Samsung has unveiled the company’s first-ever smartphone running on its home-grown platform, Tizen OS. Called the Samsung Z, this Tizen smartphone packs hardware that many may consider mid-range these days, despite Samsung labelling the Z as a premium device.
Sporting a similar faux-leather back cover as the Galaxy Note 3, the Samsung Z sports a 4.8-inch 720p Super AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage (supports up to 64GB microSD card slots), LTE Cat 4 support and 8MP and 2.1MP rear and front-facing cameras.
At the heart of the Samsung Z is, of course, the Tizen operating system. Shipping with version 2.2.1, this variant adds in some of the Samsung features found on the flagship Galaxy S5 such as the Ultra Power Saving Mode, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, and even the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor makes an appearance on the Samsung Z as well.
Samsung also touts two new features unique to Tizen OS: Dynamic Box and Colour Theme settings. While not much is known about Colour Theme (though it does sound pretty self-explanantory), the company has shown off an early version of Dynamic Box in a prototype Tizen device at MWC 2014, as can be seen in the video below. In addition, Tizen’s light footprint also means faster start-up times, while its MeeGo roots lends it superior multitasking capabilities.
For now, though, Samsung is only being released in Russia in Q3 this year. However, Samsung has noted that it is planning to expand availability to other markets – without naming them for now. Those attending the annual Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco starting tomorrow will be able to take a closer look at the device.
(Source: Samsung Tomorrow)
