Samsung says Android is still top priority as it plans Tizen smartphones for Q2

While Samsung has confirmed plans to debut phones running Tizen instead of Android,  senior vice president of Samsung’s product strategy team Yoon Han-kil says Android will remain Samsung’s “main business.” The executive also confirmed in the same interview with Reuters that two Tizen smartphones will debut in Q2 with Tizen being used on devices launching only in certain markets:

““We had tried to launch (Tizen) with DoCoMo and Orange … but couldn’t because of poor market conditions. We have changed our strategy and will release the phones in a few countries where we can do well,” he said, adding that he thought Tizen would have to account for up to 15 percent of Samsung’s total smartphone shipments to become a successful platform.

Samsung officially made the switch from an almost all Android ecosystem for its mobile devices to Tizen for its latest round of Gear smartwatches. However, Yoon also confirmed to Reuters that the company plans on releasing an Android smartwatch later in the year, which will presumably be based off Google’s recently unveiled Android Wear platform.