What Is The Advantage of Tizen Over Other OS?

One of the most popular operating systems for smart TVs is Tizen. It offers a lot of possibilities and is often underestimated. With the right approach, it can serve as an excellent platform for building streaming services, applications, or software solutions.

source: Parks Associates: Samsung’s Tizen is most popular smart TV purchased in 2023

Statistics clearly show that Tizen is the most popular operating system for smart TVs – of all smart TV users in the US, a whopping 35% use Tizen.

But what exactly is Tizen? How does it stand out from other operating systems, and what advantages does it offer? Discover all the answers in our in-depth guide.

What is Tizen?

Tizen is a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for smart TVs, wearable devices, and other connected appliances. Developed by the Linux Foundation and managed by the Tizen Association, it is open-source and highly customisable, allowing manufacturers and developers to tailor it to specific devices and user needs.

Similar to Android or iOS, Tizen is open to developers and contributors. It allows you to freely develop system software and applications, and share your creations with the world.

In Tizen, all profiles are built on a common, shared infrastructure called Tizen Common. This is an important feature because openness provides opportunities for growth. Tizen offers an excellent environment for adapting and customising solutions for new products.

Since Tizen is based on common elements and features, it is much easier to adapt the end product to emerging technologies and customise your end product even more.

Additionally, Tizen OS allows you to seamlessly sync different devices to create a unified ecosystem and improve the user and developer experience.

Tizen may be a good alternative to other popular operating systems. Hence, if you are looking for something non-standard, Tizen may be the right choice.

What devices is Tizen good for?

Tizen is a versatile operating system designed to power a wide range of devices. Samsung is its primary supporter and the largest contributor to its development. Other manufacturers and developers can use Tizen due to its open-source nature. However, Samsung has been the driving force behind Tizen’s adoption.

Here’s a quick list of Tizen-supported devices:

• Wearable devices (fitness trackers, smartwatches)
• Smart TVs
• Smart home appliances
• IoT devices
• Mobile devices
• In-vehicle infotainment systems

Basically, Tizen OS can be used on any electronic device. It is not limited to only one app, so it gives you more chances to reach out to the audience.

This operating system allows for a consistent user experience across all devices to easily access all content, and watch favourite TV shows and movies whenever and wherever viewers are.

How is Tizen different from other OS?

What’s the difference between Tizen and other OS? Let’s get deeper.

Features

In fact, Tizen is no different than other popular OS. Just like, for example, Android OS, it has strong points and few limitations.

Here are the main functionalities in a nutshell:

• Tizen allows manufacturers to design and modify user interfaces to reflect their brand identity while maintaining usability and consistency across devices.
• Tizen supports development with HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, enabling efficient web app creation that can run on multiple device types.
• Tizen’s lightweight design ensures optimal performance, even on devices with limited hardware resources.
• Since Tizen is available on Samsung, it works perfectly with all Samsung devices.
• Tizen OS works across different devices (smart TV, smart cameras, appliances, smartphones, and more), making it universal and more flexible for users. It enables people to connect every device and have a coherent set of tools that complement each other.
• Tizen supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, ensuring devices are always running the latest software with minimal downtime.

Overall, Tizen is another operating system. It is very similar to Android. It may differ from other OS with smallish features that may be suitable for some, and bother others. But it all depends on personal preferences.

IoT

IoT (Internet of Things) is something you may not necessarily find in other OS. At least not on such a large scale. What’s IoT about in Tizen and why is it so important? It’s about two important aspects:

1. Device convergence — in other words, all devices are interconnected. That gives more possibilities to expand control over different devices. 
2. Connectivity simply means that all your devices with Tizen create a unified system. You can freely connect them. That is the case with a “smart home” where you can synchronise all devices to make your home a better place to live. It is like taking a bath while controlling the music volume, vacuum cleaner, and light brightness with your smartphone. 
3. Tizen supports various communication protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee, enabling smooth integration and communication between IoT devices in a network.

When it comes to IoT, Tizen OS has a much bigger advantage over other operating systems. It seamlessly syncs across different appliances and devices. This means a better user experience and higher comfort of living.

Tizen Studio

Tizen Studio is the official integrated development environment (IDE) for building applications and software for Tizen-powered devices. The IDE provides predefined project templates and sample applications to help developers get started quickly and focus on customising their solutions.

You can use Tizen Studio for platform or app development to optimise app and base your work on already tested solutions. Or you can build the product in your favorite environment.

Overall the difference between Tizen OS and other systems is not that significant. Tizen is still developing so you can expect more to come in the future.

Is Tizen better than Android or iOS?

Determining whether Tizen is better than Android or iOS depends on the specific use case, device type and individual preferences. Each operating system has unique strengths and weaknesses, making it suitable for different scenarios.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of Tizen OS to see all the good and bad sides of the system.

Pros of Tizen:

• It’s a lightweight environment, easy to move around, with a user-friendly interface.
• From a technical point of view, it consumes less battery and is well-optimised. Generally, Samsung devices consume less power.
• Tizen offers seamless smartphone casting, enhancing the integration between devices.
• Based on IoT principles, Tizen supports a wide range of devices, providing a comprehensive and personalised user experience.

Cons of Tizen:

• For non-tech-savvy users, Tizen may present challenges due to its customisation options. The available documentation can lack important information, necessitating specific knowledge and skills to effectively use the OS. Additionally, finding solutions within the community can be difficult.
• Tizen’s app store is more limited compared to other platforms, which may restrict access to certain preferred content.
• Some users have reported that Tizen’s smart suggestions and recommendations are not as advanced as those found on platforms like Android.

Is Tizen good for you?

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to choosing the right OS for you. Everything depends on several important factors:

• The purpose for which you want to create your platform or app
• Your budget
• What is your niche, who you want to aim your platform at
• Your or your team technical skills and knowledge
• What devices it will support

Before choosing the OS system for your streaming platform or application, it’s a good idea to consider all the pros and cons. Or, in case of doubts, consults the experts who will help you make the right choice. You can also hire the right people to create the platform for you from scratch.

Conclusion

If you are considering building a streaming platform based on Tizen OS, it is a good idea to analyse your needs before you make the decision. It is a robust system with many advantages.

Nevertheless, Tizen will broaden its ecosystem as the market requirements and user demands are constantly increasing, so you can expect more. And with the right skills, your developers can build another wonder of the world.

If you are not sure what’s best for you, reach out to us, we will give you a hand and help you choose the best solution!