Amazon’s Smartphone Design: 10 Features We Want to See

by Don Reisinger

If the reports are true, the Amazon smartphone will come with four lenses, allowing for a full 3D effect. If that’s the case, it’ll be a welcome addition to the handset. Full 3D support has been tried before in the smartphone market, but it hasn’t quite taken off just yet. Hopefully, Amazon’s 3D experience will be different and make for a better offering.

The iPhone 5S comes with a 4-inch display, making Amazon’s choice of screen size very important. Reports suggest that the Amazon smartphone will come with a 4.7-inch screen, beating out the iPhone and reportedly matching the upcoming iPhone 6. That’s right where Amazon wants to be—especially if it wants to make sure the handset is affordable.

We’d like to see Amazon keep the price down as far as possible. One of the nice things about the Kindle Fire HDX is that it’s available at a price many people can live with and doesn’t sacrifice too many features to get there. Hopefully, Amazon brings that same model to the smartphone.

Amazon has done a great job of delivering a compelling Android-based software experience in Fire OS. Although there are some ways in which the icons are displayed that would need to be addressed in a smaller screen, Amazon should bring the full Fire OS experience to its handset. Some reports have said that Amazon could opt for Windows Phone to distance itself from Google, but that sounds ridiculous and unlikely. Look for FireOS in the Amazon handset.

Amazon’s recently launched Fire TV set-top box is a nice offering in its own right. But Amazon would be hard-pressed to sell a critical mass of Fire TV units without ensuring that its smartphone can be fully integrated with the set-top box. Whether it’s voice commands, remote control or simply sending over content from the smartphone to the big screen, Amazon’s smartphone must have full support for the company’s Fire TV.

In addition to the Fire TV, it would be nice to see Amazon integrate its many services into the phone to ensure that consumers can have their desired content wherever they desire. The Amazon smartphone should come with Kindle ebooks, full access to Prime Instant Video, the ability to download songs through the Amazon MP3 store and Amazon’s Appstore as its app marketplace. If all that makes its way to the smartphone—and it should—the smartphone will be in good shape.

There are some rumors that Amazon is planning to launch two smartphones this year. The first would be the higher-end option with the 3D and 4.7-inch screen, while the other would come with lower-end components. Although Amazon hasn’t confirmed either device, assuming the company offers up the cheaper option, let’s hope that it goes for free with a two-year contract. Such a price would put Amazon on the smartphone map and put it in direct competition with Apple’s older products, like the iPhone 4S.

Kids might not like it, but Kindle Free Time Unlimited is one of the most important solutions Amazon offers. The platform allows parents to decide how much time kids can spend on a device, what apps they can access, and where they can browse across the Web. Adding Kindle Free Time Unlimited to the Amazon smartphone will be a huge selling point for parents.

There’s been some talk that Amazon is planning to launch a Siri competitor sometime this year. And although Siri’s value to users can be debated, it’s probably a good idea for a personal virtual assistant to make its way to Amazon’s smartphone. Say what you want about Siri, but it’s become a standard feature and has forced competing devices to offer something similar. Amazon must follow the crowd.

Last, but certainly not least, the Amazon smartphone better come with a design that appeals to the average customer. In the past, Amazon’s product designs have been a bit boring and simple. In order for the company’s would-be smartphone to be successful, it needs to buck that trend. If Amazon wants to be successful, it needs to focus on hardware design. Without an eye on design, it can’t be successful.