Samsung brings Tizen to Bangladesh, says it was well received in India

Samsung has finally begun pushing out its Tizen operating system for smartphones this year, which started with the launch of the Z1 in India a few weeks ago. Despite indications that the Z1 was off to a slow start, Samsung is confident enough in Tizen’s progress to launch the Z1 in a second country – Bangladesh.

In a press release, Samsung states that the Z1’s launch in India was a success, by its measurements, and that the handset was “well received” in the region, despite the increasingly competitive nature of the local market. The company goes on to tout the benefits of the lightweight custom operating system, its broad local language support and packet data compression, among others.

The Z1 is priced at around just $95 and features low end specifications quite typical of its price point. The handset comprises a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 768MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, 3.15 megapixel camera and a 1,500mAh battery.

Bangladesh’s smartphone market shares many similarities to India’s, with a relatively low rate of smartphone penetration and a growing demand for low cost, internet connected devices. Therefore, Samsung is to retain its focus on low-cost hardware, targeting the Z1 at first time smartphones users looking to hop online. Abroad, Samsung also has plans for Tizen as a cross-platform OS for wearables, SmartTVs, and home appliances.

With 150 million potential untapped consumers in the country, it isn’t hard to see why Samsung is interested in this emerging market. The Samsung Z1 was released in Bangladesh on February 3^rd.