The Tizen OS has been around for quite some time but has never had its own official phone. That might change this year if rumors prove to be true, as Samsung is reportedly working on building a phone with the Linux-based operating system.

According to the Daily Yomiuri, Samsung is aiming to launch the phone sometime this year — possibly at the Mobile World Congress that’s held in February. The rumor also says that the phone will be made be made possible through a partnership between Samsung and NTT DoCoMo, making it a possibility that the phone will see an initial launch in Japan.

It would be an interesting move for Samsung — whose Android phones are a humongous success — to divide their attention between Android and another OS. Also, it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung’s hardware can singlehandedly usher in a new smartphone OS despite stiff competition from Google and Apple.

[via Gizmodo, image via tizenproject]