AI Navigate

Amazon is making an Alexa phone

The Verge / 3/20/2026

📰 NewsIndustry & Market Moves

Key Points

  • Reuters reports that Amazon is planning a smartphone comeback, code-named Transformer, focused on Alexa, in development within its ZeroOne group led by J Allard.
  • The device reportedly centers around Alexa but may not run Alexa as the primary operating system, suggesting a flexible approach to device software.
  • ZeroOne is exploring both traditional smartphone and dumbphone form factors, taking inspiration from minimalist phones such as the Light Phone.
  • This project marks Amazon's return to hardware after the Fire Phone more than a decade ago, signaling a renewed push into AI-assisted devices.
An illustration of the Amazon logo.

Over ten years after shelving the Fire Phone, Amazon is reportedly planning to launch another smartphone, this time focused on Alexa. According to Reuters, the phone, which is code-named "Transformer," will center around Amazon's AI assistant, but Alexa won't "necessarily be the primary operating system of the phone."

"Transformer" is currently in development in Amazon's ZeroOne group, led by J Allard, who previously worked on the Zune and Xbox at Microsoft. Allard's team has reportedly explored both smartphone and "dumbphone" designs, taking inspiration from the $700 minimalist Light Phone, which features a black-and-white display and lac …

Read the full story at The Verge.