Reuters reported that Samsung will be releasing several new devices this year that will be powered by the company's self-made Tizen operating system.
Tizen will be an open-source operating system that is designed to be able to run across different kinds of devices, similar to the industry-leading Android operating system released by Google. Tizen can be used on smartphones, tablets, TVs and other gadgets.
According to people familiar with Samsung's plans, the company will be doing just that and launch mobile phones that will occupy different price points, reported Reuters.
Samsung has become the leader in the development of the new operating system, but several big technology companies such as Panasonic, Huawei and Intel, are part of the Tizen Association, which is the group founded in 2012 that looks to support the creation of the platform.
At first, Tizen was supposed to be the answer of Samsung to the Android and iOS, which are the two dominant names in mobile operating systems. However, due to several setbacks and delays, Samsung has decided to offer Tizen instead as an alternative operating system for customers within emerging markets that would need low-cost devices.
Samsung finally launched the Z1, the first Tizen-powered smartphone, in January within India, later expanding to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The device costs only $100 unlocked, which allows customers to purchase a smartphone without having to shell out as much if they would purchase a higher-end option running on either Android or iOS. The Z1 has so far sold 1 million units in India, a significant number considering that India is the third-biggest market in the world for smartphones. And in Bangladesh, the Z1 was seen as the best-selling smartphone for the period of January to March,
The Tizen OS can also be found in other products by Samsung, such as the wearable devices of the company. Several such devices, including the Gear 2 and the Gear S, are powered by Tizen. In addition, Samsung said in January that its smart TVs for the year will also be running on Tizen.
However, Samsung will need more smartphones running on the operating system to be able to build up the Tizen ecosystem, which will in turn attract more users to purchase Tizen devices and call for more third-party developers to work on projects on the platform.
In addition, the lower end of the market that the Z1 has penetrated could be a significant one for Samsung, as competition in the space to offer low-cost smartphones to users is heating up.
When contacted for comment, however, Samsung declined to do so on the matter.
