Samsung announces Tizen-powered Samsung Z with decent specs and limited Q3 launch in tow

A day ahead of the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco, Samsung's long rumored Tizen-powered smartphone is officially a reality. It's called the Samsung Z, and curiously enough, it doesn't look quite like any of the recent leaks (such as this one and this one) we've seen so far. In fact, the design has almost nothing to do with Samsung's Galaxy S series design language. Instead, the company has opted for a particular rectangle shape that's quite popular in Chinese smartphones. However, Sammy has given it its signature faux leather treatment to differentiate. In terms of colors, the phone will be available in black and gold.

Under the Samsung Z's 4.8-inch 720p S-AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz quad-core CPU with 2GB RAM, presumably a Snapdragon 800, runs the house. There is LTE Cat 4 (150/50Mbps) support on-board. Other specs include a pair of 8MP and 2.1MP rear and front cameras, a fingerprint sensor, 16GB of internal storage, and a 2600mAh battery. The smartphone is sized 5.44 x 2.74 x 0.33 inches (138.2 x 69.8 x 8.5mm) and weights 4.8 oz (136g). The operating system is Tizen OS 2.2.1, which packs familiar Samsung functionality, such as Download Booster and S Health 3.0.

The Samsung Z will be selling in Russia first, sometime after July. Other countries will follow, but it isn't known when. The price is still in question, too.