First impressions last and unfortunately the Fire Phone didn't make one good enough for critics to recommend it. But that may be ok. If sales are any indication, it looks like the smartphone is hitting it big online, billed as the best-selling smartphone on, well, Amazon.
Released on July 27, the Fire Phone has been available for a week as an exclusive for AT&T. It is priced similarly to top-tier iPhone and Samsung units at $200 for a two-year contract and may be purchased either through AT&T or Amazon. According to Amazon's best-selling contract phones feed, the 32-GB version of the Fire Phone has been in the top spot every hour all week, except for that one time it slipped to second spot. The 64-GB variant lags but isn't far behind.
This very great news, except statistics, is from an Amazon site for an Amazon product. Amazon hasn't really released sales figures for the Fire Phone either, so it's hard to determine if information from the feed is conclusive. Also, there's that trend where Amazon devices like the Fire TV and the various iterations of the Kindle to find themselves at the top of the best-selling electronics list. It makes sense for Amazon to manipulate feeds to generate attention for a product but then again maybe the Fire Phone really is selling.
Online, at least.
Business Insider paid a visit to several AT&T stores in New York and it looks like the Fire Phone isn't registering much of a spark in The Big Apple. Some stores weren't able to discuss how many of the smartphone they have sold while others declined to reveal figures. Talking to customers revealed that the Fire Phone is indeed interesting (thanks mostly to Dynamic Perspective and Firefly) but it was not compelling enough to be chosen over a Samsung or an LG device. Someone did say they'd choose the Fire Phone if it was offered as a work device.
In most instances, appreciation for the Fire Phone stems from an existing appreciation of Amazon as a brand. Anyone who makes a lot of Amazon purchases, after all, will truly benefit from what Firefly can offer, for instance.
The Fire Phone's just been available for a week so maybe it needs a little bit more time to pick up steam. Apple and Samsung never had to wait though, which can be telling of the kind of position Amazon is in currently in the smartphone race.
