Amazon announced availability of its Fire smartphone in the UK and Germany following its earlier US debut, with the retail giant also cutting the price of the device in its home market.

The device will ship in the new markets at the end of this month, with Amazon having picked a different operator partner for each market. In the UK it will be offered exclusively in partnership with O2, whereas in Germany its partner is T-Mobile.

In the US, where the device is being sold with AT&T, its price has now been cut to $0.99 with a two-year contract.

In the UK, it is available free of charge when bought with a service contract, and “for a limited time” includes an Amazon Prime subscription for one year.

In Germany, pricing starts at €1, again including Prime subscription, when purchased with a service contract.

Nina Bibby, marketing and consumer director for O2, said: “It has always been our ambition to offer the very latest devices and to unlock the possibilities offered by innovative technology, and this is further proof of that commitment.”