Since the arrival of an Android-powered Kindle Fire from Amazon, immense amounts of speculation have surrounded a possible Android smartphone from the company. The rumors seemed to die away for awhile, but now they may be back.

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A possible Android-powered Amazon smartphone could be in the cards this year in June, rumors say, although Amazon may not be able to make its first smartphone public in the second quarter of 2013 as originally expected. This is solely due to the fact that the production progress at its manufacturing partner, Foxconn International Holdings (FIH), has not been as smooth as previously expected, with the release date being altered accordingly, say the sources at the flat panel supply chain.

Fans who have actually been looking forward to an Amazon smartphone will know that the latest information, if true, will result in the phone not hitting retail until well into the second half of the year. However, there is still a chance that fans could be looking at a launch of the device before summer is over.

“The production of Amazon's much-fanfared smartphone is still under its engineering verification test (EVT) period due to issues related to its mobile platform, the sources indicated, adding that the development of the smartphone is being handled by FIH's subsidiary Ensky Tech, which has been responsible for the production of Amazon's e-book readers and tablets,” DigiTimes states.

As of now, according to Amazon's original roadmap, the planned smartphone should see its production verification test (PVT) in the first quarter of 2013 and enter mass production a quarter later. However, if the latest information regarding the current production schedule is taken into account, Ensky is unlikely to begin volume production of the smartphone in June, according to the sources.

Although this is the second time that Amazon's mysterious smartphone production has been delayed, per Business Insider, it's actually a smart move for Amazon “to get its software perfect before releasing a phone. It's going to launch into a very crowded market: iOS and Android dominate, but Microsoft and Blackberry both have very good platforms vying for third place.”

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