The third smartphone powered by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s own Tizen mobile operating system would become available in the markets in India next week, the South Korean tech giant said on Tuesday.
The Z2 phone will be the cheapest Tizen phone Samsung has launched to date at 4,590 rupees ($68.44) and would be equipped with a 4-inch screen and India-specific features such as a safety mode for motorcyclists.
The phone will start selling in India on Aug. 29 and will be the first Tizen-powered device that will run on 4G networks
Google’s Android operating system powers Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and the world's top maker of smartphones, televisions and memory chips is trying to reduce its dependence on Google.
To enable the devices to communicate with each other and phones via the internet, the firm has been using Tizen on products ranging from TVs, home appliances and wearable products.
In markets such as India and Bangladesh, where many potential customers are still first-time buyers looking for a cheap device and do not necessarily need a big library of apps, and Samsung has so far kept Tizen available for such small number of markets.
While analysts have said the Z2's predecessors have found some success, the firm declined to comment on sales figures.
Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner said that the new device is not likely to disrupt the market in which Android phones dominate even as the company’s Tizen phones have not very successful in the country.
“The previous Tizen phones were good, but people were not used to the operating system,” he added.
The third Tizen phone the company is launching in India is the Z2. The Z1 and Z3 preceded this latest model in the Indian market. Due to India’s large number of price-sensitive customers, the country has been a primary target market for Samsung's Tizen phones.
Apart from having a dual SIM, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory, expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card,, the new 4-inch WVGA screen phone has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor installed. A 1500mAh battery powers the phone. In addition to a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, the phone also has a VGA front camera.
Among the other features that have been specifically designed to suit Indian customers and the Indian conditions, the Z2 has an Ultra Data Saving mode that, Samsung claims, is done by blocking unnecessary background applications from data consumption and by data compression technology, and is reportedly able to saves up to 40 percent of mobile data use. To filter incoming calls when a user is riding a bike, the Samsung Z2 also comes with a dedicated S bike mode.
Tripathi said that Samsung would have higher control over the device hardware and software, making them easier to manage as the share of Tizen grow and helped Samsung reduce its dependence on Google.
Tripathi however adds that unless Samsung offer Indian consumers compelling differentiation like ease of use, security, or interesting apps, it is not easy to entice users to shift from Android and this is a big challenge for Samsung.
(SourceLwww.reuters.com & www.pcworld.com)
The Z2 phone will be the cheapest Tizen phone Samsung has launched to date at 4,590 rupees ($68.44) and would be equipped with a 4-inch screen and India-specific features such as a safety mode for motorcyclists.
The phone will start selling in India on Aug. 29 and will be the first Tizen-powered device that will run on 4G networks
Google’s Android operating system powers Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and the world's top maker of smartphones, televisions and memory chips is trying to reduce its dependence on Google.
To enable the devices to communicate with each other and phones via the internet, the firm has been using Tizen on products ranging from TVs, home appliances and wearable products.
In markets such as India and Bangladesh, where many potential customers are still first-time buyers looking for a cheap device and do not necessarily need a big library of apps, and Samsung has so far kept Tizen available for such small number of markets.
While analysts have said the Z2's predecessors have found some success, the firm declined to comment on sales figures.
Vishal Tripathi, research director at Gartner said that the new device is not likely to disrupt the market in which Android phones dominate even as the company’s Tizen phones have not very successful in the country.
“The previous Tizen phones were good, but people were not used to the operating system,” he added.
The third Tizen phone the company is launching in India is the Z2. The Z1 and Z3 preceded this latest model in the Indian market. Due to India’s large number of price-sensitive customers, the country has been a primary target market for Samsung's Tizen phones.
Apart from having a dual SIM, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory, expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card,, the new 4-inch WVGA screen phone has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor installed. A 1500mAh battery powers the phone. In addition to a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, the phone also has a VGA front camera.
Among the other features that have been specifically designed to suit Indian customers and the Indian conditions, the Z2 has an Ultra Data Saving mode that, Samsung claims, is done by blocking unnecessary background applications from data consumption and by data compression technology, and is reportedly able to saves up to 40 percent of mobile data use. To filter incoming calls when a user is riding a bike, the Samsung Z2 also comes with a dedicated S bike mode.
Tripathi said that Samsung would have higher control over the device hardware and software, making them easier to manage as the share of Tizen grow and helped Samsung reduce its dependence on Google.
Tripathi however adds that unless Samsung offer Indian consumers compelling differentiation like ease of use, security, or interesting apps, it is not easy to entice users to shift from Android and this is a big challenge for Samsung.
(SourceLwww.reuters.com & www.pcworld.com)
