs . i realy think when the next phone comes out they will have worked out most of the probs. ,but for now i would say stay clear of the G1
That is a real shame, Chris. When I had the Behold, I had it for about 2 weeks and then exchanged it for the G1. Then a month or so later I bought an Unlocked Behold on Ebay, because I missed having a smaller phone. HOWEVER, I still prefer the G1 and that is the phone I use most between the two since I can do more with it. Yes, there are differences, but the G1 does so much more that the Behold doesn’t. If you want a phone just for texting, calling, music, and of course—the 5 megapixel camera, then it may work for you because compared to the G1 it’s a simpler phone.
But, if you want a powerhouse that does texting, internet, a variety of email services, music, camera, and numerous apps and ways to customize the phone—then the G1 may be better, especially with the new Cupcake Update.
Yes, I love how sleek the Behold is, but it has small quirks to it that annoys me, such as how the QWERTY keyboard works in only certain apps, and that I cannot check my Hotmail email, or that I can’t sign into more than one Messenger at once. The only thing I loved about the Behold was its size and ringtones. It was hard to navigate the web browser, whether it was with Opera Mini or not. The camera, despite it being 5 megapixel, took forever to take pictures. It was not the easiest phone to type on, but I became more accustomed to it with time once I bought the Unlocked Behold.
The G1’s battery life is a bummer, but I once had the Helio Ocean and I am use to these kinds of phones not lasting as long as I would like. Even when I had the Ocean, I had the Helio Samsung Heat, a smaller lighter phone with a great battery that I could carry around with me. If the battery is an issue, there are apps that you can download in order to better manage your power, such as the Power Manager. As far as Notifications go…I do not know why you aren’t receiving yours, I can only assume it is something in your settings because my G1 alerts me just fine. The phone can be customized in a variety of different ways and it is easy to miss something. But I get alerts for missed calls, new emails, new messages. Now, do I get an alert for something every 5 minutes? No, but that is fine with me because that annoys me, but I can simply press a key when my phone is locked and whatever Notifications I have will appear, so then that way I will know.
And, about the curve of the G1, Cnet complained about it and other people did as well and it is NOT a big deal. The curve doesn’t take away from the phone and yeah at first glance I thought it was strange—but it’s fine, I don’t even notice it anymore. Supposedly, it is there to bring the mic closer to your mouth, so it has a function to it. When texting, it doesn’t get in my way, it’s actually pretty comfortable and makes the phone easier to hold. Frankly people need to get over it, because when it comes to phones looks cannot be everything. Again, if you want a beautiful phone then get the Behold.
But that is all it comes down to when I compare the two: beauty and functionality. It is up to the buyer to determine which they want and what is more important.
How long does the phone go before the battery dies?
I don’t like that the g1 has no video recorder or flash. The behold camera is much clearer. I’m just worried about the apps.
There is no way that the Samsung behold compares, even, close to the G1. The only phone that might compare but not to the fullest is the iphone 3g other than that T-Mobile G1 is the best phone so far till its next evolution.
@Chris, I’m not sure why your phone didn’t update your notifications. I always have notifications cause I’m never around my phone. Missed calls, texts, IMs, all of that…so yeah you just had one from a bad batch. Overall, the G1 is great and perfect for me. Apps are awesome, some are pointless but when you’re bored they come in handy. As far as battery life…what do you expect? There’s so much going on with the phone all at once, of course you won’t be able to go the whole day with it. It would have been nice if it came with two batteries but what’s done is done. Carry your charger with you. The Behold is a nicer look but has nothing on the G1. The iPhone is just as nice but I personally prefer the G1. I’ve had my phone since last month and no major problems. Calls don’t drop, phone doesn’t crash, and unlike most, the Jay Leno chin of the G1 doesn’t feel awkward to me but I can see how it might.
I just got the G1 Fri night. I dont like the awkwardness of the texting with right hand due to the piece on the right that is in the way. I am considering exchaning for the Behold. I only need a phone for email, text and internet. What is the best one?? What are the apps everyone is talking about? Sorry, I am a little techno challenged.