Samsung's first Tizen phone, the Samsung Z, to hit Russia in Q3
The Korean electronics giant will show the phone at the Tizen Developer Conference, taking place this week in San Francisco.



Samsung's first Tizen smartphone is finally here -- well kinda.

The Korean electronics giant said late Sunday that it will launch its first smartphone powered by the open-source software in the third quarter in Russia. The phone, called, the Samsung Z, will ship in other markets at a later date, Samsung said.

The phone comes with a 4.9-inch HD Super AMOLED display and a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor and fully supports 2D and 3D graphics. It also sports an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera and includes a fingerprint sensor and the ultra power saving mode that first appeared in Samsung's Galaxy S5 flagship Android phone. The Samsung Z will be available in black and gold and features a slim, angular design that sets the device apart from Samsung's Galaxy S line of phones.

Samsung said the use of Tizen on the phone allows for a faster start-up time, immediate multitasking capabilities, and faster Web browsing. The Samsung Z features a "distinctive home and application layout for easy access to favorite features and apps." The operating system also includes a "dynamic box" and color themes settings to let users tailor the device to their tastes.

Samsung will show off the phone at the Tizen Developer Conference, being held this week in San Francisco.

Samsung is the world's biggest Android device maker by a wide margin, but it has been developing Tizen as an alternative to Google's operating system for quite some time. Tizen gives Samsung more control over its own future, allowing it to rely less on Google and more on its homegrown software. That becomes increasingly important as Google works to support other Android vendors and as Samsung tries to set itself apart from all the other handset makers in the market.

The Korean electronics giant has been working on Tizen-based smartphones for months, but its first phone has faced numerous delays. Samsung not only had troubles with hardware and getting the software itself ready, but it also has struggled with carrier support, apps, and other features essential for a successful launch. The Samsung Z will hit the market about a year later than Samsung had planned.

Samsung Zorro.

Many of you here might prefer Samsung Zzzzzz.

Samsung Z specifications add on (copy paste from website refering to PhoneArena)

Nice to see the IR for remote! At least the 2nd life for this device is guaranteed

4.8-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD Super AMOLED display
2.3 GHz quad-core processor
Tizen OS 2.2.1
Dimensions: 138.2 x 69.8 x 8.5mm; Weight: 136 g
8MP Auto Focus Camera with LED Flash
2.1MP front-facing camera
Heart rate sensor, Fingerprint sensor, S Health 3.0, Download Booster
IR Remote
2GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB with microSD
4G LTE Cat.4 / 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n HT40, MIMO(2×2), Bluetooth v4.0 LE, GPS + GLONASS, NFC
2600 mAh battery with Ultra Power Saving Mode

oh boy...how i hate this samsung design and their touchwiz ui.

Why do people always look at hw when a new os hit the market? It was the same with jolla when they hit us with their device. Focus on sw and to get it out to end-user. Us. Or not. Do as you please. It's a free world.

couldnt agree less, hardware is important for many reasons. Graphics performance/support, wifi (open drivers, monitor mode, oacket injection, stability etc), gps, bt (4.0 LE for example) just to mention a few

Was mainly answer users before me with hw design issues.

Nieldk. True. If we should look at specs and features.

Still. In my opinion is always hw secondary to sw when trying to break into Market with a new os. The device. Is "dead" within 2 years. Sw should live longer...

Actually it looks "much" better than the current galaxy line, to me. Old design doesn't mean ugly, take a look at sammy's old omnia 7 which looks much nicer than most galaxys.

So what about the GPU on this new Tizen device? Will it have native Wayland drivers? Any chance of running Sailfish on it?

Probably because the hardware is the only thing that shines on this Tizen device.
A HTML5 runtime with X11 and TouchWiz UI? Doesn't sound too exciting...