It looks like Samsung could finally be on the verge of actually launching phones running on its in-house mobile OS Tizen. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Korean manufacturer is targeting Russia and India, two of the so-called emerging smartphone markets, for the launch of the first Tizen handsets as soon as sometime in the next few weeks. Tizen recently made it to the consumer market through the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, and Samsung is expected to hold an Unpacked event in Moscow to unveil the first Tizen smartphone similar to how it launches its Android flagships, and follow up with a launch in India soon after.
Samsung is reportedly targeting such emerging markets where it already has a huge presence, and also because mobile consumers in these markets don't have a preference for a particular mobile OS. Since these markets are seeing growth in mostly the low-end and mid-range segment, it's possible Samsung will launch a device in every category in quick succession (the fact that Tizen can run on really low-end hardware should help.) According to prolific leakster @evleaks, the company is currently working on four Tizen handsets, with model numbers SM-Z500, SM-Z700, SM-Z900 and SM-Z910, and some of these could be leading the Tizen lineup when it goes official.
Anyone looking to buy Samsung's Tizen handsets, or would you prefer to stick to Android for the foreseeable future?
