So…is the Tizen platform ready for the big time, or still one with plenty of issues to iron out? It has been a “will he, won’t he” situation with the home-brewed platform that has seen plenty of delays. Last we heard, Japanese carrier NTT Docomo announced that they are delaying plans to launch its first Tizen smartphone, amid rumours that the platform was again facing development issues. Samsung also confirmed that Tizen smartphones will not be appearing in this half of the year.
Now, it appears that the scheduled Tizen event for MWC 2014 will indeed go ahead – though whether or not a smartphone will be launched at the event remains to be seen. Another round of invites were sent out recently, where the Tizen Association promises “an exclusive sneak preview of the newest Tizen devices, as well as an opportunity to learn about the major milestones that the Tizen project has hit since last year’s event”. Given that the Tizen platform not only runs on smartphones and tablets, but also on smart TVs, smart cameras, cars and even home appliances, it is likely that we would be seeing some of these devices on display at this event.
At the same time, a leaked render of a supposed Tizen smartphone also appeared online. The Samsung ZEQ 9000, as it is rumoured to be called, looks like a mish-mash of the Samsung Galaxy S III and S4 in terms of appearance. In terms of hardware, the ZEQ 9000 is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz processor and featuring a 4.8″ 720p display. Serial leaker @evleaks then released a photo of the Tizen smartphone in the wild, which seems to look similar to the ZEQ 9000 renders.
