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Samsung launches first 4G, Tizen-powered smartphone in India

The Z2 will retail for a cool $68 when it hits retailers on August 29th.

Samsung's experiment with the Tizen operating system hasn't shown up in more than a couple of handsets and some Gear smartwatches so far, but the smartphone behemoth still believes the open-source platform has value for low-cost phones in emerging markets. Case in point: the first 4G Tizen offering, the Samsung Z2 arrives in India next week, with a price tag of around $68 USD (or 4,590 INR) and a range of region-specific features.

First, the basics: the Z2 sports a 4-inch 480x800 AMOLED display driven by a quad-core 1.5GHz processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal memory, expandable via a microSD slot. The Z2 also offers dual-SIM support, a 1,500 mAh battery, a 5-megapixel camera and a front-facing VGA selfie cam. While it's not exactly a flagship phone with those specs, Samsung has included a range of "Make for India" features like Ultra Data Saving Mode, Ultra Power Saving Mode, S Bike mode and the My Money Transfer app to make it doubly appealing to the Indian market.

When the phone officially goes on sale August 29th, it will be available in Black, Gold or "Wine Red" at retail stores or online at Paytm, and comes pre-loaded with a trial version of Samsung's Jio mobile streaming apps. The phone is expected to hit other countries after its initial release in India, although the price could vary slightly depending on the region.