Samsung Plans To Replace Android With Tizen

Samsung Tizen smartphone due in Q4 of 2013

Samsung is planning to replace Google’s Android operating system with new Tizen software by the end of 2013.

David Eun, Samsung executive vice president, revealed the news to tech site AllThingsD, stating that a new high-end Sammy device boasting Tizen would launch in Q4 this year.

Samsung Tizen phone ready?

Rumour has it that this new Tizen phone from Samsung is ready to be unveiled to industry partners during Mobile World Congress 2013 at the end of the month.

The Tizen operating system is developed by Intel and Samsung and is based on the Linux kernel open source software.

Tizen will offer another alternative to Google’s Android operating system that features on many existing Samsung devices (including pretty much all of its flagships).

Reasons to ditch Android for Tizen

Samsung’s current Android mobiles such as the Galaxy S III are hugely popular, so why would the manufacturer take the decision to ditch the operating system in favour of Tizen?

Well, Samsung whilst makes a profit from selling its devices, any royalties that are acquired thereafter are reaped by Google.

You see, Sammy doesn’t make any cash from all the apps, movies, books and music that are bought from Google Play, but if it had its own OS and associated app store…well, you can do the maths.

No easy feat

Sounds like the Korean mobile masters are onto a winner doesn’t it, but launching a new operating system is no easy feat (as BlackBerry well know).

Samsung is going to have to produce something pretty spectacular to entice existing customers away from the little green robot-powered smartphones they are so familiar with. And that’s before you even start to think about the threat posed by Apple.

We’ll watch this one with intrigue and let you know how it pans out.