Samsung to launch Tizen-powered smartphone in Q3

Korean electronics giant Samsung will launch the first smartphone based on its Tizen platform in the July-September quarter this year, a move aimed at reducing dependence on the popular Google's Android OS.

Samsung, which is the world's largest smartphone maker, said the Tizen-powered 'Samsung Z' will come with a 4.8 inch HD display and 2.3 GHz Quad-core processor.

It will also feature 8MP rear camera, 2.1MP front camera, 2GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory (expandable up to 64GB) and a 2600 mAh battery.

The Samsung Z will be on show at the Tizen Developer Conference, San Francisco from tomorrow.

The device will be made available in the third quarter in Russia followed by other markets, Samsung said but did not disclose specific details.

"The Samsung Z integrates the power and adaptability of the Tizen platform, enabling users to browse the web faster and utilise applications more effectively," Samsung Electronics President and Head of Global Sales and Marketing Office (Mobile Communications Business) DJ Lee said in a statement.

A majority of Samsung's mobile phones are currently powered by the Android platform, which is also the dominant OS on most smartphones across the globe.

Previously, Samsung ran 'Bada' OS, which did not see much success. It has since been working on merging the platform with Tizen, which is backed by chipmaker Intel Corp.

The other popular OS' include Apple iOS, Microsoft's Windows Phone OS and BlackBerry's proprietary platform.

According to research firm IDC, smartphone sales stood at 281.5 million smartphones globally in Q1 2014, up 28.6 per cent from 218.8 million units in January-March 2013.

Samsung had a 30.2 per cent share, while Apple had 15.5 per cent and Huawei had 4.9 per cent share in the said quarter.

As per Gartner, another research firm, sales of Android OS-based devices stood at 879.8 million in 2013 and is expected to grow to 1.17 billion this year and touch 1.35 billion by 2015.

Shipment of Windows and iOS-based devices, on the other hand, is expected to be 339.1 million and 286.4 million this year, respectively.