Samsung unveiled its latest Tizen-powered phone, continuing to use the platform to target first-time smartphone users.
Debuting in India this week (19 May), the company said: “with more than 500 million feature phone users, India has immense potential for smartphone upgrade”. Its pricing of INR5,790 ($90) reflects its market positioning.
Named the Z4, the device is powered by a 1.5GHz quadcore processor, with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage (and microSD expansion slot). It features a 4.5-inch 480×800 pixel display, 5MP front camera and 5MP rear camera, and 2050mAh battery.
It includes 4G, VoLTE and VoWiFi capabilities.
In terms of specifications, this is not much of a bump over the earlier Z3 – indeed the screen and rear camera are steps down.
For India, the company touted “Make for India” localisation features, including an “S bike mode” which “lets consumers ride tension-free”, and “My Money Transfer”, supporting “most popular banks” in the country.
DJ Koh, president of the mobile business at Samsung, said: “The Samsung Z4 brings a simplified mobile experience to first time smartphone users and represents our ongoing commitment to expanding the Tizen ecosystem.”
However, there is still no sign Samsung intends building this ecosystem beyond an entry-level device available in some APAC markets.
While Tizen has been seen as a “plan B” for the South Korean vendor to mitigate its dependence on Google’s Android platform, the lack of a fully-fledged content and apps ecosystem limits its appeal among more sophisticated smartphone users.
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