Amazon tipped to rekindle smartphone ambitions

Amazon is reportedly working on a new smartphone built around its Alexa+ voice assistant, more than ten years after it pulled the plug on the original Fire Phone. According to Reuters, the company is exploring a reboot of the Fire Phone brand as part of a wider push to extend Alexa beyond the home and keep users tied into its services when they are on the move. The project would also align with founder Jeff Bezos’ long-standing aim to gain a foothold in the smartphone market and challenge Apple’s grip on premium devices.

The move comes as Amazon rolls out the latest version of Alexa, which reached the UK in 2025 after launching in the US. A phone would sit alongside its existing range of Alexa-enabled home hardware and give Amazon access to more user data. But Reuters noted the smartphone effort is still uncertain: it is unclear how far development has progressed, and shifting market conditions could kill the project. Amazon’s last attempt proved costly, with the original Fire Phone generating weak sales and forcing a $170 million charge in 2014 before being discontinued in 2015.