Amazon’s smartphone gets mediocre reviews in the United States

The Amazon Fire Phone has received moderate reviews in the reviews of American media. The phone, which has to distinguish itself with a 3D interface and a scanning app to quickly buy products on Amazon, lacks apps and useful applications for its features.

The Wall Street Journal writes that while the telecom industry is ready for new ideas, the Fire Phone does not set anything on fire. One of the new ideas is dynamic perspective, where the phone monitors the user’s head and adapts the interface accordingly: for example, if the user tilts the phone, menus and additional options appear.

Although that function works nicely, it is of little use so far, many reviews mention, including that of Re/code. Dynamic perspective is, according to reviewer Walt Mossberg, “less useful than I’d expect and just frustrating at times.” Other reviewers agree with that opinion, although The Verge reports that gaming with the feature is enjoyable.

One thing that reviewers are harshly criticizing the Amazon smartphone for is that it doesn’t have access to the Play Store and can therefore access far fewer apps than other Android phones. You can also have a problem with the Fire Phone for use with wearables, Mashable noted.

The Fire Phone also distinguishes itself with Firefly, an app to recognize objects and purchase them directly. That often works, but sometimes it doesn’t, the reviewers concluded. In addition, the price also gets some criticism; it is just as expensive as the most expensive models from other manufacturers: there are better models on the market for that price, notes Slashgear, among others.