If you visit a lot of Android related sites you might have noticed all the Behold 2 banner ads. Samsung has also launched their own mini web comic called Adventures of Behold 2 Man.

What do you think of the new campaign?

The Samsung Behold II is supposed to eventually support Android 2.x, but we are still waiting to get the exact details on that upgrade. T-Mobile has lowered the price down to $309 off contract or $149 with 2 year agreement.

The new price points should be:

• Motorola Cliq $149.99 2 year contract. No MIR
• Samsung Behold 2 $149.99 2 year contract, No MIR
• T-Mobile G1 $99.99 2 year contract, No MIR
• MyTouch 3G $149.99 2 year contract, No MIR
• Fender Limited Edition Mytouch $179.99 2 year contract, no MIR. $449.99 full invoice price

T-Mobile is scheduled to launch the limited edition Fender myTouch 3G on January 20th and the lower prices could hint at another future high-end phone launch. Our sources still seem to think Motorola is a good candidate to launch the next flagship device for T-Mobile retail stores.

The Samsung Behold II is Samsung’s second Android phone released in the United States (first was Sprint Moment). The phone is now available on T-Mobile for $229.99 with a 2yr contract or $449 with no contract.

There was initially a lot of confusion over the official hardware specs, but we were able to clear that up. The Behold II is essentially a first generation Android phone because it features the same 528 MHz ARM11 processor which was included in the G1. Samsung also decided to ship the phone with the outdated Android 1.5, but they claim it will eventually support Android 2.0.

I have seen little promotion for this phone and I think I understand why. While many reviewers praised the AMOLED display and camera, they did not have much else positive to say about the Behold II. Samsung created a custom version of Android, called TouchWiz, and it appears to be an epic fail.

Keep in mind most of these reviews come from hardcore geeks like me. Some of them are pretty rough on the phone, but that is because they are comparing it to previous Android phones. It is entirely possible you might purchase this phone and love it.

I’m eagerly waiting for T-Mobile to release a second generation phone, but I’m quite happy with my Cyanogen-powered HTC Magic (myTouch 3G) till then.

Reviews are up at:

• Gizmodo: “Samsung’s Behold II is the most impressively ugly Android phone in existence. The custom interface is so bad, so gaudy and so confusing it turned my brains into ooze.”
• Unwired View: “It’s natural for Samsung to have vested interest in using TouchWiz to see how it works out. Sadly, that was probably not a good choice, considering it was more sluggish and a processor-hog.”
• PC World: “Though the Behold II has a gorgeous AMOLED display and a superior camera, customers might be turned off by the high price (it is more expensive than the iPhone 3GS and the Motorola Droid) as well as the somewhat cluttered TouchWiz interface.”
• Mobile Burn: “The Samsung Behold II had the makings of a great Android smartphone, but turned out to be the merely decent one instead. Samsung’s bull-headed support for its awkward and counter-intuitive TouchWiz homescreen system spoils the fun.”
• InfoSync: “Samsung’s TouchWIZ interface hurts Android experience”
• CNET: “Of all the Android devices, the Samsung Behold II offers some of the most powerful multimedia features, but its high price tag is a major turn off.”
• Brighthand: “If you are looking at an Android device on T-Mobile and aren’t as into the myTouch 3G, or the clunkiness of the G1, the Behold II is a nice option.”

I contacted Samsung and T-Mobile and received the following response from both parties:

• CPU: 528 MHz
• ROM: 200 MB (*)
• RAM: 320 MB

(*) Please note that the ROM number provided to us is most likely the free space available to the user. We have been unable to confirm this, but I believe the true ROM size is 512 MB like most other current Android phones.

It is interesting to see that Samsung included the 320 MB RAM. This is more memory than any Android phone to date. Most new phones like the Droid feature 256 MB RAM and the highest we have seen was the 288 MB RAM included with the HTC Hero and certain versions of the HTC Magic.

We were hoping to receive a review unit for the Behold II, but that didn’t happen (big surprise). Check back tomorrow for a full review roundup of the Behold II and more information on its launch.

Samsung officially unveiled their Behold II today which will be available on T-Mobile starting November 18, 2009. T-Mobile failed to include the retail price with their press release but it looks like the phone will be available for $229.99 with a 2yr contract (Or maybe $199 – someone can’t make up their mind).

Also released today were the highly anticipated product specifications (PDF). We have been eagerly waiting to find out the CPU, RAM, and ROM which would power this phone. As many of our regular readers already know, every Android phone T-Mobile has released includes a Qualcomm 528 MHz processor.

Even with the official product spec sheet in hand, we are unable to report the CPU, RAM, and ROM. Samsung decided to conveniently leave those off and instead chose to focus on other cool features like a “3D cube navigation menu”.

When a handset maker wants to tout some gimmick software over pure hardware specs, something is wrong. Handset makers should be in the business of producing awesome phones and should not be wasting their time on software. If you want to release a Google phone, then leave the operating system up to Google and focus on bringing your consumers a kick ass device.

The totally unconfirmed rumors suggest the Samsung Behold II will feature a 528 MHz CPU, 512 MB ROM, and 256 MB RAM. We are certain the phone will ship with the outdated Android 1.5, but Samsung is claiming the device will eventually support Android 2.0.

The Bottom Line

This product is nothing to get excited about, but at least T-Mobile customers have their choice of another 1st generation Android phone.

Engadget got some hands on time with the device and has posted a short video.

I also just found one more video from MobileBurn.

[via T-Mobile Phones Blog]