Qualcomm announces first smartphone with Snapdragon 888 SoC, 144Hz AMOLED Display in collaboration with Asus

Qualcomm recently launched its first smartphone in collaboration with Asus. The smartphone is specifically meant for the company’s 1.6-plus million strong ‘Snapdragon Insider’ community. The Insider community is made up of fans and enthusiasts who participate in online forums and are the first to get news coming from Qualcomm.

The phone, which is called, Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is priced at $1,499 (Roughly Rs 1,12,200) for the sole 16GB/512GB variant. In India, the phone will be available in the near future for Rs 1,11,990. The device comes in a single Midnight Blue colour variant.

While Qualcomm’s first smartphone is being marketed for Snapdragon Insider community members, it will be available for all consumers. The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is bundled with a pair of MW08SI active noise cancelling TWS earbuds by Master & Dynamic and a Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 adapter as well as a bumper case and two USB Type-C to Type-C braided cables.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage. The phone is also equipped with a third-gen Snapdragon X60 5G modem with support for all key 5G sub-6 and mmWave bands. The phone also packs a 4,000 mAh battery, compatible with a Quick Charge 5.0 charger.

The phone runs stock Android 11 out of the box. The phone also uses a 6.78-inch FHD+ Samsung AMOLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate. The screen features an Always-on display as well as Gorilla Glass Victus protection. It supports HDR10, HDR10+, and covers 111.23 percent of DCI-P3 and 106.87 percent of NTSC colour gamut.

For optics, the Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders boasts a triple-camera setup with a 64 MP Sony IMX686, f/1.8 primary sensor. The camera setup includes a 12 MP Sony IMX363 ultrawide sensor and an 8 MP telephoto shooter. Both the primary and telephoto cameras are equipped with OIS. On the front, the top bezel houses a 24 MP selfie camera. The phone packs dual stereo speakers with a smart AMP and Snapdragon Sound.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is designed to showcase Qualcomm’s software features that integrate with Qualcomm hardware. The handset will be manufactured, marketed, and sold by Asus and will go on sale soon.