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The Samsung Behold (SGH-T919) is the second 5-megapixel camera phone to be released in the U.S. and it follows the path of the MOTOZINE ZN5 on T-mobile. While 5-megapixel cameras are nothing new to our readers abroad, it has been a long journey for U.S. carriers to accept the idea of a phone replacing our digital point and shoot camera. As you might have seen in our camera phone shootout where we put the Behold up against the Nokia E71, HTC Touch Diamond and iPhone 3G, the quality of camera phone images is rapidly improving. But what about the core functions of the phone? Has Samsung left behind basic functionality and performance as a sacrifice to offer a high-end camera? Let’s find out.

Build Quality

At first glance Sprint subscribers will notice similarities in design to their Samsung Instinct. The 3.1-inch touchscreen with haptic feedback running at 240 x 400 pixels (Instinct is 240 x 432 pixels) 262k vibrant colors, and dimensions of 4.1 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches (Behold) versus 4.57 x 2.17 x 0.49 inches (Instinct).

If we had to rate the styling of the Behold versus the Instinct, we would have to give the edge to the Instinct since we like the touch sensitive controls over the traditional button bar on the Behold. In terms of build quality and ruggedness, the Behold and Instinct are equal and we thoroughly enjoyed how easy it was to remove the battery from the back of the device. However several times we accidentally opened the lock mechanism when the Behold was in our carrying case.

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Imaging

The Samsung Behold features a 5.0-megapixel (2560 x 1920 pixels) camera. The camera offers a LED flash, autofocus and 4 different effects that can be applied when taking pictures: Black and White, Sepia, Negative and Water Color, of course the default setting has these disabled. To help adjust your pictures for the proper setting you can adjust the White Balance to Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent or Cloudy. Rounding out the camera settings is the Scene selection where you can choose between Portrait, Landscape, Night, Sports, Sunset or Dawn.

Here are some sample pictures of the Samsung Behold’s 5-megapixel camera in action. You can also see the full comparison shots with the Nokia E71, HTC Touch Diamond and Apple iPhone 3G here:

 

OS – Software

The Behold makes use of the TouchWiz UI which packs a collection of widgets in a drawer along the side of the homescreen. You can drag and drop these widgets as you please, providing easy access to the programs you use the most. The problem with this interface is that even at 240 x 400 pixel resolution, desktop space is minimal and only the most critical widgets should be placed on the screen. What we would have liked to have seen is a multi-page homescreen similar to what is used on the T-mobile G1 where users have 3 or more home pages to place their widgets.

A major issue when it comes to opting for a full-touchscreen phone is deciding whether productivity will be hindered by the lack of physical keyboard input. This might not be a big concern for the casual email or text message, but power users come in all shapes and sizes and having a reliable keyboard is priceless. The text input on the Samsung Behold is the same as we have seen on the Insinct, when the phone is vertical a standard shared keyboard appears or in landscape mode a full QWERTY keyboard is used. Typing on the Behold is adequate, but heavy text messages and emails became bothersome.

Web browsing is on par with other non-smartphones despite the device being listed as HTML browser equipped. The precision of the Touch Screen and the quick access buttons along the side of the browser delivered a comfortable experience. Support for T-mobile’s 3G network and the web browser downloaded pages quickly and effortlessly under full reception. The bottom line is that the browser gets the job done despite lacking the glitz and glamour of full-fledged smartphones.

Instant Messaging compatibility via AIM, ICQ, Windows Live and Yahoo! is also bundled with the Behold. While the T-mobile Sidekick will always remain our top pick when it comes to AIM, the Behold covers the bases.  If you are choosing the device based on Instant Messaging alone, you are clearly trying to turn the Samsung Behold into a Sidekick, which is not the light the device should be seen in.

Comparison

A picture is worth a thousand words so the best way to compare the Behold’s design is to put it side-by-side with the industry’s top sellers: the Apple iPhone 3G and the BlackBerry Storm. Keep in mind that these three devices are intended for much different users.

With phones like these it is hard to decide when it comes from style so we’ll leave that up to your personal preference.  One comment we’d like to throw out there is that when it comes to image quality, the Samsung Behold is unmatched by either the iPhone 3G or BlackBerry Storm despite their 100 million dollar advertising budgets.

Final Thoughts

The Samsung Behold delivers a stable full-touchscreen experience for T-mobile users. The affordable price and adequate feature set make it an excellent alternative to the Samsung Instinct if image quality is a priority. Our only hesitation in recommending the device instead of the Instinct is due to the limited 3G coverage on T-mobile’s network as compared to Sprint’s EVDO.

The design and style of the Behold offer a professional look not seen by non-smartphones like the T-mobile Sidekick or T-mobile G1, but as a dedicated messaging device we’d still prefer the Sidekick LX. The best user of the Samsung Behold would be a casual text message user looking to have basic email access, IM connectivity and a camera that could replace their point-and-shoot. If you are a power user who enjoys the style of the Behold, but would prefer a full-fledged smartphone, we recommend looking at Verizon’s Samsung Omnia instead. However if you fit the qualifications above and currently reside on T-mobile’s network, the Behold is ready for the taking.