Samsung Will Switch to Tizen Before End of 2014

Samsung produces the world’s most popular Android devices. From smartphones to tablets, Samsung is successfully competing head-to-head against Apple. However, according to new reports, Android’s greatest warrior could soon be jumping ship. Samsung will reportedly ditch Android and start releasing Tizen smartphones before the end of 2014. The first high-end Tizen phone will launch in June 2014, while a second mid-range device will launch soon after.   Samsung has already launched a Tizen device this year: Samsung’s Gear 2 runs Tizen, which is significant because the original Gear ran Android. All of this information was revealed in a Reuters interview with a Samsung executive. Also in this article were reports that Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is selling faster than the S4 so far, and that overall S5 sales are expected to surpass Galaxy S4 sales. Since the Galaxy S4 sold 10 million units in its first month, that’s a lofty sales target for the S5 to reach.

Is this the end of Android and Samsung? Not yet

Samsung claims that the main part of its business will continue to be Android devices. The two new Tizen devices will test the market and try to fix the reasons why Tizen devices have failed in the past. Ultimately, the goal of Tizen is to offer an experience similar to Android but with Samsung’s apps and services instead of Google’s. Samsung needs to flesh out its app store and address complaints that its apps are “bloatware” and not real, useful services. If Samsung can market Tizen as well as it marketed its smartphones and tablets, then Android could lose a significant manufacturing partner within the next few years. Expect to see high-end Tizen-based smartphones appear in the market in Q2 2014.