Qualcomm has launched a phone for Snapdragon Insiders and it’s NOT cheap

If you’ve ever really wanted to be a Snapdragon Insider, Qualcomm has a phone for you. Designed in collaboration with Asus, this phone is meant only for members of the exclusive loyalty program and costs $1,499.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (Qualcomm)

Qualcomm has launched an exclusive smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders in collaboration with Asus. Called “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” (no surprises there!), this smartphone is designed specially for the members of Qualcomm's loyalty program called Snapdragon Insiders. Snapdragon Insiders was launched in March this year, you can sign up for the program for free and download some wallpapers, or you can fork out some hard cash and get this smartphone too. But you will get what you pay for, this smartphone comes with some top specs including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, 512GB of onboard storage, a 144Hz AMOLED display, and more. It also comes with stock Android 11 and is preloaded with some of the major tech developed by Qualcomm. And that's not all, the smartphone comes bundled with a pair of true wireless stereo earbuds.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders specs and features

Qualcomm's collaborative effort with Asus essentially shows off their different technologies that get picked by other manufacturers based on market requirements. The phone comes with the third-generation Snapdragon X60 5G modem that supports all key 5G sub-6 and mmWave bands. It also has Qualcomm's Signal Boost and Smart Transmit technologies that help with better connectivity.

The smartphone also comes equipped with Snapdragon Sound that is designed to deliver 24-bit 96kHz music streaming along with ultra-low latency and super wideband voice delivery. There is also the Qualcomm Spectra 580 image signal processor that enables 4K and 8K video recording and comes with an artificial intelligence-backed AI Auto Zoom feature.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders supports dual nano SIMs and runs Android 11. It has a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,448 pixels) Samsung AMOLED display with up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, and a 20.4:9 aspect ratio. There is Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection on top and the display is also HDR10 and HDR10+ certified and covers 111.23% of DCI-P3 and 106.87% of NTSC colour gamut.

The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 under the hood and comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. It comes with three cameras on the back including a 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor and an f/1.8 lens. There is also a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor with an f/2.2 ultra-wide lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. Both the 64MP primary shooter and the 8MP telephoto lens come with optical image stabilisation (OIS). On the front, there is a 24MP camera.

A closer look at the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (Qualcomm)

A closer look at the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (Qualcomm)

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders has dual stereo speakers paired with a smart AMO and Snapdragon Sound. It also has quad HDR microphones with 114dB dynamic range. It comes with 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage and connectivity options on the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders include 4G LTE, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v5.2 with aptX Adaptive support, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS/ NavIC, and a USB Type-C port.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders comes with an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor. There is a fingerprint sensor on the back with Qualcomm's 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2. There is a Snapdragon fireball icon on the back that lights up when you get a call or a message, you can turn this feature off from the settings. The smartphone comes with a 4,000mAh battery that supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 5.0.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will come bundled with earphones.  (Qualcomm)

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will come bundled with earphones.  (Qualcomm)

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders comes bundled with MW08SI TWS earbuds that support 24-bit, 96kHz audio along with ultra-low latency streaming over Bluetooth. These earbuds are powered by the Qualcomm QCC5141 and include Qualcomm Active Noise Cancellation as well as cVc echo cancellation and noise suppression technologies. Qualcomm also claims that the earbuds can be connected to the smartphone even in busy RF environments. These earbuds have been manufactured by New York's Master & Dynamic.

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders price

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is priced at $1,499 ( ₹112,200 approx) for the 6GB/512GB variant. There are no other variants available. You can buy the phone from Asus' online and offline retailers in August and it comes only in a Midnight Blue colour. The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be available in China, Japan, Korea, Germany, the US, UK, and India. Qualcomm has not revealed any details about the India prices yet, but we expect to find out soon.

The good news is that you do not need to be a Snapdragon Insider to buy this phone, it is available to all customers. The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will come bundled with the MW08SI active noise canceling TWS earbuds, a Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 charger (35W charger in India, 65W globally), a custom rubber bumper for the phone, and two USB Type-C to USB Type-C braided cables.