Amazon's much-rumored smartphone will reportedly be exclusive to AT&T in U.S. when it launches, according to a new report.
Rumors of an Amazon smartphone have been making rounds for what seems like ages, but nothing materialized so far. Nevertheless, the moment is reportedly getting closer and the handset is expected to make its debut on Wednesday, June 18, as Amazon has a launch event scheduled for that date.
Amazon has successfully made a name for itself on the tablet market with its Kindle lineup of slates, and the company is widely expected to try its luck on the smartphone market as well.
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the Amazon smartphone is expected to be exclusively available from AT&T in the U.S. when it eventually hits commercial availability. It remains unclear at this point, however, whether this purported exclusivity will be only for a limited time or if it will be a permanent deal. Certain carriers often score deals to sell select devices exclusively for a period of time, but usually more carriers get access to said device later on.
Moreover, it also remains unclear whether Amazon itself would sell the unlocked, carrier-free version of the smartphone on its website. This would allow users to purchase the smartphone and use it on their preferred network, even if AT&T's exclusivity turns out to be permanent. It would make sense for Amazon to sell the handset on its website as well, but nothing is official at this point.
Other than the alleged 3D tracking feature that is expected to allow users to interact with the Amazon smartphone without touching it, little else is known about this device. Its hardware specifications are still shrouded in mystery, so we still don't have a very clear picture of what to expect.
Nevertheless, if Amazon does indeed plan to introduce its first smartphone on Wednesday, June 18, we'll soon know all there is to know about this device straight from the source. We'll make sure to keep you up to date as soon as Amazon makes an official announcement, so stay tuned. In the meantime, take everything with a grain of salt.
