We have been hearing for quite a while now that Samsung plans on launching a Tizen-based smartphone in the form of the Samsung Z1. In fact we had heard that the phone’s possible launch date has been set for the 18th of January which means that we can expect an announcement as soon as this week.
That being said, what kind of features can we expect from the phone? Well according to newly leaked photos, it seems that the Samsung Z1 could very well come with WhatsApp preinstalled on it. The photo, as you can see in the image above, shows WhatsApp running on the Tizen handset, indicating that the folks at WhatsApp have managed to develop an app for the Tizen platform.
The design of the Tizen version looks exactly the same as its Android counterpart so it looks like there won’t be any major design changes, unlike the iOS and Windows Phone version of the app. Given that the Samsung Z1 will not exactly be a high-powered handset, chances are WhatsApp will remain free for the device.
Last year WhatsApp confirmed that they will not be charging customers in emerging markets a subscription fee, and with the Samsung Z1 launching in India, it looks like the perfect candidate.
Filed in . Read more about Apps, Samsung, Tizen and Whatsapp.