Catenaa, Friday, March 20, 2026- Amazon is planning to launch its own smartphone brand after the 2014 Fire Phone flop, with mobile personalization syncing with voice assistant Alexa.
Reuters reported that the latest effort, known internally as “Transformer,” is being developed within its devices and services unit and will also serve as a conduit to Amazon customers throughout the day.
The initiative is the newest chapter in a years-long effort to bring to market Bezos’ long-held vision of a ubiquitous voice-driven computing assistant akin to the voice-controlled computer in science fiction series “Star Trek.”
Bezos had envisioned a smartphone that had shopping at its core and could take on Apple by offering shipping convenience and discounts through the Prime membership.
Along the way, Amazon could gain a wealth of new data about users only available through mobile phones, combined with purchase history and content preferences.
Amazon’s effort to develop a new smartphone has not been previously reported. Reuters could not determine some details, such as the anticipated price of the phone, the revenue Amazon hopes to generate, or the financial commitment Amazon has made to the project.
The timeline for Amazon’s Transformer project is also unclear, and the people cautioned that it could be scrapped if the strategy shifts or due to financial concerns.
As envisioned, the new phone’s personalization features would make buying from Amazon.com, watching Prime Video, listening to Prime Music, or ordering food from partners like Grubhub easier than ever, the report said.
A key focus of the Transformer project has been integrating artificial intelligence capabilities into the device, the people said. That could eliminate the need for traditional app stores, which require downloading and registering for applications before they can be used.
Alexa would likely be a core feature but not necessarily the primary operating system of the phone, the report said.
