Amazon to Release Smartphone With 6 Cameras?

Amazon is set to release its first smartphone that will feature 6 cameras within the next 3-6 months, reports Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities. Kuo is known for his impressive track record in predicting Apple news.

“We predict Amazon (US) will launch its own brand smartphone in 3-6 months, using the same hardware strategy as used for its e-reader and tablet,” Kuo wrote on Thursday in a note to clients obtained by BGR. “The supply chain will start stocking up materials in 2Q14 for production. We estimate required components will amount to 700k-1.2mn units, and assembly to 300-600k units. Related suppliers will start to see benefits in 2Q14.”

Kuo says the smartphone will feature six cameras, including one rear camera, one front camera, and four cameras that will be used for gesture controls. BGR says it was able to confirm this claim with its own sources.


“The key feature of the smartphone, we believe, will be the six cameras,” Kuo wrote. “Aside from the main camera, which is used to take pictures, and the sub camera, used for video conferencing (these are both found in all smartphones), we think the other four cameras will be used for gesture control, allowing users to operate the smartphone without touching the touch panel.”

He continued, “Given the highly competitive smartphone market, Amazon will have to provide users with a unique experience to differentiate its phone from other brands. It would do this by integrating the smartphone with its own services such as e-commerce. If Amazon’s smartphone is a hit, we would expect shipments to grow significantly due to the hardware features and business model. At the current stage, when market acceptance is unclear, we preliminarily forecast shipments of 300-600k units in 2Q14 and 2-3mn units in 2014.”

The phone is said to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, a 4.7-inch display with 300-320 ppi, a plastic housing, a 13MP camera from Sony, additional cameras from Primax, and 2,000-2,400 mAh battery.

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