Samsung has just introduced the world's first commercially available smartphone running on the Tizen operating system (OS), the new Samsung Z.

The Samsung Z will be on display at the Tizen Developer Conference, which takes place this week in San Francisco, starting on Tuesday, June 3.

Samsung has so far launched most of its smartphones on Google's popular Android platform, but the company has also been working with Intel to develop the Tizen platform as an alternative. Samsung's move to launch Tizen-based devices is widely seen as an effort to loosen its reliance on Android.

"Samsung is committed to enhancing the mobile experience of consumers with innovation that is both personal and unique to their needs," said DJ Lee, president of mobile communications at Samsung Electronics.

"The Tizen platform delivers a fast, optimal performance with improved memory management. The Tizen-based Samsung Z offers a faster startup time and immediate multi-tasking capabilities. The Samsung Z fully supports superb 2D and 3D graphic qualities, smoother scrolling and an improved rendering performance for web browsing. Users will also be able to enjoy safe and secure privacy protection using the built-in fingerprint sensor. An Ultra Power Saving Mode lets the phone stay operational even at minimal battery levels in emergencies."

In terms of hardware specifications, the new Samsung Z sports a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display and packs a 2.3GHz quad-core application processor under the hood, paired with 2GB of RAM. The smartphone has 16GB of internal storage capacity and a microSD card slot for additional memory of up to 64GB.

When it comes to software, Samsung said that additional applications for the smartphone will be available through the Tizen Store when the Samsung Z officially goes on sale. The smartphone will become available in the third quarter in Russia, with plans to launch in other markets later on. Samsung also plans to hold an apps contest in Russia and CIS countries, as well as a one-year promotional program for developers.

The company has yet to offer pricing details for its new Samsung Z, but should provide more information shortly. We'll make sure to keep you up to date as soon as we learn more, so stay tuned.