Qualcomm just made the ultimate Snapdragon smartphone, and you can actually buy it

In the world of Android smartphones, it’s not often we get to see chipset makers get their hands dirty by designing and selling smartphones. Qualcomm today did just that by announcing the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders — which is exactly what it sounds like.

Snapdragon Insiders is a community of Qualcomm enthusiasts who get a closer look at the workings of the chipset giant. With over 1.6 million members, Qualcomm wanted to offer a device that would highlight the best Snapdragon experiences.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders — (Image credit: Qualcomm)

Mighty powerful

It is not meant to compete with offerings from Qualcomm's partner OEMs.

The answer is the new Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders. Co-developed, manufactured and sold by Asus, it is a high-end device that is powered by the Snapdragon 888 with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. With the Snapdragon X60 modem, it supports global 5G across mmWave and Sub-6GHz networks, along with Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E. There’s also a physical ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the back.

Other features of the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders include a 6.78-inch Super AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W Quick Charge 5.0, dual stereo speakers and more. It is also one of the first devices to offer Snapdragon Sound for better wireless audio transmission. In fact, according to DxOMark, it is now the best phone for audio recording.

The Snapdragon fireball logo on the back lights up too.

Out of the box, it will run on stock Android 11, with 4 years of guaranteed security updates and OS upgrades handled by Asus.

As for cameras, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders has a triple-camera array with a 64MP (Sony IMX686) main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens and an 8MP telephoto shooter with 3x magnification. It uses the Qualcomm Spectra 580 ISP for 8K video recording, video portraits, HDR capturing, etc.

Want one?

Buy Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders

$1,499 on Asus | Indian pricing TBA

Includes premium TWS, 65W charger, bumper case

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders can be pre-ordered via Asus’ channels starting today, with commercial availability from August. The phone will come with a QC5 charger and cable, a bumper case, and a pair of TWS earbuds from Master & Dynamic (MW0851). It is priced at $1,499 and will be available in the US, China, Germany, the UK, Japan and South Korea.

Qualcomm tells us that the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be available in India too, but the exact pricing and sale date will be announced later.