Samsung has launched the world's first smartphone that runs on the Tizen open-source operating system, but it won't be available in the U.S. anytime soon.
The smartphone maker announced that the Samsung Z will start shipping sometime between July and August in Russia and in other unspecified countries on later dates. Considering that services provided by Google, along with Facebook and Skype, are banned in Russia, it makes sense that Samsung chose to launch its first Tizen smartphone in the country.
The Samsung Tizen sports a 4.9-inch Super AMOLED display, which Samsung says supports 2D and 3D graphics and smooth-as-butter scrolling. Under the hood, it runs on an unspecified 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal disk expandable to 64GB. On its rear panel, the Samsung Z has a decent 8-megapixel camera and a 2.1-megapixel snapper on the front side.
The Samsung Z also features a heart rate sensor and a fingerprint scanner similar to that found in the Samsung Galaxy S5, its flagship smartphone based on Google's Android.
"Samsung is committed to enhancing the mobile experience of consumers with innovation that is both personal and unique to their needs. The Samsung Z integrates the power and adaptability of the Tizen platform, enabling users to browse the web faster and utilize applications more effectively," said chief of global sales and marketing office of Samsung's mobile communications business DJ Lee in a press release.
Samsung has been developing Tizen-based smartphones for several months, but the formal announcement of Samsung Z has faced a number of delays as Samsung faced problems with its hardware and software. Tizen is struggling to keep itself relevant in a smartphone market that is dominated by Android phones. More than 80% of all smartphones around the world are running on one version or another of Google's established mobile operating system.
Tizen is also facing challenges soliciting carrier support. While major mobile carriers, including Sprint, Vodafone and Orange, are members of the Tizen Association, one of the big names, such as Telefonica, has dropped its support for the operating system, saying it doubt if Tizen can actually challenge Android or Apple's iOS. NTT DoCoMo, the largest mobile carrier in Japan and one of Tizen's earliest advocates, shelved plans to create its own Tizen-based smartphone, citing the lack of consumer demand for products that are not based on Android or iOS.
Earlier this year, Samsung released its second-generation smartwatch, the Gear 2, which runs on Tizen. The company has also announced millions of dollars in prizes to encourage developers to jump on the Tizen platform and create apps for the new OS.
