Qualcomm and Asus come together to launch a high-end ‘Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders’

• Qualcomm has teamed up with Taiwanese tech giant Asus to launch a smartphone specifically designed for its biggest fans.
  
• The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 888 chipset.
  
• Unsurprisingly, the design and several features of the phone are based on the ROG Phone 5, Asus’ latest flagship.
  

US-based chip making giant Qualcomm has partnered with Asus to launch a ‘Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders’, featuring the latest and greatest that the chipmaker has to offer.

The ‘Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders’ – yes, that’s the actual name of the phone – has been designed to cater to the 1.6-million strong community of Snapdragon Insiders. If the phone looks familiar to you, it’s likely because it’s based on the design of the ROG Phone 5, Asus’ latest flagship smartphone.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders – price and availability

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders has been priced at $1,499 (approx. INR 1,20,000) and will be sold in the solitary 16GB + 512GB configuration with Midnight Blue colour being the only option.

It will be available for purchase via Asus, starting in August. Currently, Qualcomm and Asus have plans to sell the smartphone in the US, UK, China, Germany, Japan, Korea and lastly, India.

Qualcomm will also include a pair of truly wireless earbuds – the MW08SI, featuring active noise cancellation support.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders – features and specifications

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders could be easily mistaken for the ROG Phone 5. The similarities actually go beyond the design of the phone – the Snapdragon Insiders phone uses the same display found in the ROG Phone 5 – a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with Full HD+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate.

Surprisingly, Qualcomm has opted for the Snapdragon 888 chipset, instead of the newly announced ‘Plus’ version. The chipmaker says that this is because Asus started the development of the phone last year.

The chipset is paired with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, which is comparable with Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In terms of imaging, the Snapdragon Insiders phone has a triple camera setup on the back with a 64MP primary camera, along with a 12MP ultrawide snapper and an 8MP telephoto camera. Selfie duties are handled by a 24MP camera on the front, housed in the bezel instead of a notch.

Other features of the Snapdragon Insiders phone include a fingerprint scanner on the back, an illuminating Snapdragon logo and a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. Just like with the ROG Phone 5, Indian buyers will only get a 35W fast charger with the Snapdragon Insiders phone.

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