Samsung has finally launched it’s first Tizen phone in form of Samsung Z. Following much speculation and years of development since 2011, the Tizen project was always suspected to be Samsung’s trump card as it tries to break from being dominated by Google’s Android restrictive licensing. It would also mean that Samsung would have to shoulder the burden to build Tizen’s eco-system, as Tizen’s licensing is said to be complicated as well.
Why Tizen? Samsung says the open-source OS delivers “a fast, optimal performance with improved memory management” along with “a faster startup time and immediate multi-tasking capabilities.” The company is also touting Tizen’s web rendering and scrolling performance.
Samsung Z’s specifications are not cutting edge, so perhaps it would be a mid to low-end phone, though Samsung has called it “premium”. Specs include a 4.8-inch 720p AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, and an 8-megapixel camera. Like the Android-based Galaxy S5, it includes a fingerprint sensor, as does S Health 3.0, Ultra Power Saving Mode and Download Booster. Interesting add ons, but more importantly would be, would the Tizen-based Samsung Z be power efficient, and how many apps would Tizen gather within 12 to 18 months of mobile phone launch?
Also, the Tizen powered Samsung Z comes with some TouchWiz features, confirming our beliefs that Samsung pushed for TouchWiz, so that they could easily switch over users to the Tizen OS when the appropriate time came. After all, perhaps Samsung realised that the Apple App Store was generating USD 10 billion in 2013, and could top USD 22 billion come 2014.
The Samsung Z is scheduled to launch in Russia coming Q3, while Samsung will show the phone off in the Tizen developer conference next week.