What is this like in 2019
Well, it is now 2020, and I still use my Fire Phone. Most of the amazon features still work just fine, such as Kindle and firefly, and Prime video. Of course, the phone works as a phone, texts, and email. Apps, you can get from the Amazon app store, although they are likely to be old. You can also sideload the Google app store or something like apkpure.com, but you’ll be limited to android 4.3, I think.
I have a work iphone, but I prefer the Fire phone. It’s smaller and gesture-based. Sturdy construction, too. If your needs are simple, this will be good enough. If twitter / facebook / social media are important, you’re better off with a newer phone.