Amazon might be taking another shot at building its own smartphones, according to a new report from NDTV’s Gadget 360. And unlike the company’s failed Fire Phone, the new smartphones — allegedly branded “Ice” — would have access to the full line of Google services and apps, including the Play Store.
The report notes that the Ice line would be targeted at emerging markets like India, instead of the more US-facing focus of the original Fire Phone. As such, the rumored specs for one of the Ice phones fall in line with that goal: a screen between 5.2 and 5.5 inches, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a Snapdragon 435 processor. Gadget 360 claims that this specific model would retail for roughly $93 at launch, although that price could change before launch.
If the Ice rumors are true, Amazon could have a big opportunity in emerging market places. Google has made no secret of its desire to put Android phones in the hands of “the next billion users” with initiatives like Android Go and Android One; an Amazon hardware push would certainly go a long way toward getting Google there, while also boosting Amazon’s own user base of its own products.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/6/5/15739540/amazon-android-ice-smartphones-google-apps-services-fire-phone-report
Submitted by: Arnfried Walbrecht
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