X

First Samsung Tizen phone is 720p, ditches Android

The Samsung SM-Z9005 is set to be the first smart phone to be powered by Tizen software, ditching Android with a 720p screen.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm

Samsung's first Tizen phone could sport a 720p high definition screen. The SM-Z9005 is set to be the first smart phone to be powered by Tizen software to cut ties with Android.

Dutch site TechTastic spotted the basic specs for the Tizen phone in a user agent profile, the document that lists specs for individual devices.

Inside the Tizen phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The clock speed and even the number of cores is as yet unconfirmed.

Tizen is Samsung's own-brand operating system. The software has been passed around assorted technology companies for the past few years without ever getting anywhere, but Samsung is betting on Tizen to power some of its phones and free the company from Android.

Google's Android software has been good to Samsung, with the Android-powered Galaxy range making Samsung the biggest phone manufacturer in the world. But those phones channel money to Google for apps and games, money that Samsung would like to trouser itself.

Samsung previously said the new phone would appear in August or September, but as we head towards the end of August that seems unlikely. It's always possible that the SM-Z9005 could be unveiled at trade show IFA in a couple of weeks alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smart watch, but word on the street is that Tizen will take a bow in October or November.

Can Samsung break free from Android? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.