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Is Samsung getting closer to ditching Android? Galaxy S4 shown running Tizen OS

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To hear that Samsung is thinking about branching out and loosening their dependency on Android is nothing new. The company has tried many different ways. We’ve seen it with a small collection of Windows Phone devices in the past couple of years, and Samsung’s Bada OS was once pegged as being the company’s way out of the complicated Android ecosystem. Then, Tizen came along and that’s when we really started to worry.

What is Tizen?

Tizen is an open sourced Linux-based operating system jointly being developed by Samsung and Intel (and currently exists within the confines of the Linux Foundation). We’re not sure of Intel’s motives in the whole affair, but we’re definitely sure of Samsung’s.

galaxy s4 tizen 3

The two companies have taken bits and pieces of their own operating systems — Bada and Meego — and used it to help craft this standards-based software that will aspire to go in phones, tablets, cameras, appliances and everything in between.

Samsung’s big move

Although Samsung might publicly deny it, the company definitely seems poised to break off into the wild on their own, and without Android. Numerous events leading up to today have made that apparent. For starters, Samsung has launched a full-fledged app store, and sometimes puts it so front-and-center that you’d think they didn’t know what the Google Play Store was. Samsung is obviously trying to lay the groundwork to launch and maintain their own software ecosystem.

The South Korean company no doubt wants to make sure said groundwork is solid enough before taking a big step onto it, and that’s why we’ve seen them continue to pump out Android devices year after year (after all, you can’t expect to be able to do much of anything if you’re not making money). The most damning evidence of Samsung’s aspirations to break off on their own came to light yesterday, when pictures of a Samsung Galaxy S4 running Tizen OS leaked out.

galaxy s4 tizen 1

Does this mean we’ll soon see a Galaxy S4 re-release with Tizen? No, not necessarily. Hell, even industry insider Eldar Murtazin suggests Samsung is losing interest in Tizen because of the huge success they’ve had with Android.

But development of the operating system is far enough along that Samsung felt the need to test it on their biggest smartphone on the market. That alone is troubling, and could mean Samsung is quite close to beginning their trek in the smartphone market with a platform they can call their own.

But, why?

Why not, I suppose. Even with a vast majority of the Android pie, Samsung probably feels like the market is getting too crowded and feel the need to want to differentiate themselves. The idea might have been crazier two years ago, but Samsung has gotten so big that they are the one company who could probably afford to do something like this. Do you think HTC or LG wouldn’t want to have something they can call their own? Hell, the former tried its hand with phones running BrewOS, a proprietary “smart” phone operating system that never quite took off.

Those companies don’t have much of a choice at this point. It takes a ton of time, money, and research to create an entirely new mobile ecosystem, and that’s just not something a lot of companies have. They cling to Android because Android allows them to differentiate themselves while using the same operating system as the next guy.

galaxy s4 tizen 2

There’s a reason user interface experiences like HTC Sense, Samsung TouchWiz, and LG Optimus UI are so prevalent — it’s because these companies need something that makes them different. Without them, consumers would likely close their eyes and play “eeny, meeny, miney, moe” when it’s time to make their next purchasing decision.

But for Samsung, the possibilities are far greater thanks to the significant amounts of both market share and mind share. Samsung has created an identifiable brand that could stand on its own two legs, and they will look to leverage that in every single way as we move into 2014 and beyond. We’ve already seen it with the company’s Galaxy Gear smart watch, one that will only work with select Galaxy devices, so it’s not at all silly to suggest they’ll be looking to do the same for all of their other products in the years to come.

[via Tizen Indonesia]

Quentyn Kennemer
The "Google Phone" sounded too awesome to pass up, so I bought a G1. The rest is history. And yes, I know my name isn't Wilson.

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142 Comments

  1. “We hate Samsung” posts incoming

  2. Yuck

    1. Yeah. No apps and uglier than Windows Phone and ios7 combined

      1. Looks nicer than ios7 tbh.

        1. Been meaning to ask… is your avatar Richard Christy?

          1. Haha glad someone noticed :D My username is also by Richard Christy (he mentioned it to Howard but I don’t think he used it in any prank call yet).

          2. Yeah and my username is based on one of his phony phone call names.

          3. Oh Rusty… You little rascal

          4. I like how all of his characters sound the same (except for Simon Buckingham) and when he calls as grandma Ethel the other person always answers “hi sir”.

  3. If Sammy goes away for Android – consider them dropped like fetid bologna. but right now, they’re my fav

    1. IF this is anything close to the truth I agree Samsung will become irrelevant almost over night. That being said this is complete nonsense. There is no way Samsung ditches the OS that got them where they are. There’s no reason to. Android costs then nothing to use. Maybe they’re developing Tizen to future proof themselves if something goes bad with their current situation but there’s no way they’re actively planning an exit strategy.

    2. exactly my sentiments

  4. That’s like Apple ditching the iPhone for a flip phone… Samsung is so popular because of Android. They will slowly slip into Apple’s spot if they jump ship

    1. I think it’s actually a decent idea. From what I’ve seen of Tizen, it has a few resemblances to Android. So if they start releasing a few phones at a time in Japan/Korea/China, then there’s a good chance those customers will adopt it at a hire rate than normal and depending if it’s any good, those customers might just drop Android and head over to Tizen.

      1. A few resemblances? That’s funny. Meego was good. Palm OS was good. Blackberry 10 was good. Windows Phone 7 was good. Windows Phone 8 is good.

        Means nothing. People love Android.

      2. People will notice right away that there are no apps for tizen. Let google deal with the developers and just figure out how to make touchwiz look good

    2. Android consumers aren’t really that OS loyal. If Samsung can get developer supports (which I believe they do; just look at their smart watch), they can easily get people to stay. Now whether people will be satisfied with a newly born OS…that’s the true test for them

    3. Samsung will be like Nokia

  5. Competition is good for all. But unless it’s well supported off the bat, people aren’t going to like it. Non techy folks will think by getting a Samsung that they can use all these apps they hear about, and when they don’t find Angry Birds in the Tizen Store (or whatever) they’re going to be taking it back to the shop.

    1. Although I agree with you, just wanted to tell you that Angry Birds is already there lol

      1. I knew I should have gone with “insert popular thing here” :D

  6. Samsung already is starting to lose because their tiered looking OS and cheap plastic phones haven’t changed. Lots of gimmicks have been added to their phones but that’s about it. I can’t wait for Sony to hit all carriers.

    1. but they have pleather backs on the Note now lol

    2. then don’t bother buying their phones if u hate plastic go buy a iPhone

      1. There are plenty of androids without plastic. HTC, for example

      2. Actually you could’ve recommended a Nexus 4 or a HTC ONE.

    3. How have they started to lose when every survey and study has only experience growth…I get it…you’re detached from reality.

    4. look how you rowl up the the sammy fanboys lol…i hate sammy phones after my gnex ill never buy another one ever…esp with that iphone home button…moto/sony(never gonna have one on verizon), and even lg looking promising…ima stick with moto though im tired of giving these koreans my money

  7. The day Samsung ditches Android is the day I switch to Sony or HTC.

    1. I will go to Motorola. I like my Samsung devices, but once they stop using Android, I stop using Samsung. It took us 3 years to get to a stable version of Android, that means it will take even longer to get to a stable version of Tizen. I don’t want to go through that again.

  8. I believe this is supposed to be more Asia-centric. I’m not sure how well Tizen would do in the US, unless they renamed it. Maybe if they named it S-apps, of course that’s who they would be marketing it to… I kid I kid. But seriously, Tizen sounds more like a way to prepare chicken than an Operating System.

    1. It’s not Android sounds any better…just saying…

      1. I don’t know, Android just has a ring to it. It just sounds like something techy and cool.
        Tizen sounds like something that belongs in the kitchen.

        1. Well to each to their own. Android sounds mad nerdy to me. With that said, I am quite indifferent to all OS names. So I find it difficult to understand what is the criteria of a good os name.

    2. I was thinking it sounded more like a variety of spicy pork intestine.

      1. Stop it now, you’re making me hungry!

  9. There are a lot of people who want an open source alternative to Android. They feel that google doesn’t respect privacy and wants everything to have ads or in the cloud.

    1. At current state, I believe that there is no such thing as online privacy anywhere, anymore.

    2. Don’t sign into Google when you activate your device. If you’re really paranoid, buy a nexus, unlock the bootloader, install an AOSP image or compile your own, relock the bootloader, and then don’t sign in with a Google account. Get your apps from f-droid.org and you have your 100% open-source phone minus the binary firmwares.

      However, regardless of what you do or which phone you use, your global position will still be tracked by cell tower triangulation, your emails will be sifted through on whatever server they reside, your calls logged, your texts read, and your internet traffic will be intercepted, many thanks to the cooperation of your cell service provider. This is the depressing reality of the 21st century.

  10. I think Samsung Galaxy device owners put up with TouchWiz and Samsung’s customizations because underneath it is still Android. But replace Android with Tizen and I think customers won’t bite.

  11. Ha, Ha! If Samsung tries to flood China and the rest of Asia with Tizen phones, they will get killed by Xiaomi, Huawei, ZTE, and LG.

    Android is an army.

    Samsung knows this.

  12. If they do that no one won’t buy their phones.

    1. Wait, so does that mean that everyone will?

      1. umm no

        1. He said “no one won’t” which means everyone else will. I shouldn’t have to explain this.

  13. Maybe down the line when the economy is better, but just like apple and iPhone users the ecosystem is what will keep people sticking with one os. A DROID is the same way. If Samsung galaxy does do it they better come correct and in a big way with a huge market store.

  14. Wiz, and Sense are ok, but just trinkets. Get the phone with the best specs period, and it better be Android.

  15. It is about brand loyalty for me…I love my galaxy note 2.. and will be getting Note 3… but not because they are samsung.. but because they run Android…

  16. Right. They’re going to change over so that when someone upgrades to a G5 that suddenly they can’t run any of their previously purchased apps, all of their settings are different, and they’re left with access to a sub-par app/media store.

    I could believe that Samsung wants to hedge their bets in case Google starts behaving in ways that are troublesome; that’s just good business.. but given how they’re making money here, it makes pretty much no sense to disrupt things.

    As such, if they’re serious about this, I’d expect that they’ll release a few targeted phones with the new OS, likely to Asian markets, and expand them to a second line of phones more broadly if they become popular.

  17. Still doesn’t look attractive. Why is everything so big and colorful? Flatten it out & modernize it.

    1. Why is ‘flat’ modern? The current flat monochrome tiled movement sucks.

      1. And it’s not helping WP either, flat works in some situations but I don’t want it on my phone.

      2. Because everything old is new again, and again, and again. glossy 3d will make a comeback someday.

        1. Absolutely.

          Still, it’s kind of funny that we finally have the power for awesome full color 3D stuff, but instead we pretend that it’s innovative to use a flat scheme.

      3. Those over sized icons suck. I never said flat was modern even though it is. I said & modernize it. It looks like several different teams made this just like Touchwiz looks like. Solid phone, but the skin is terrible. No inspiration there. It hasn’t changed much since the first Galaxy phone. Just added new features. That was a good while ago. From the screen shots it looks like it’s no different than TW besides the color scheme. It’s all in your face. Keep it simple yet attractive.

  18. Who is really worried about it? I’m not. Android ecosystem would be just fine without Samsung.

    1. Fine,yes. Will it hurt the Android ecosystem, no doubt. Will the Android ecosystem recover, for sure. Will Apple & competitors jump with happiness, of course.

  19. Samsung will only abandon Android if the tizen experiment proves successful. I am not going to lie, if it does, I wouldn’t mind tizen 3.0. The OS seems better looking to me than Android (this is based on those pictures above).

  20. I can’t fathom why they would even consider this. Android is free and extremely popular (and amazing).

  21. I have a Note II, and I will never get another device without stock android (either a Nexus or a GPE version). If Samsung moves away from Android, I won’t be considering them. I would consider a move to Ubuntu, but not Tizen (and probably not Firefox OS either).

    1. Why Ubuntu?

    2. I’ll wait to see if the Note 3 has better AOSP support than the Note 2, the new touchwiz seems unbearable. I doubt it will though.

  22. I have seen this coming, and had even suggested they will leave Android in numerous other posts. They want what Apple got! I’m sure everyone notices in all Samsungs commericals they don’t even mention that its a Android phone, they been laying the ground work since after the S2! Samsung only market there own personal features nothing else. Samsung will lock down everything once they get Tizen up and running, similar to Apple, and once they get somewhere close to maybe 100k apps in their Samsung store. they will leave the Android eco-system, Microsoft is providing them with all the mistakes you can make when starting a new eco-system. right now its just a waiting game. I’m waiting for the Nexus 5 or a high end Moto-X. leaving Sammy in my past.

    1. Even HTC doesn’t market their One as an android phone.

      1. But Samsung is flat out in the open with their personal features in their ads, HTC doesn’t waste a entired 60sec comerical talking about blinkfeed or the IR blaster.

        1. I don’t think the Droids market as “Android” phones. I’ve only seen a couple of commercials for phones that state “now with Android 4.x”

          1. Yeah you’re right, maybe people might be taking me to literally, It just the way Samsung markets their products to the public. And in some ways all the companies market with a open end, meaning they leave the door open for opportuinies to leave. And they all would do the same as Samsung if they had the hottest phones around. Its weird watching it take place in front of your very eyes. This very slow departure of a company from the android eco-system.

        2. I still fail to see why that’s a bad thing. Marketing your features is good marketing lol!

          1. No its not, it actually clever, its just funny to me how some people who are not savy would choose the phone featues, then not be happy with the apps in a eco-system of Tizen. Thats the genius of Sammy plan, They will wait it like I said in a earlier post, get all the big developers, get their app store up to a respectable amount and lay the boom down and move on, Unlike Microsoft, they don’t even have permission to used youtube from Google (unless that has change) What I’m saying Borbor, I’m not upset, mad, or anything negative. i saw this coming for awhile and my friends thought I was crazy and this article proves I wasn’t that far off. Overall I’m glad we all have choices, and this by far has been some of the best postings I been involved with.

          2. +1 mate. I agree on that and share the vision you had. Samsung can easily take the third place.

        3. Instead, they have hipster troll carwash ads

    2. I love Motorola, and would love to go back, but until they add microSD slots (probably never) or have 128gb of storage it won’t work for me. Its sad that Samsung is the only OEM still using microSD slots.

    3. Just because they are investing in a software of their own it doesn’t mean they will abandon android. Samsung is a multi billion dollar company that generates billions of dollars so they have, can and should invest in other software platforms. Now thinking that they would leave android in the near future is foolish. Maybe when the Nexus 15 is out. Galaxy S4 stock android is available on google play btw …….

  23. My least favorite thing about Samsung phones is their software… I seriously doubt they could do anything to lure me to a phone OS completely created by them.

  24. Samsung ditching Android = Samsung ditching “selling phones”…I don’t think samsung will ever ditch android… Tizen is like their dooms day preparation and will be offered as an alternative option…

  25. FOOLS…

  26. They won’t ditch Android. If Blackberry and Windows Phone are any indication it’s that it’s incredibly difficult to take out a chunk of the IOS/Android pie. Unless their new OS makes it easy to port apps over, there’s little to no reason why someone would pick an OS other than IOS/Android/Windows (windows is making some progress but still at the level Android was when it first started)

    1. WP’s meager gains are coming as a result of huge capital investments by Microsoft into Nokia, hardware subsidies for other manufacturers, marketing, and third-party app development. This isn’t entirely a result of natural market forces. Samsung would likely need a similar approach, as well as a comprehensive ecosystem apps and services, built-in maps/navigation, and developer support and tools. They don’t seem to be even close to that point. Divorcing themselves from Android would be a costly endeavor, and one which investors probably won’t respond to enthusiastically.

      1. Microsoft doesn’t just have lotso money. They have Office, dev tools, enterprise connections and tons of experience with OS’s going back to MS-DOS and still can’t come up with an os that people want.

  27. Good…leave the android game forever samsung you have taken all the wrong steps after your success i want nothing to do with your garbage cheaply constructed phones and stupid iphone home button…you relase a bagillion things and slap galaxy on them n expect them to sell your like what moto was years passed releasing 65 phones a year…and you think you as big as apple where you can do what u want and get away with it…meh to you
    bring me a moto x or the next nexus i want quality constructed pure android

    1. oops i upset the sammy fanboys

    2. Speak for yourself, I actually like the home button. I’ve tried out stock android and was annoyed to no end with the navigation bar at the bottom. You can’t deny that Samsung has come out with some pretty good phones (Ie: Note1/2/3 /Galaxy S3/4).

      1. the note is an interesting device for a niche market who wants to hold that giant thing to their face n carry it aroudn with them…but i do like it just def not for me…ive had zero interests in the s3/s4…but yes im speaking for myself i prefer build quality over anything when im spending $200-600 on a piece of technology ima be touching more a day then myself

  28. I’m actually surprised they think people like sammy phones for their atrocious looking UI and not because they have good screens and good advertisement…and android…lol…they should stick to tvs

    1. People don’t care of a phone has Android or not… offer to someone a Nexus phone and a Galaxy… you will see…
      Google is doing nothing to improve the perception of Android, upgrades are bringing nothing interesting and still looks plain.
      If you are a troll or a die hard fan can be understandable, but if you look productivity and functionality stock Android phones are not the best one.
      Google should get a more useful response of the feedback from the customers to the OEMs solutions with the skins, gestures can be fancy but with a good implementation inside Android could offer a new options for developers… in the same way than the S-Pen support.

      1. yes bc i absolutly NEED to take a pic of someone with a lil box of my face in it at the same time….absolutly revolutionary

  29. I bet HTC wants Samsung to leave. They released a better phone in the ONE, but got no love from peoples pocketbooks.

    1. Better? In which way?

      1. Design, sound and Sense.

        And some could argue the camera as well depending on what you are using it with.

        1. I would have to disagree with you. I think the HTC One is one of the ugliest phones I have ever seen. Sense is horrible like usual. Everything you listed is based on your opinion with the exception of sound. What makes the HTC One functionally better than the S4? The inductive charging unit? SD card? or the removable battery? They are both great phones but there is no way anyone can say the HTC One is better than the S4. It’s all a matter of opinion at this point.

          1. HTC One is ugly? Ok I won’t even argue with that comment.

            Sense is by far the best skin, as it leaves the best of naked Android, but improves upon it. TouchWiz basically strips Android of everything beautiful about it, and makes it, well, TouchWiz.

            Inductive charging is nice, I’ll give you that.

            So is an SD card, but those are quickly going out of style. There’s a reason more and more are leaving them out.

          2. I know right? The One is hideous. I can’t stand Sense and even prefer TouchWiz over it. As I said, its all a matter of your opinion at this point.

          3. Hope you understand that was sarcasm.

            And fine, if you want it to be a matter of opinion then ok. But then I don’t understand why you are arguing with Herbie since it’s just his opinion.

          4. “So is an SD card, but those are quickly going out of style. There’s a reason more and more are leaving them out.”

            There’s a reason why nobody is buying those phones

          5. Ah you’re right! Everyone only buys Samsung phones because of the SD card and nothing else. -_-

            Or maybe it’s because of the massive marketing budget Samsung has?

        2. Sense doesn’t have multi-window. Touch Wiz does. That’s pretty much the only reason I go with TouchWiz.

          And of course HTC wants Samsung out; Samsung is eating them alive. Their sales are declining (Yes, even with the One).

          1. Multi-Window is way overhyped for the S4. It’s only a five inch screen. Great for one view, but horrible for splitting it. You’re working with a 2.5″ screen. How can you ridicule Apple for sticking with a 3.5″ screen, and then gladly utilize 2.5″ screens?

          2. Yeah OK.

            But I’ve been using a phone with 3”, with MUCH less resolution.

            A split screen on the s4 would be better than mine full screen, ppi. So, I would use it, ‘gladly’.

            Hope I don’t start a war.

          3. And I’m not going to start one. To each their own.

      2. When I first posted this, I was going to put the verbiage: In my opinion, however, I felt that it was a reiteration that was unnecessary, because whose opinion would I be using if not mine.

        I feel like for the most part, everyone covered it. Peter Barnett hit how I felt on the head when he mentioned the ONE being close to stock but adding upon it. Stock is nice for ONE reason, and that reason is the device being smoother. Sense builds on it and just gives it a different look and more meaningful functionality. Most Android phones work the same, except for Samsung, but the small things are what I like the most about the ONE and Sense. Built in contact sync, messaging and the social media widgets are unparalleled with Sense and something I miss when going to stock or stock based ROMs. I always forget how much user friendly Sense is until I make the switch and need to download many other apps just to replace everything that I lost and still come up unsatisfied. Add Boomsound, low light camera and blinkfeed to the solid feeling build quality and it’s not hard to see why it has gotten so much praise from reviewers. Though, just like good or bad movies, reviewers can’t persuade or dissuade people to buy a phone.

  30. It’s funny for me Samsung look like the only one who really is pushing new features on Android.
    Stock Android phones are losing microSD cards, has the worse camera app and continue been too plain.
    Customers see stock Android boring, in that way non Nexus phone or Motorola will grab a bigger piece of the cake.

  31. Updates are cool, but really needs to happen is for Google to take Apple’s stance with Android and say “HANDS OFF OUR OS!” to carriers. USERS should have the power to update their phone to the newest version of Android regardless how old it is. Bearing where the install does a hardware requirement check first, and whether features are installed if hardware supports it, and FINALLY a list of features installed/supported for app installs so FINALLY we can solve compatibility problems and fragmentation!

  32. On privacy if you mom or Pastor can’t see it don’t post it you should be fine.

  33. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. This can lead to the down fall of Samsung’s share in the smartphone market or contribute to its success. Some consumers are willing to give new things a try. But as saturated as the market is nowadays, they better have a great advertising campaign to back their OS.

  34. Good luck with that, Samsung.

    1. Yea please, as soon as Android 4.4 Kit Kat is announced device makers including Samsung will be climbing over each other to get products on the market running it.

      Tizen OS simply isn’t needed nor is Firefox OS or any of that other nonsense. Android is already an incredible Linux based operating system, that yes, in some areas needs work but overall is the best mobile OS.

      1. Yeah i like that Google is marketing specific versions instead of just generic Android.

  35. Once upon a time every phone manufacturer had their own platform, and it led to indifference and slow growth. Then Android came along and because of the open nature, and each manufacturer adding their own enhancements to the base, it exploded from a curiosity to a powerful, beautiful system in a few short years.

    Now what’s old is new again. If each manufacturer wants their own ecosystem, app development will suffer, innovation will suffer, and we’ll go back to the days when a new phone release meant yesterday’s phone in black instead of silver.

    Best of luck if you go that way, Samsung.

    1. Innovation comes from competition. So more competition, more innovation.

      1. That’s a simplistic way to look at it. I’d say that competition between apps is certainly good, and competition between devices on common platforms is similarly good. but competition between a multitude of incompatible operating systems isn’t likely a good thing for an end user.

  36. They should use this skin on their Android phones and dump Touchwhiz. Although it has undoubtedly useful and good features, my eyes cringe when i hold my Samsung phone. Visual refresh needed!

  37. Samsung would like to thank the passion of the Android community for supporting Samsung and defending them in every way right up to the point where Samsung has no use for you and drops Android to pursue its own, proprietary agenda. With no other Android vendor making money, Android is going to have a very rough time.

    1. If Samsung ditches Android, another OEM will step up as the new King of Android. The only reason the other OEMs are doing so well is because the bulk of Android users are buying Samsung. However, Samsung is fooling themselves if they think it is the Samsung name, or their hardware, that has all this business coming at them. It is Android, and their much larger marketing budget that has them doing so well, and ditching Android will cause them to lose a ton of customers.
      For one, you have the customers who won’t leave the Android ecosystem because they are vested in it. Also, many people use Samsung devices simply because they run Android. I love my GS3, but I also loved my HTC Incredible, Incredible 2, Motorola Xoom, and my current Nexus 10. If Samsung stops making Android devices, I won’t be buying another Samsung device, and I am certain that a large chunk of their customers feel the same way.

      1. “Hardware”. Seriously if you’re buying a Samsung for hardware you might need to see a consultant.

  38. I have read a lot of comments about how stupid Samsung would be to ditch the OS that got them where they are, but doesn’t that work both ways?
    I know there are a lot of fanboys who will stick with android no matter what but let’s be honest for a second. Samsung could be very successful if they launch there OS at the right time.
    Competition is good for everyone so I say bring it on!!

    1. I hate when friends and family buy into other OSes like Windows Phone or Blackberry. It cuts us off quite a bit when we can’t share the same apps or communicate with each other through the same channels. Android has Hangouts for example but my girlfriend has a Windows Phone so I need Skype and my best friend has Blackberry so I may have to get their Android chat app too. Competition is a good thing but in some cases, it just muddies the water way too much. Yet another little-used OS from Samsung would just make it worse.

  39. I always enjoy your articles Quentyn. Not to disparage any of the other Phandroid staff members, but you have the most business sense.

  40. I think this will be Samsung’s downfall

  41. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it. If Samsung is still considering moving away from Android completely, then that will be the end of my purchasing Samsung tech. I feel like they have made great strides with certain software additions to Android, but by no means will I trust them with their own OS. Even though they have more money to spend, I think creating their own OS will end up in a re-visiting of the Samsung Instinct (One of the biggest fails by Samsung, to compete with the iPhone).

  42. Plenty of phones I can buy if Samsung ditches Android. Love my Galaxy but Android is mainly why I like it.

    1. IKR!? It’s Android that’s making it cool.

  43. So they want you to rebuy all apps on this new platform. Not to mention they expect developer support to just pop up overnight. Yeah, I think they should just step off and do what others suggested and use this instead of touchwiz and keep android.

  44. The simple fact is that there’s only so much money to be made in the hardware market. Google, Apple, Microsoft, & Amazon know the real money is in the content and that’s the pie Samsung wants a piece of. Like with PC’s we’re pretty much getting to a point where even lower end smartphones and tablets are capable of doing what 95% of people need and want them to do.

    I think a big side effect of the new no contract plans won’t be that people upgrade more often. Early adopters will, but most cost conscious people will end up keeping their phones longer and not feel they have to upgrade just because they are eligible.

    Ultimately, whether they stay with Android or not, Samsung may go with their own store instead of the Play Store so they get those revenues instead of Google. Truthfully, why wouldn’t they? If you saw potential money going out the door, wouldn’t you try to close it?

    The internet is becoming entirely service based. Cable companies and Telcos are beginning to see that as people find that Hulu, Netflix, and Skype can give them what they need. Keep in mind that Samsung isn’t just a phone manufacturer. They’ll be able to put their OS and store into TVs, stereos, even into refrigerators.

  45. Why does everyone always assume they won’t do both? Seriously.

  46. I can’t imagine them doing this, I can see them do both but why would anyone buy a Samsung phone if it wasn’t running Android?!

  47. If Tizen can run on the same exact phone that can run Android, why not release it? Provided they don’t take away from their Android development, which is really just a couple of neat features they drop in on top of stock Android. They can have a phone that can dual boot into Tizen to get the full on Samsung experience, and maybe in time people will love it. They don’t have much to lose, again, provided they don’t touch their Android team. If they make their own app store that has apps that work both on Tizen and Android from a single purchase, who knows, people might actually use the Samsung store – I mean, people use the Amazon Appstore.

  48. I had 3 samsung phones in a row and this probably the last one I am having (GS3). I didn’t buy these phones because I like samsung but because of Android. If it wasn’t for Android I wouldn’t have bought them. I am more loyal to Google than samsung.

  49. betteridge’s law of headlines. the answer here is no. they’ll probably do tizen + android. there’s no reason for them to simply leave android

  50. I would think Samsung would lose significant market share and HTC, Motorola, and LG would make tremendous gains. Many of us are too invested in the Google ecosystem to switch. I am not going to buy to new apps to stay with Samsung. I will stay with Google.

  51. I’d think a large % of owners would walk away as they’d lose their play store connection. Unless this device has 100% of same apps and allows full integration with Google services.

  52. Id have to find another phone I like Samsung and that’s all I buy but id jump ship if they went 100% to another os. Although with the great android community I think that there would be ports of android if it was ever changed

  53. NOT going to happen.

    1. they make way too much money off Android, more than Google even.

    2. Google play has 1 million apps but still lag behind the apple app store for “tablet optimized” apps and games.

    3. its hard enough as it is to get some developers to put their apps on Android, why would anybody think Samsung will have more success with some strange new OS that most people never heard off.

    4. its going to take years for Tizen to get its feet on the ground–if it does at all.

    5. they’ve worked to hard to become the #1 manufacturer in the world, if they gave that up, other companies would rush in to fill the void.

    6. repeat steps 1-5

    1. I think it’s possible that if they do plan on moving over to Tizen it will probably take the form of a Tizen/Android dual boot device to get everyone used to the interface or perhaps an Android compatibility layer in Tizen.

  54. Samsung sells Windows phones too. They are smart and will follow the money (Android). Plus, Android transformed Samsung from that other South Korean company that makes kitchen appliances into the cool, mobile market behemoth they have become — why ditch the magic carpet for a homemade rug?

  55. They could have done this before everyone else’s display tech caught up. The only OS to switch to would be one that is more context driven. I think google will be the first to ditch android.

  56. It is hard to imagine Samsung ditches Andoid, first as we seen with BB10 the lack of apps and developers can’t jump into another OS because it’s made by the N°1 phone manufacturers… But it could happen that Samsung will introduce their future flagships “or mid range” with both Android and Tizen, to see reaction of customers and plans the coming years how to separatly get from Android… Only time could tell us.

  57. *shrug*
    They’re gonna do what they’re gonna do.

    Maybe if they step back, other manufacturers will step up and make a superior product

  58. The only way this could work is if it could run the app store and all Android apps with close to native speed.

  59. I don’t think it could take off with not one Google app in the Samsung Appstore.

  60. Samsung should leave and Google should be HTC. So google could battle it out with MS/Nokia and Apple. At least that’s what I hope.

  61. i predict they will launch tizen alongside android phones in asia, and if eventually tizen starts to pull ahead then youll seem some tizens in u.s. and only if tizen really demolished android would samsung ever fully leave android. Also tizen may just be used as leverage to get google to make android changes that suit samsung

  62. tinyurl.com/l3cselt

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