Samsung launches Tizen-powered Z3 smartphone, priced at Rs 8,490

Samsung has expanded its range of Tizen-powered smartphones with the launch of its Z3 smartphone, only the second handset to run on the South Korean giant's own operating system.

Available exclusively online on Snapdeal, Samsung Z3 will be up for sale starting October 21 at Rs 8,490. The phone will also be sold through physical retailers.

The new Samsung Z3 smartphone has a 5-inch HD screen and runs on the Tizen OS 2.4 software. The smartphone packs a quad-core Speedtrum processor running at 1.3GHz clock speed under the hood, backed by 1GB RAM. It has 8GB of internal storage and supports microSD cards of up to 128GB capacity for storage expansion.

On the back of Samsung Z3 is an 8MP Bright Lens F2.2 camera, while its wide-angle selfie camera has 5MP resolution; the camera comes with selfie-enhancing features like Beauty Face Mode and Automatic Selfie. Its 2,600mAh battery is backed by the Ultra Power Saving Mode software, which provides standby time of up to 33 hours with less than 10% of battery life.

Connectivity suite of the smartphone consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0; the lack 4G may not bode well for the handset, as even cheaper Android-powered rivals now support 4G LTE download speeds. However, Samsung has added the Ultra Data Saving Mode in the Samsung Z3, which can lower data consumption by up to 40%, the company claims.

Samsung Z3 comes preloaded with My Galaxy app, which offers India-centric services, local deals, content etc. It also features Samsung's Mix Radio music streaming app, which offers 35 million songs, including 10 genres of Indian music.

JK Shin, CEO and head of IT & mobile business, Samsung Electronics, said, "We developed the Samsung Z3 to provide the features that will help consumers capitalize on the growing Tizen ecosystem and make the most out of their personal mobile experience."