Soon we’ll be reflecting on some of the memorable moments in mobile tech this year, and beyond picking out our favorite devices, we’ll also be thinking about those that really managed to disappoint. And while that list will include all sorts of smartphones that we expected more from, at least most of those will be handsets that actually came out – unlike the first Tizen phone. Because while the Samsung Z was announced all the way back in June, its release plans quickly fell apart. Word was that even that upset wouldn’t be the last we heard of Tizen, and for the past couple months now we’ve had our eye out for another Tizen model – and unlike the higher-end Z, one with much more budget-focused hardware. Now it may finally be time for the Tizen party to begin, as we get word of plans to release this budget Tizen phone in a little under a month.
Reportedly, Samsung is intending to launch this Z1 model in India on January 18. We had once heard that Samsung was working towards a December release, but that’s apparently no longer in the cards.
With specs like a four-inch WVGA display, 512MB 768MB of RAM, and 3.2MP main camera, we figured Samsung would need to come in with a very low price tag to make this guy at all attractive, and that looks confirmed: the Z1 will go for what works out to about $90.
Even with that discount price, the Z1 may still have a tough road ahead of it, as it sounds like Samsung may not be intending to make a big effort to promote the Tizen smartphone. Will its affordability and mere presence on the market be enough to attract shoppers? We’ll soon find out, but at this point, we’re really just happy to be seeing the release of a Tizen phone at all.
Update: Now with hardware pics.
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