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Amazon starts to sell off SIM-free 32GB Fire Phones for $199

by Mark Tyson on 26 November 2014, 10:05

Tags: Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), PC

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We previously reported on Amazon's ecstatic launch of its first smartphone, the Fire Phone, back in June. This device was said to bring along a collection of innovative features that customers would find irresistible. However it didn't take long until industry watchers noted that the Fire Phone appeared to be a damp squib. So here comes the predictable 'fire sale' - it has started already in the US.

The Amazon Fire Phone does have some interesting features but they weren't judged by the market to make the device worth US$449. Its 3D technology, Dynamic perspective and well specified camera unit were combined with Amazon exclusive Firefly and Mayday services to create what Amazon thought would be a killer product. However it didn't follow in the footsteps of Amazon's other device bestsellers in being priced keenly - compared to the competition - but with Amazon integration to try and make some more money from customers after the initial sell.

Today US residents can buy an Amazon Fire Phone for $199. That's a model with 32GB of storage and unlocked for use on any mobile network. Buyers will also receive a full year of Amazon Prime bundled into this deal. In the US Prime usually sells for $99 for a year and over the pond subscribers get free two day shipping of Amazon stuff, unlimited streaming of thousands of TV shows and movies thanks to Prime Instant Video, Prime Music streaming service and Kindle owners lending library.

UK residents ready to fire up their browsers to head over to Amazon.co.uk and see if we have a comparable Fire Phone deal will be disappointed today. At the time of writing the smartphone, locked to carrier O2, is still being offered at £399. However we are told that "for a limited time," (until New Year) we can get a free year of Amazon Prime with the handset.

As a recap on the hardware in this smartphone; you get a device with a 4.7-inch 720p display, a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB built-in storage, a 13MP main camera, a 2.1 MP selfie shooter on the front, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, LTE and a 2,400mAh battery.

HEXUS Forums :: 5 Comments

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Posted by Defiant - Wed 26 Nov 2014 10:40
Meh, even at £200 they are pushing it in my eyes, £400 lol
Posted by Tpyo - Wed 26 Nov 2014 10:47
So a good offer for the US (assuming you value prime, cost =$100) and barely a gesture for the UK (cost = £300). I can see it selling well in the States at least.

Still not interested in this particular offer but for future information: With the number of things now being sold with a free year of Amazon prime, anyone know if this is considered additive or concurrent with a current subscription? i.e. If I already have prime with 6 mo. left on the clock and bought something like this, would I have 18 months before I needed to renew or just the year?
Posted by AJRDLawrence - Wed 26 Nov 2014 11:11
A different offer popped up on the O2 shop recently. Buy the Amazon fire phone with a £27 tariff and get an Amazon Kindle Fire HD 7 tablet for £1. I was tempted by the offer as my contract is up for renewal now. That was until I noticed that it is the old model, eg not a HDX.
Posted by crossy - Wed 26 Nov 2014 11:17
Defiant
Meh, even at £200 they are push it in my eyes, £400 lol
Pretty much my feelings too. One one hand we've got the Fire, with it's not-quite-Android OS, that you can only get on O2.

On the other, £400 will get you pretty much all the Nokia Lumia's, Motorola MotoX, LG G3 and a selection of decent, but not top-of-the-line handsets from Samsung, HTC and Sony. All of which are also network unlocked and - arguably perhaps - better phones than the Fire. Heck, add another £60 and you're into network-unlocked iPhone5S territory! :o

Do it for £179 with a years free Prime and they might be onto something. Or, as you say, £200 for a network unlocked model. As it is now though … no sale!
Posted by KendrickDM - Fri 28 Nov 2014 02:36
This phone is on Amazons current black Friday deals, It has no UK apps and I wonder at this price who is getting the better deal, I think it would be Amazon. I walked away from the Kindles for the same reason, better an unlocked device with external SD slots than one tied to a retailer. I would be looking at canonical's open source phones and tablets next year rather.