Amazon Unlocked Smartphone and 1 Year of Prime Back At Lower Cost – $229

This phone was available during the Cyber Week savings at $199, down from the regular $449. It is lower again, but $30 higher than originally – $229. Still a great deal!

When traveling internationally, it is always nice to have a smartphone to keep all of your info in your pocket as well as get pictures, directions, music, etc. If you do not have a smartphone that is unlocked and works internationally (all smartphones from AT&T and T-Mobile can be unlocked, all Verizon 4G smartphones are unlocked while Sprint smartphones cannot be unlocked – except for Blackberry), it is really easy in this day to pick up a very capable phone that can work at home and abroad. If you are looking for a smartphone that can work on US GSM networks (not Sprint or Verizon) as well as work globally, this could be a good deal for you.

– Amazon Fire Phone link

Even Amazon admits – the pricing model they chose for their first foray into the smartphone market was a disaster. They priced it as a premium model when it should have been a loss-leader that would have ensured Amazon’s presence in more pockets. Because of their pricing structure ($649 off contract, $199 on contract with AT&T), they sold a very low number of those phones.

CNET’s Review: amazon fire phone

But, that has changed. Amazon has updated their pricing to make it available unlocked for only $229. And they made it even sweeter – they are throwing in a year’s membership to Amazon Prime. That is another $100 value, so if you had thought about getting Amazon Prime, you are essentially only paying $129 for a brand new smartphone that you can use at home or abroad.

guide to international travel – communications

Some of the innovative features of the Amazon Fire Phone certainly sound appealing, especially if you are an Amazon regular. For $129 (after subtracting the cost of Amazon Prime), it may be worthwhile to grab this phone for an Amazon device – even if you don’t use it with a provider in the US. It will basically be a mini Kindle Fire tablet and around the same price, but you can use it as a phone and mobile data device as well.

In the end, Amazon finally did what they should have done in the first place. But, is it even worth it at this price? It depends. Now, for $129 (after the Prime membership value), you are getting a full-featured smartphone that you can take with you around the world and easily access whatever Amazon has to offer. I think $129 is a fair price for all of that.