Qualcomm, the company behind the Snapdragon processors and modems that power almost every major Android smartphone is currently making its own phone. Qualcomm on Thursday announced a Snapdragon-branded smartphone, its first attempt at experimenting with the hardware but with the help of Asus.
The company is partnering with Asus on a custom device officially called the “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” which is a $1,500 smartphone that’s designed to showcase the company’s chip technology.
The “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” will showcase Qualcomm’s technologies at the forefront, be it the chip itself, sound technology, modem, and camera prowess. It features top-notch specifications that include Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, 144Hz AMOLED display, and 512GB of onboard storage.
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders also comes with a stock Android 11 experience and is preloaded with some of the major technologies developed by the San Diego-based chipmaker. Let’s have a detailed look at the “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” specifications, price & its availability.
Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders: Specifications
The smartphone features a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,448 pixels) Samsung AMOLED display with up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The display is also HDR10 and HDR10+ certified and covers 111.23 percent of DCI-P3 and 106.87 percent of the NTSC color gamut.
The handset also comes with a high refresh rate of 144hz, a Snapdragon 888 processor, Qualcomm’s third-generation X60 modem RF system, triple camera module for wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto image capture, audio speakers with four mic input, 5G with support for both sub-6 and mmWave bands, 512GB storage and 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, stock Android 11, and the second-generation 3D Sonic sensor for fast unlocking with wet or dried fingertips.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a triple camera setup with a 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor with an f/1.8 lens, a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom on the rear. For selfies and video chats, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders sports a 24MP selfie shooter at the front.
Sensors on the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. There is also a fingerprint sensor on the back that is a Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2. Moreover, the handset has an Illuminated Snapdragon fireball icon on the back that illuminates in white when you get a new voice call or message. You can also switch it on or off from the settings.
Qualcomm claims this is the first smartphone in the world to feature Snapdragon Sound technology. The phone natively supports 24-bit, 96kHz music streaming and ultra-low-latency for lag-free wireless gaming. To make the audio experience truly premium, the device comes bundled with high-end truly wireless earbuds from Master and Dynamic. The earbuds are powered by Qualcomm QCC5141 and include Qualcomm Active Noise Cancellation as well as cVc echo cancellation and noise suppression technologies.
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders houses a 4,000mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 charging support. The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders also has 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v5.2 with aptX Adaptive support, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS/ NavIC, and a USB Type-C port for charging.
The smartphone also features dual stereo speakers that are paired with a smart AMP and Snapdragon Sound. There are also quad HDR microphones with a 114dB dynamic range. The handset measures about 173.15×77.25×9.55mm and weighs 210 grams.
Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders: Pricing & Availability
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is priced at about $1499 (Rs. 1,11,854) for the 6GB RAM + 512GB storage configuration. The device comes in a Midnight Blue color variant.
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be available for sale via Asus online portals and offline retail stores starting August. It will initially be available in China, Germany, Japan, Korea, the US, and the UK, followed by India.