Qualcomm unveils its first-ever ‘Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders’ (yes, really)

You know that supposed Snapdragon-branded phone Qualcomm and Asus have been working together on for at least the last few months? The first-of-its-kind device is now official, and believe it or not, it’s called the “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders.” Also, it’s set to cost a whopping $1,499 stateside.

Aren’t you better off just buying the ROG Phone 5?

Then again, there are some important differences you may want to note before writing Qualcomm’s own-brand Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders off. For one thing, this bad boy can accommodate 512 gigs of data internally instead of “just” 256 while sadly still lacking a microSD card slot.

Asus ROG Phone 5

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, at least from Qualcomm’s point of view, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (come on, guys, the “DragonPhone” name was right there in front of you) integrates all of the semiconductor giant’s latest and greatest technologies, which presumably no other mobile device on the market today does.

Global 5G, not-so-global availability

On top of everything, the Asus-designed Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (oh, for crying out loud, let’s just call it the Qualcomm DragonPhone) promises a “truly global” 5G experience, with the “fastest and most comprehensive” mobile connectivity allegedly available around the world, mmWave networks included.

That must be nice to hear for the five Verizon customers who can actually get decent 5G Ultra Wideband coverage and are also interested in this very unusual product and have fifteen hundred bucks to spend this summer.

Of course, we don’t expect Qualcomm and Asus to make millions and millions of units, with the “limited-edition” device heading for the latter’s official e-stores in countries like the US, UK, Japan, and South Korea at some point next month before eventually expanding to India as well.

Weirdly enough, the “DragonPhone” (now that’s more like it!) lacks the ROG Phone 5’s good old fashioned headphone jack while also downgrading its “cousin’s” monstrous 6,000mAh battery capacity to a run-of-the-mill (by 2021 flagship standards) 4,000mAh.