Samsung launches first Tizen phone

Samsung Electronics has launched the world’s first smartphone powered by the Tizen operating system.

The Samsung Z will go on sale in Russia in the July-to-September quarter.

Most Samsung phones currently use the Android platform, but the South Korean firm has been working with chipmaker Intel to develop Tizen as an alternative operating system.

It is seen as a way to make Samsung less dependent on Android’s developer, Google.

“It enables Samsung to hedge its bets much better compared to some of its rivals,” Andrew Milroy, a vice president with consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC.

“However, it is unlikely to make a significant dent on the Android market share.”

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

It did not disclose the device’s price.

Samsung is currently the world’s best-selling Android device manufacturer.

Specifications of Samsung Tizen phone 

The Samsung Z goes head-to-head with some of the most powerful phones on the market. It packs a 4.9in Super AMOLED display, 2.3GHz quad core Snapdragon processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of native memory with a microSD card expansion slot, 4G compatibility and NFC.

The Samsung Z also has a fingerprint sensor built into the home button and heart rate monitor on the back to match the Samsung Galaxy S5.