Amazon will launch its own line of TVs next year

According to a source, the e-commerce giant plans to launch its own TVs in the US as early as October, just in time for the holiday shopping season. The project has reportedly been in development for nearly two years by teams from Amazon Devices and Lab126, the R&D division responsible for developing the company's products, including the Kindle and Echo speakers.

However, the models expected to launch in October were designed and manufactured by third-party companies such as TCL, according to the source. Amazon's in-house team is apparently working on a standalone TV, though it's unclear if it will also be released in the US in the coming months. As for third-party TVs, it is claimed that they will run Alexa, as you would expect from Amazon-branded hardware. However, the publication does not specify whether the company's Fire TV software will also run on them.

Amazon already sells TVs running Fire TV, but they still carry their manufacturers' nameplates. These new TVs will come under the Amazon brand, even if they are manufactured by third-party companies, similar to the AmazonBasics TVs that the e-commerce giant sells in India.

Last year, the company launched 55-inch and 50-inch models in that country under the AmazonBasics brand. The models planned for release in the US will reportedly be in the 55-inch to 75-inch range, though we'll have to wait for more information to see if they will be the same low-cost models as the TVs released in India, or something in the premium segment.

Source: businessinsider

Illustration: amazon