Seoul: South Korea`s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd plans to launch a new sub-$100 smartphone running on its own Tizen operating system in India later this month, South Korea`s Maeil Business Newspaper said on Monday.
The paper, a local business daily, said Samsung will hold a press conference on December 10 to launch its first Tizen smartphone, to be called the Z1. A Samsung Electronics spokeswoman declined to comment.
Samsung had initially planned to launch a Tizen smartphone in Russia in the third quarter but scrapped the plan. The firm said at the time that it wanted to further enhance the ecosystem behind Tizen. Only a handful of devices, including the firm`s smartwatch products, currently run on the platform.
The majority of Samsung`s mobile devices are based on Google`s Android platform. The South Korean firm`s push to develop its own operating system is part of efforts to reduce dependence on the US firm, but delays in product launches have undercut expectations.