The oft-troubled Tizen platform from Samsung – seemingly in perpetual limbo between ‘coming soon’ and ‘probably not’ – has received yet another ray of hope in light of the recently cancelled Samsung Z project. Reports out of India indicate that Samsung is planning to release at least one non-flagship Tizen smartphone later this year on or around India’s Diwali festivities in November. Either the SM-Z130E or SM-Z130H are expected to contend in India’s entry-level markets, with the distinct possibility of both devices getting unveiled. Not many details are known about either handset, though Samsung has previously stated that their in-house Tizen OS could run on as little as 256MB of RAM – markedly a device targeted at price-conscious consumers.
Samsung could be preparing to launch its second smartphone running the Tizen operating system, which may go on to become the first to actually go on sale. According to the director of Samsung’s Asian Media Solutions Team, speaking to The Economic Times, Tizen smartphones will go on sale in India during November. Tizen has had a traumatic start to life. The software has been endlessly delayed, and not even the announcement of the Samsung Z, the first phone to use the OS, could save it from further problems. Initially planned for release in Russia sometime before September, the phone was then put on hold before being canceled completely. Following the setback, Samsung reportedly changed tactics with Tizen, deciding it stood a better chance on low-cost, mid-range devices instead of more expensive hardware such as the Z. Although never confirmed by Samsung, this does fit in with talk of a wide launch in India, where smartphones are growing at a fast rate, and budget hardware is in high demand. Tizen’s Indian debut could turn out to be timely, and a direct response to the launch of Android One, a range of Google-backed, low-cost, frequently updated smartphones. Three Android One devices went on sale this month, all costing the equivalent of around $105 each without a contract, and boasting an identical spec sheet. The phones were built by local manufacturers, but Google also announced a slew of new Android One hardware partners, from which Samsung was notably missing.
