Samsung announces the Samsung Z1 in India – a sub-$100, Tizen-powered handset

Well, folks – it has been rumored about, it has been delayed, reimagined, probably, and it's finally been announced – Samsung Z1 – the first smartphone to bear Sammy's homemade Tizen OS is now official.

The entry-level handset sports a 4” 480 x 800 screen, a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU, 768 MB of RAM, 4 GB internal memory, expandable to 64 GB via microSD, a 3.1 MP / 0.3 MP camera combo, and a 1,500 mAh battery. The whole shebang costs around $90 (INR 5,700), and Samsung has bundled it up with a free media and entertainment hub (dubbed "Joy Box"), which will allow Z1 users to stream and download movies, tv shows, and music.

Sammy claims that Tizen is a very light OS, which wouldn't bog down the phone's hardware and allow for a seamless user experience, but allow us to raise an eyebrow at that statement. We'll be withholding judgment on that front for now anyway.

The phone will be available for purchase in India starting today, and the Tizen store is also up, just in time to support the new customers.

Suppose Samsung launches a similar smartphone in western markets – would you be interested in it?