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I got a Fire phone when they went on sale for $199 (and it included a year of free Prime, which I usually pay $99 a year for, so $100 phone). It was a terrible
by SwellJoe 9y ago
I got a Fire phone when they went on sale for $199 (and it included a year of free Prime, which I usually pay $99 a year for, so $100 phone). It was a terrible phone. I hated it more every day I used it. Even once I'd added Google Play Store and could install most Google apps, it just wasn't a good phone. The changes they made from stock Android were almost universally negative for usability and enjoyment, and because it was a forked Android, it ended up being a couple years behind Android mainline on release day (it was forked from Android 4.x, and 6.x came out maybe a few months after the Fire phone...something like that).
It was a relief when my girlfriend dropped it and cracked the screen and I had to replace it (I bought a Blu Life One X2, which is a longwinded name for a generic nearly stock Android device that is competent in all areas and excels in none, but is very cheap for its specs). I've been much happier since switching.
I hated it so much I think I'll wait a long while before considering an Amazon mobile device. Of course, according to the article, it's not targeting the US market, which may be smart, since they screwed up so badly in the US market (though it sold so poorly, I don't guess very many people have my level of distaste for Amazon mobile devices, since not a lot of people have actually used one).
- Nagyman 9y agoI bought the BLU R1 HD-16GB [1] as basically a throwaway for travelling. I was surprised at the value for $80-150 CDN of the Blu line. It wasn't a horrible experience at all and even has dual-sims. I would definitely recommend as a basic device that's unlocked and near stock Android (albeit, the OS is out of date, so security might be a concern). [1] https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01H2E0KVA/ https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01H2E0KVA/