Qualcomm launches its own Android smartphone with top hardware specs at $1,499 – Times of India

Chipmaker Qualcomm has partnered with Asus to launch its first smartphone packing in the best of Qualcomm’s tech. Qualcomm is calling this device “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders” and it is meant exclusively for ‘Snapdragon Insiders’– the company’s new community loyalty initiative for Snapdragon chipset enthusiasts.
If you love to ogle at hardware specifications of smartphones then the new Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be a delight. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 888 5G chipset with a 64-bit 2.84 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 660 GPU. Asus is the OEM partner of this device and has every new hardware equipment from Qualcomm you can imagine.

Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders price and availability
The Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders will be available in select countries like US, China, Japan, Korea, Germany, UK and India. Qualcomm has revealed the price of the device for the US market and it costs $1,499 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage version. While the pricing for India hasn’t been revealed yet, it is expected to cost over Rs 1 lakh as direct conversion from the US price comes out as Rs 1,12,100. The phone will be available in one colour only– Midnight Blue and will be available through online and offline retail channels of Asus.
Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders specifications
The device comes with a 6.78-inch display with an aspect ratio of 20.4:9 and resolution of 2448 x 1080 pixels. Qualcomm is using a 144 Hz refresh rate Samsung AMOLED panel with HDR10 and HDR10+ certification. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and also supports glove touch.
The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders has a triple camera setup at the back with Sony flagship IMX686 64 MP primary sensor with F1.8 aperture, 2×1 On-chip-lens phase detection autofocus, 4-axis optical image stabilization and Dual LED. The secondary cameras offer Sony IMX363 12 MP dual pixel ultra wide image sensor with F2.2 aperture and an 8MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. There’s a 24MP front camera for selfies. The device supports 8K UHD video recording at 30 fps along with 4K UHD recording at 30 /60 fps.

On the audio front, the device comes with dual stereo speakers with Smart AMP and support for Snapdragon Sound technology with multiple listening profiles including music, videos, games, and voice enhancements. There’s support for Quad HDR Microphones with 114dB Dynamic Range. The smartphone comes with free TWS earbuds inside the box.
As mentioned above, the device is powered by Snapdragon 888 5G chipset with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and USF3.1 512GB storage. It runs stock Android 11 operating system.
It’s a dual SIM smartphone with 5G support on both slots. There’s support for Integrated WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2 (HFP + A2DP + AVRCP + HID + PAN + OPP), Qualcomm aptXAdaptive and Snapdragon Sound technology, Wi-Fi Direct and NFC.

The device is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0 (65W charging). However, in India, you will get a 35W charger inside the box. For biometric security, there’s a fingerprint sensor with Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2.
Inside the box, you will get premium Earbuds from Master & Dynamic along with the Charging Case, 35W Quick Charge 5 power adapter, USB-C to USB-C Cable for Quick Charge 5 adapter and USB-C to USB-A Cable for earbuds charging case.