Samsung Reveals The Very first Tizen Phone

News
By Kevin Parrish
published

This week while all eyes were glued to Computex 2014, Samsung launched the world's first commercially available Tizen phone, the Samsung Z, during the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco. The phone will be released in Russia in Q3 2014, and then to other markets after that for an unspecified amount.

According to the specs, the phone has a 4.8-inch screen with a 1280 x 720 resolution, backed by a quad-core SoC clocked at 2.3 GHz. The phone also has 2 GB of memory, 16 GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot supporting 64 GB of additional storage.

Additional specs reveal a 2.1MP camera on the front, an 8MP camera on the back, a fingerprint sensor, dual-band Wireless N and Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity, and NFC. Other features include a heart rate sensor, GPS, a barometer, accelerometer, gyro, a proximity sensor and more.

The phone will be made available in Black and Gold, and feature a faux leather back panel. The form factor has a slim, angular design, giving the device a "differentiated" look. The overall dimensions are 5.45 x 2.74 x 0.33 inches, and the weight is 0.299 pounds.

"The Tizen platform delivers a fast, optimal performance with improved memory management," states the PR. "The Tizen-based Samsung Z offers a faster startup time and immediate multi-tasking capabilities. The Samsung Z fully supports superb 2D and 3D graphic qualities, smoother scrolling and an improved rendering performance for web browsing. Users will also be able to enjoy safe and secure privacy protection using the built-in fingerprint sensor."

The phone runs Tizen 2.2.1, and allows users to access the Tizen Store for additional apps. To encourage more developers to join, the company is now offering a special promotional program to all developers for one year, as well as hosting local Tizen app challenges to enrich the Store with new apps.

Tizen is Samsung's answer to Android, a flexible and open mobile device platform that comes with multiple profiles to suit the devices we use today, including Tizen IVI (in-vehicle infotainment), Tizen Mobile, Tizen TV, and Tizen Wearable. The Tizen platform resides within the Linux Foundation and is directed by a Technical Steering Group.

This first Tizen phone was supposed to make an appearance back in October, but the release was put on hold because Samsung's CEO wanted to get the device just right.

Kevin Parrish
10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • NightLight
    not sure if this is gonna take off...
    Reply
  • vern72
    13450970 said:
    not sure if this is gonna take off...

    It will take off when Google does something really unpopular or if something unfavorable is revealed that they were doing in secret in Android.
    Reply
  • Zeroplanetz
    To me the phone itself looks a little outdated, if it is in this pic. Also I wouldn't be able to tell this apart from an android device. Looks identical to me. O.o
    Reply
  • This is probably going to make their phones more expensive and less reliable, at least for a couple of generations. This also means that eventually having a Samsung account is going to be mandatory. On the plus side their phones are (hopefully) going to have only half the bloat-ware. :) It must have taken a lot of faith in their customers' loyalty to essentially say "it's Google, or us"
    Reply
  • southernshark
    Asians tend to be pretty nationalistic, at least in their home countries, so I suspect this is targeted at SK consumers.
    Reply
  • hannibal
    Actually they can sell Tizen phones a little bit cheaper and ask more money in their own (closed) Tizen app shop. Like consoles this can be sold cheaper, because the user is forced to buy games from them at steep price.
    Reply
  • XM Keeper
    The front looks a lot like an lg optimus L9.
    Reply
  • texasti
    Why is Samsung wasting time and resources on developing another platform while Android is free and open source to anyone? Is Samsung no longer trust Google on Android platform? Or is it a sign that Google is going to be more restrictive on Android in near future so they are preparing for decreasing current dependency on Android?
    Reply
  • hannibal
    13467374 said:
    Why is Samsung wasting time and resources on developing another platform while Android is free and open source to anyone? Is Samsung no longer trust Google on Android platform? Or is it a sign that Google is going to be more restrictive on Android in near future so they are preparing for decreasing current dependency on Android?

    It is all about the money. If Samsung manages to make Tizen popular, they will make money with app shop, like Apple is doing! So they are willing to make a closed environment where they make all the rules, like MS shop, and Apple shop are today. It is business decision.

    Reply
  • robochump
    Every large Tech company wants to emulate Apple's AppStore/iTunes. Tizen is Samsung's way of accomplishing their version of the AppStore. Also everyone forgets Android is NOT free. M$ and TI get royalties for every Android OS sold and perhaps Samsung is trying to avoid that cost as well. Either way Samsung has a big hill to climb and will mainly affect Android market share.
    Reply