Samsung Electronics postpones launch of Tizen smartphone

Samsung Electronics Co has said it is delaying sales of its first Tizen-powered smartphone.

The South Korean company had planned to start selling the phone in Russia this quarter but said on Monday that Tizen needs more time to expand its following of app developers and apps.

It did not announce a new release date.

The earlier sales plan for the Samsung Z, its Tizen smartphone, was announced in June.

The delay is a setback for Samsung's push to reduce reliance on Google's Android operating system, which powers Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

Samsung is the world's largest manufacturer of smartphones, but lacks a popular mobile platform of its own, like Apple's iOS or Google's Android. Samsung's own app store draws far fewer developers and users than those of Apple or Google.