Does Android Have Competition?

As Samsung’s own homegrown Tizen operating system slowly becomes a success, the South Korean firm has become bold enough to branch out from wearables and onto smartphones.

As Samsung’s own homegrown Tizen operating system slowly becomes a success, the South Korean firm has become bold enough to branch out from wearables and onto smartphones. The Z1, a modest handset that showcased Tizen on a handset, had a sufficient underground response.

Apparently enough of one that warranted the release of the Samsung Z3, not a year later.

Perhaps closest to the Galaxy S III in hardware, the Z3 features a 5-inch display with 720 pixels on a Super AMOLED screen, a bit bigger than the S III.

It does have a similar processor though, a quad-core Spreadtrum chip that has been clocked at 1.3Ghz, alongside 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage, which is expandable.

Importantly, it runs the latest version of Tizen, v2.3, and it also features Ultra Data Saving mode that debuted in the Android-powered Galaxy J2. Samsung claims it gives 50% data savings for most apps, not only the browser, which is ideal for places with expensive data plans (or no unlimited option available).

Obviously, the future of smartphones is in mid-rangers, and if Samsung can get Tizen off the ground in India, it means Android might finally have competition.

Camera-wise, it has 8 megapixels on the primary camera, as well as an excellent 5-megapixel front camera with a 120° wide angle, ensuring great selfies.

It supports dual-SIM and 3GB connectivity.

Apparently, the Z3 will be available starting October 21 and will launch for $130.

It’s incredibly important to see how well this phone will do in India, one of the fastest growing emerging markets. Obviously, the future of smartphones is in mid-rangers, and if Samsung can get Tizen off the ground in India, it means Android might finally have competition.