Trending Now - Amazon Developing Ai-focused Smartphone With Alexa Integration

WHO:

Amazon, led by J Allard, who previously worked on the Zune and Xbox at Microsoft.

The phone is being developed by Amazon’s ZeroOne group.

WHAT:

Amazon is reportedly developing a smartphone code-named “Transformer.”

The phone will focus on Amazon’s AI assistant, Alexa, but Alexa will not necessarily be the primary operating system.

The original Fire Phone launched at $199 and was scrapped a year after its release.

Users have complained about the LLM-powered Alexa Plus, stating it was “flooded with ads” and took longer to respond to queries.

WHERE:

The development is taking place within Amazon’s ZeroOne group.

WHEN:

The original Fire Phone was released in 2014 and discontinued in 2015.

The complaints about the upgraded Alexa Plus occurred earlier in 2026.

WHY:

Amazon is pushing to keep up with its rivals in AI, which may be driving the company to reignite its smartphone ambitions.

App availability was a major challenge for the original Fire Phone, which Amazon may try to avoid with the new device.

HOW:

The team has explored both smartphone and “dumbphone” designs, taking inspiration from the $700 minimalist Light Phone, which features a black-and-white display and lacks an app store.

Integrating artificial intelligence capabilities into the device has been a central focus, potentially relying on mini apps similar to those available in ChatGPT rather than a fully fledged app store.

(UPDATED March 20, 2026 19:18 UTC)

Amazon is reportedly developing a new smartphone, code-named "Transformer," led by J Allard, who has a background with the Zune and Xbox at Microsoft. The device will emphasize Amazon's AI assistant, Alexa, although it may not serve as the primary operating system, and the company is looking to avoid the app availability issues that plagued the original Fire Phone, which was launched in 2014 and discontinued a year later. The development is taking place within Amazon’s ZeroOne group, where the team is exploring various designs, including minimalist options inspired by the Light Phone, while focusing on integrating artificial intelligence capabilities.