What you need to know
- Reports claim Amazon is headed back down the smartphone road with project “Transformer.”
- Details are scarce; however, early rumors claim the device could focus strongly on its AI features and focus on becoming a “voice-driven” device for shopping, ordering food, and more.
- IDC’s vice president, Francisco Jeronimo, pointed out that the Amazon Fire Phone flopped with under 140,000 units sold over a decade ago.
Hold the phone; reports claim Amazon is interested in getting back into the smartphone business after the last one fizzled out.
An exclusive obtained by Reuters states Amazon is looking to return its name to the smartphone market, roughly 11 years after the Fire Phone vanished. While an Amazon spokesperson declined to comment to Reuters, alleged information claims this phone would make good on Jeff Bezos’ original vision. Supposedly, Amazon’s founder wanted a phone that had “shopping at its core and could take on Apple by offering shipping convenience and discounts through the Prime membership.”
More than that, this phone would be entirely “voice-driven.” Amazon has reportedly kick-started plans for this new phone under the “Transformer” project. Not only would shopping be a huge part of this phone, but discovering content on Prime Video, music in Prime Music, and finding food on GrubHub (and other partners) would be “easy,” per Reuters.
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AI sounds like a definite with that. The report adds that Amazon’s Alexa could be featured quite heavily across this device to help carry the many “voice-driven” capabilities it could have.
According to Reuters’ sources, the Transformer project is spearheaded by a new device unit called ZeroOne. This group has one goal: to “create ‘breakthrough’ gadgets.” While this phone is still under wraps with development ongoing, the publication’s sources say Amazon has looked at the Light Phone for inspiration. As the name implies, this device is very barebones, offering only the essentials to help get users away from their smartphone addiction.
Other details are scarce; however, this report is already spurring discussions from prominent figures in the industry.
Will it be fire this time?
Shortly after word broke, IDC emailed Android Central with comments about this new (rumored) Amazon smartphone venture.
Immediately, IDC’s vice president Francisco Jeronimo pointed out the Amazon Fire Phone’s biggest flaw: it sold fewer than 140,000 units in its flop a decade ago. Their comments also bring up the steep hill Amazon would have to climb against the likes of Samsung and Apple and “leading Chinese OEMs” that dominate the market today. Jeronimo states that Amazon’s supposed positioning of its Transformer project phone as a “secondary” or “niche” phone “is also weak.”
They state, “While there is some narrative around digital detox or secondary devices, the actual volumes are negligible.” Where IDC sees Amazon (potentially) succeeding is in the AI department. Jeronimo adds that phones may truly move into an “AI-first” mindset, with AI agents handling mundane tasks for users. If Amazon chases strong, powerful AI services, “spanning commerce, content, and the cloud,” with a focus on what exists with Alexa, “it could have an opportunity.”
Throwing caution to the wind, the IDC states that its projections see the smartphone market dipping by 13% in 2026 due to the memory shortage. If Amazon wants to drop its phone this year, it might be a flop before we even see it.
Android Central’s Take
Does anyone even remember the Amazon Fire Phone? I had to search Android Central’s old archives to even find it. I couldn’t remember. The Fire Phone had a small 4.7-inch LCD HD display with a 13MP camera, and 64GB of storage (this was 2014). Compare that with the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus—do you see why Amazon’s flopped? It didn’t hook consumers. In today’s market, hooking people for a new phone, which is wildly expensive nowadays, is important. Justification is what’s important, an aspect IDC’s Francisco Jeronimo couldn’t do for Amazon’s rumored phone venture.
