Amazon shoppers, have you ever wondered if Amazon makes phones? You’re not alone! I researched Amazon’s smartphone, the Amazon Fire Phone, and found out if it’s still in production!
Keep reading to learn all about Amazon’s phone and more!
Does Amazon Make Phones In 2024?
Amazon Fire Phone was a smartphone that was developed and ran on Amazon Fire OS as of [curentyear]. These phones were heavily integrated with Amazon’s services, such as Amazon Prime and Instant Video. Since their release, Fire Phones were only available for purchase from Amazon and AT&T, with prices beginning at $199 with a contract.
To learn more about this smartphone from Amazon, including its features and if it’s still on the market, keep reading!
What Is The Amazon Fire Phone?
As the name suggests, the Amazon Fire Phone is a smartphone developed by Amazon.
When Was The Amazon Fire Phone Unveiled?
Officially, the Amazon Fire Phone was unveiled on July 25, 2014, during a press conference hosted by then Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in the Fremont Theater in Seattle.
How Much Did The Amazon Fire Phone Cost?
With a 2-year AT&T contract, Amazon’s Fire Phone was priced at $199 for the 32GB version and $299 for the 64GB.
Based on this pricing range, it was priced comparable to most Android and Apple flagship smartphones.
After only six weeks on the market, AT&T reduced the phone price with a two-year contract from $199 to $0.99, and the off-contract price fell from $650 to $449.
Later in November 2014, the unlocked version could be found for $199. Subsequently, the price dropped to $179 in April 2015.
After a further price reduction to $130 in August 2015, Amazon eventually removed the gadget from its website.
What Network Did The Amazon Fire Phone Work With?
Amazon Fire Phone was a GSM phone which would work with AT&T and T-Mobile in the US.
Additionally, it would work with any carrier that uses GSM technology worldwide.
What Features Did The Amazon Fire Phone Have?
- To begin, the Fire Phone had a tiny 4.7-inch LCD touch screen. However, it was protected by polarized Gorilla Glass on the front and back. Moreover, the sides were made of soft plastic.
- On the top of the Fire Phone is a 3.5mm jack for headphones, as well as a lock/power button and a micro-USB connector port. At the bottom of the phone, the primary microphone, a micro-USB connection port, and dual stereo speakers with Dolby Digital sound processing were found.
- Although Internal storage is non-expandable, it came with 32 GB or 64 GB storage options.
- Unfortunately, the battery is not detachable. However, Amazon promises that it has up to 22 hours of conversation time and as much as 85 hours of standby time.
- With the phone’s ” dynamic perspective ” head tracking camera array, customers could shoot dynamic footage using four low-resolution wide-angled (120°) infrared cameras and IR illuminators.
Software
- Like the Kindle Fire tablets, the Fire Phone runs on a version of Android called Fire OS. Preloaded on the phone was version 3.5 of Fire OS, based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
- Amazon’s Fire Phone comes pre-installed with the Amazon Appstore, Amazon Video, Amazon Music, a modified version of the Silk web browser, and Audible audiobooks.
- Although the phone runs Android, it does not come with Google Play Store pre-installed. Google Play and Google Services may be easily sideloaded on Fire OS 3.6.8 or higher.
- Furthermore, the Fire Phone automatically backs up photos to Amazon’s Cloud Drive; this device comes with unlimited storage for photographs.
Additional selling points for the Fire phone are Mayday and Firefly.
Moreover, customers could directly connect with customer service representatives 24 hours a day with Mayday.
With Firefly, shoppers could use the camera and microphone features to identify products on Amazon or essential data like addresses and phone numbers.
In addition, an upgrade enabled users to translate text and even recognize famous works of art.
Furthermore, the Fire Phone could screen-cast content to any Miracast-enabled devices, including Fire TVs, gaming devices, or select Samsung Smart TVs.
This feature also allowed the phone to function as a second-screen computer screen.
What Did Critics And Consumers Think About The Amazon Fire Phone?
Unfortunately, critical reception for the Fire Phone was mixed at best.
Although critics found features like Firefly and the dynamic perspective beneficial, they identified several drawbacks.
Such drawbacks included a lack of Bluetooth compatibility, an underdeveloped OS, high price, and the exclusive availability of AT&T’s network.
Moreover, even the hardware had lukewarm reviews.
Although many praised the phone’s design, others felt the device’s durability was compromised by using so much glass.
In addition, users felt the device was bulky and heavier than similar brands on the market. However, many users appreciated the headphone’s quality despite their cheap construction.
How Interested Were Consumers In The Amazon Fire Phone?
When first unveiled, the Fire Phone was found at the top spot on the “Best Selling” list on Amazon.com. However, sales dropped significantly after two weeks.
Following the initial development of the Fire Phone, Amazon shares dipped by 10% on July 24, 2014, which was only one day before its launch on AT&T.
Furthermore, several AT&T stores reported little to no sales on the launch date despite increased foot traffic and interest in other stores for the Fire Phone.
When Did Amazon Stop Offering The Fire Phone?
According to a report on “Phandroid,” Amazon has discontinued the Fire Phone as of August 27, 2015.
To know more, you can also see our posts on Amazon cell phone return policy, buying phones on Amazon, and Amazon Fire tablet warranty.
Conclusion
Amazon’s Fire Phone was a valiant effort by Amazon to break into the smartphone market. Unfortunately, this phone was not what consumers were looking for and did not sell well.
While Amazon has stopped producing these phones, they still make much of the software used. Therefore who knows, maybe we can expect future iterations of the Fire Phone as well as other innovative mobile devices from Amazon soon!
