Samsung confirms it will launch multiple Tizen handsets this year

Samsung has confirmed that it will launch more than one Tizen smartphone this year. Tizen is an open-source OS based on Linux that counts Intel and Samsung as development partners. Some have questioned whether Google’s purchase of Motorola would prompt Samsung to move away from Android, and, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, the 2013 Tizen launch is the first sign that this may become a reality. In an emailed statement to the publication, Samsung said that it plans to release “new, competitive Tizen devices within this year,” adding that it will expand its lineup depending on market conditions.

Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun recently reported that Samsung was set to launch a Tizen device at MWC this February with local carrier NTT DoCoMo on board to sell the phone shortly afterwards. We haven’t heard anything regarding pricing or specifications for the upcoming handsets, but Samsung has a history of pairing old hardware up with new OSes, rather than releasing entirely new devices.