14 DAY TRIAL // Samsung had low expectations from its Tizen OS and the smartphone that would eventually be released on the market. The platform - delayed several times due to the fact that it wasn’t competitive enough with Android, iOS and Windows Phone - seems to have surpassed Samsung’s expectations in the first month of sales.
According to Business Korea citing industry sources, the first Tizen OS smartphone commercially available on the market, the Z1, has sold 120,000 units since its launch on January 14.
The amount may not seem impressive at all, but considering these numbers are only for two countries where the smartphone was launched, it shows that interest for Tizen OS is rising in emerging markets.
Since the smartphone made its debut in India on January 14, no less than 100,000 Samsung Z1 units were sold.
In Bangladesh, where the Z1 was launched on February 3, there were only 20,000 smartphones sold, but the amount will surely increase in the coming weeks.
The low price and decent specs are driving Z1 to unexpected high sales
One of the reasons Samsung Z1’s sales are off to a good start in both India and Bangladesh is its low price. The smartphone can be had for under $100 (€88) in these countries.
Samsung is expected to launch Tizen OS smartphones in other countries as well, including South Korea, UK, Poland and United States, though the company has yet to confirm the information so take this with a grain of salt for now.
Samsung’s Tizen OS is meant to rebalance the company’s market share in these emerging markets where native manufacturers seem to have beaten Samsung in the last couple of quarters.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the 120,000 Tizen OS handsets sold in one month will be enough for the platform to become the fourth or fifth major player on the smartphone market after Windows Phone and/or BlackBerry.
