The Tizen OS powered Samsung Z2 finally lands in Kenya

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The Samsung Z2 is the first Tizen-powered device to go on sale in Nairobi and by extension the entire country. The device which launched in South Africa about a month ago now available in Safaricom shops all over the country and went for KES 6000. It is powered by a 1.5GHz Quad-core processor and features dual SIM support and a 1500mAh battery. The device is 4G LTE enabled and supports Wi-Fi, targeting the budget conscious customers who also look for a feature-laden device.

The device is the successor of the previous Samsung Z1 and Samsung Z3, both of which didn’t make to the Kenyan market and the entire African continent.  The device comes with a 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory expandable up to 128GB with a micro SD card. The smartphone has been created on the Tizen platform, and according to Samsung, it caters for the entry level market. Samsung Electronics East Africa conducted the launch in a small celebration in Samsung’s Kenya head office in Nairobi. Samsung Z2 is the first LTE Tizen-powered smartphone.

Full specs

Display

4-inch 480x800p resolution capacitive touchscreen.

Hardware

8GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB with micro SD.

1GB RAM and a 1.5GHz quad-core processor.

Software

Tizen operating system version 2.4

Camera

0.3-megapixel front camera

5MP back camera with flash.

Sensors

Accelerometer.

Connectivity

4G/ LTE, 3G, GSM, Dual SIM

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth version 4.0, USB

Battery

1500mAh non-removable battery.

Colours

Gold, Black, Wine Red

Look and feel

Wine Red version is the most eye-catching and stands out to be a stylish variant amid the three colour options of black, gold and wine red. The Samsung Z2 features a textured rear which not only makes it a good-looking budget device but also makes it non-slippery which is surprising since most budget devices tend to score low on their design aesthetics. The Samsung Z2 is easy to operate, light and promises to appeal to the targeted user-base. The notion behind offering a compact-sized device is to help feature phone users make the big move to the smartphone ecosystem. The device sports a physical home button in the front and power button alongside volume controllers on the side. 

Camera

The Samsung Z2 comes with smartphone adopters hence a reasonable deal because of the inbuilt customisation options like collage feature, pro mode, capture and fast motion make up for the below par 5MP back camera and the VGA front snapper.

Performance

We are yet to test the device extensively to understand its performance better during real-time usage, but the phone's core is a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM should be sufficient taking the price range into consideration.

Extended battery life

The Tizen OS does not have to work through a virtual Dalvik cache like Android hence as an actual Linux based OS it will offer consumers a longer battery life. The Samsung-backed operating system has to deal with the problem of mobile applications that users may have been used to on other platforms being unavailable, just like any other relatively new platform.

4G Connectivity

According to the Vice President and Managing Director of Samsung Electronics East Africa Jung Hyun Park, the device offers the opportunity to access high-speed 4G internet to entry level users. Consumers are now looking to access high-speed data made possible by the roll-out of 4G services telcos as mobile data subscription faces rapid growth in the country.

First Tizen-powered device in Africa

After Kenya and South Africa, Nigeria is set to be the next African country to get the device. This is the first Tizen powered device in Africa and is expected to be a commercial success. Tizen already has a considerable market share in Asian countries specifically India, thanks to the success of its predecessors the Samsung Z3 and the Z1. In case you are not aware, Tizen has been the company’s choice for most of its consumer devices such as cameras, washing machines and fridges. Samsung Electronics is now looking to make the OS their signature platform gradually. 

Since Samsung is intending on making more devices running on the new Samsung-owned OS, the director also challenged local developers to start developing mobile applications for the Tizen OS though the platform has some of the most common apps already available on it. The Samsung Z2 is an attempt to fulfil the promise the company made to consumers on the provision of devices that can access 4G internet in the Kenyan market.

Conclusion

When compared to Android, Tizen is much better for entry level smartphone such as the Samsung Z2 since it is considered to be less resource intensive. We will have to wait and see how the device fairs among the similarly designed Android devices. Price in Kenya is KES 6000, and you can get it at any Safaricom shop countrywide.

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