The promise of a Tizen-powered smartphone has been with us since early 2013. After a number of postponements, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Z smartphone (pictured above) in early June. The company announced plans to launch in Q3 in Russia but then abruptly cancelled a launch event just days before it was to take place. It now appears that Samsung is ready to try to launch its first Tizen smartphone once more. According to South Korea’s Maeil Business Newspaper, it will unveil the Samsung Z1 in India on December 10.
Details about the Samsung Z1 are scarce but the report suggests that it will sell for less than US$100. If so, this will clearly not be a flagship device by any stretch of the imagination. We can instead expect entry-level smartphone specifications. It’s unclear whether Samsung has chosen to simply rebrand the Samsung Z but the price alone suggests that this is a different (and far less powerful) device.
While Tizen-powered smartphones remain elusive, Samsung has had more success with the operating system with its line of Gear smartwatches. A number of models, including the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, use a version of the operating system and even the original Galaxy Gear was upgraded from Android to Tizen.
Will 2015 be the year that Samsung begins to release more Tizen-powered smartphones in a bid to reduce its reliance on Android?
Source : Reuters