Samsung to release its first Tizen-based smartphones in Russia and India

It looks like the first Tizen-based Samsung smartphones are finally getting closer to release. The Korean electronics giant is preparing to launch a Tizen-based smartphone in Russia and India, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Russian release will reportedly coincide with the Tizen Developer Conference, which takes place in San Francisco this June. Samsung will hold a launch event in Russia that’s similar to its global Galaxy launches, WSJ reported.

Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE +0.86% is preparing to release a smartphone in Russia and India based on the company’s own operating system, people familiar with the matter said, the latest step in Samsung’s push to compete directly in mobile software with Google Inc. GOOGL +2.24% and Apple Inc. AAPL +1.24% The South Korean company is planning an event in Moscow in the coming weeks to introduce a smartphone running on the Tizen operating system, the people said. The Russia release would be presented at an event similar to the format that Samsung uses to unveil its flagship devices, one of the people said. The event will be timed to take place around a developer’s conference that Tizen’s backers organized for early June in San Francisco.