Amazon Smartphone: First Design Images Leaked

(Image credit: BGR)

If Amazon were to build a phone, what would it look like? Kind of like the iPhone, apparently. The latest rumors surrounding Amazon's supposed plans for a smartphone include a picture of the Amazon smartphone's design. Obtained by BGR, this is our first look at what we can expect Amazon's first foray into the smartphone segment to look like. Though this picture could be a fake, BGR says the image has been verified by multiple trusted sources and they say it's legit. Although there isn't a whole lot of information to be gleaned from the picture, we do see the volume rocker on the left side of the device along with what could be the power button. It also has what looks like a rubberized feel to the edges, which is probably very similar to the soft feel of the current generation Kindle Paperwhite.

Though it's nice to get a proper look at this device, the hardware likely won't be the most interesting aspect of the Amazon smartphone. So far we've heard about hidden menus, infrared sensors, and a 3D interface. The hidden menus are navigated using a unique tilting approach that sees menus pop out depending on the direction you tip the device. Navigating and scrolling through webpages also incorporates this functionality. It also serves as a method to view more or related content (the example BGR gave was to bring up Yelp reviews when using Maps). 

On the hardware side, the reported specs include a Snapdragon chipset, 2 GB of RAM, a 720p display and as many as six camera modules. These will apparently be used alongside optical character recognition (OCR) and other technology that will allow the phone's rear camera to capture an image and pull the text into a separate note.

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  • dave_trimble
    Looks kind of like an Optimus G or Nexus 4. Iphone? Not so much.
    Reply
  • Shin-san
    I'm not crazy with the tilting idea. It has to be very responsive in order for it to work
    Reply
  • ibmpc
    oh no it's rectangular get ready for lawsuit from apple lol
    Reply
  • joaompp
    Wow, you're just now getting to this? This image has been all over the internet for over a week.
    Reply
  • dacquesta1
    Wow, you're just now getting to this? This image has been all over the internet for over a week.

    why don't you start your own damn tech news site then?
    Reply
  • Shankovich
    Wow, you're just now getting to this? This image has been all over the internet for over a week.

    Yet you cometh here still
    Reply
  • BranFlake5
    Looks kind of like an Optimus G or Nexus 4. Iphone? Not so much.
    That was my exact, it resembles the Nexus 4 very much. I love the fell and design of my N4, so this was a good design idea. (In My Opinion at least)
    Reply
  • lp231
    Back in the old days, when it comes to designing a phone, you really have to put some artistic effort to make it look nice and such. Like Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson was different from one another. Sadly those days are long gone. Now all we get is a flat rectangle with a piece of glass on top.
    Reply
  • largg
    Back in the old days, when it comes to designing a phone, you really have to put some artistic effort to make it look nice and such. Like Nokia, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson was different from one another. Sadly those days are long gone. Now all we get is a flat rectangle with a piece of glass on top.

    Can't even find a decent slider for Android now. I don't understand why everyone is putting out slates, especially when Android is built for customization.

    I would love to have the original Palm Pre, but in a 4.5 inch size with Moto X hardware inside.
    Reply
  • teh_chem
    Looks kind of like an Optimus G or Nexus 4. Iphone? Not so much.
    My thoughts exactly. I have no problem with the O G or N4 design, but this device does look a gen behind, as sleek as those phones were.

    But I would never. ever. use amazon's OS on my phone. We had the original Kindle Fire, and then the KFHD, and I couldn't fathom using their OS for anything that was not recreational use (and truth be told, even for recreational use, I don't like amazon's tablet OS). This is coming from a household that has amazon prime, watches streaming Prime content, uses amazon mp3, etc. I hate amazon's OS UI, and unless I'm the world's most unlucky user, I've had nothing but problems with the device stability.
    Reply