Samsung has finally unveiled its very first Tizen OS-based smartphone – Samsung Z. Although it’s a high-end device — despite lacking a full HD screen — I’m not sure we could recommend it to anyone. As I’m writing this, the Tizen eco-system is still nascent and one would miss many apps from competing platforms, namely iOS and Android.
Specs wise, the Z comes with a 2.3GHz quad-core processor (Snapdragon 800?), 4.8-inch 720p HD screen a la Galaxy S III, 2GB of RAM, Ultra Power Saving Mode, fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor. There are also 8-megapixel rear and 2.1-megapixel front cameras, LTE-A connectivity support, Bluetooth 4.0 and a 2,600 mAh battery.
When it comes to preloaded software, we find Download Booster, S Health 3.0 and few other Samsung apps.
The Samsung Z will debut in Russia followed by other markets where Samsung had success with its Bada OS-based Wave phones. It will also be at display at the forthcoming Tizen Developer Conference.
For those uninitiated, Tizen builds on top of Samsung’s Bada and Intel’s Moblin (later merged into MeeGo) efforts. It was in development for quite some time and now that the first smartphone is out, we are kinda disappointed. For some reason we’ve expected it to be much more than “yet another smartphone.” Think: Asus PadFone or an Ubuntu-powered smartphone that could be docked and connected to a big screen to make for real PC experience. Apparently, Samsung disagrees though you never know – perhaps they come up with some sort of a dock in the future. We’ll be watching this space, have no doubts about it.