Amazon's Fire Phone Slashed From $649 to $199 Unlocked With No Contract
We praised a few elements of Amazon's Fire Phone in our review earlier in the year, but one thing kept us from falling head over heels: the steep price of entry. With mid-range specifications and no access to Google Play, the Fire Phone is a unique creature that serves a smaller market. Some of the innovations on it are worthy of laud, but at what cost? Evidently, not at the cost at which Amazon launched with. The phone was sold for $649 unlocked, or $199 when attached to a two-year AT&T contract. Now, just months later, Amazon is looking to unload inventory for the holidays.
The Fire Phone has been slashed to $199 with no contract at all, enabling it to be used freely on AT&T, T-Mobile, and GSM carriers all over the world. (For those that wish, an on-contract AT&T version is still available for $0.00.) This is probably the price point where the Fire Phone should've launched at to begin with, and who knows how the reception would've been if so. Hindsight is always in focus, however, so we guess a proper price cut now is better than never.
The only phones readily available off-contract for under $200 are ones like the first-gen Moto X, the new Moto E and G, and a couple of units from China-based manufacturers. Now, there's the Fire Phone added into the mix. Is it for you? If you travel internationally and pick up local SIMs in varying nations, having an unlocked phone in your arsenal is crucial. That said, be very sure you want to be immersed in Amazon's ecosystem, as that's the playground that comes standard on this phone.
The Fire Phone has been slashed to $199 with no contract at all, enabling it to be used freely on AT&T, T-Mobile, and GSM carriers all over the world. (For those that wish, an on-contract AT&T version is still available for $0.00.) This is probably the price point where the Fire Phone should've launched at to begin with, and who knows how the reception would've been if so. Hindsight is always in focus, however, so we guess a proper price cut now is better than never.
The only phones readily available off-contract for under $200 are ones like the first-gen Moto X, the new Moto E and G, and a couple of units from China-based manufacturers. Now, there's the Fire Phone added into the mix. Is it for you? If you travel internationally and pick up local SIMs in varying nations, having an unlocked phone in your arsenal is crucial. That said, be very sure you want to be immersed in Amazon's ecosystem, as that's the playground that comes standard on this phone.
