We detailed news of Samsung and Tizen's first technological collaboration, with the unveiling of its Gear 2 and Gear Neo smartwatches at MWC 2014 earlier in the year. The partnership has now yielded another device, this time in the form of the mobile industry's first ever Tizen OS smartphone, the Samsung Z. The new device will be on display however at the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco, California from 3 June 2014.

Based on listed specs, the Samsung Z seems like more than just a prototype for testing out a new OS, as it's fitted with a 4.8" HD super AMOLED display (1280x720)  and 2.3 GHz quad-core processor. The design favoured for the Samsung Z can be best described as minimalistic, with clean lines integrated into its candy bar shape, with a faux-leather back cover available in black or gold.  According to manufacturers, the Samsung Z also makes use of more efficient technologies, which is said to result in faster startup times, better multitasking and stronger battery life.

As far as additional components, the Z incorporates an eight megapixel main camera on the rear, with 2.1 megapixel front facing camera. Added to this, is the Ultra Power Saving mode, which we saw utilised in the Samsung Galaxy S5 (review), stretching the Z's 2600 mAh battery even further. Other similarities to the S5 include a fingerprint and heart rate sensor, S Health app, NFC and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

The Samsung Z is set for sale in Russia in Q3 of this year, and should be making its way to European and Asian markets in the months that follow. To date no official pricing is set for the Samsung Z, but given its specs, it may retail in the upper end of the mid-range smartphone spectrum.

Images courtesy of Samsung Tomorrow