Following months of rumors and speculation it seems Amazon is finally close to entering the smartphone market. We've already heard details on what to expect in terms of features, including 6 cameras that are said to power a unique three-dimensional user interface, and now there are photos to prove it.
Leaked images obtained by BGR reveal a total of five front-facing cameras – one for the standard selfies and video chat and the remaining four, which are located at each of the device's corners, to produce the glasses-free 3D effect. As mentioned in previous reports, the cameras will be used to track the position of a user's head and arrange the on-screen effects accordingly.
It remains to be seen how much of a differentiator or gimmick this ends up being, but Amazon is reportedly making use of the technology in as many places as possible – from the wallpaper to app icons and even maps. One potential novel use mentioned in the report is to display three-dimensional product images across the company's digital and retail stores.
Amazon will make a set of APIs available to developers to implement the effect in their apps and is ready to assist them to get them on board.
The device itself has reportedly been in the works for years at Amazon. Aside from the custom 3D interface, BGR's sources claim it will feature a 4.7-inch 720p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 13MP rear camera and 2GB of RAM. It will also run a heavily customized version of Google's Android, similar to the version that powers the company's Kindle Fire tablets.
Unfortunately there's not much to see in terms of the physical design of the phone as it appears covered by a protective shell in the leaked images.
The phone is expected to be announced in June and released in the third quarter. An entry-level device with lower-end specs and a very competitive retail price, will launch sometime afterwards, according to BGR.