Qualcomm launches $1500 Snapdragon phone for the tech elite

Qualcomm and ASUS have teamed up for the ultimate smartphone for technophiles

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
(Image credit: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm has teamed up with ASUS to make a phone for Snapdragon Insiders – an elite group of Snapdragon enthusiasts who deserve the best of the best; and now they're getting it! 

The newly unveiled smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 888 5G SoC and boasts "the world’s fastest and most comprehensive 5G" with support for both sub-6 and mmWave bands, as well as what's sure to be stellar connectivity with WiFi 6/6E support. And that's just for starters – but it's not going to be cheap.

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders (hopefully just a placeholder name as that's a bit of a mouthful) is kitted out with all kinds of other features to seduce tech fiends into parting with $1,500. It's touted as one of the first devices to include Snapdragon Sound technology which delivers 24-bit, 96kHz high-resolution music streaming. So it's handy that the phone ships with a pair of Master and Dynamic wireless ANC earbuds.

The handset boasts a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, with a maximum brightness of 1200 nits, as well as HDR10 and HDR10+ support. So if you're a mobile gamer, this will be right up your alley.

Budding photographers won't be disappointed either, with a rear triple camera setup comprised of a 64MP main shooter, 12MP ultra-wide lens, and 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom. You'll be able to record in 8K/ 30fps, and 4K at 30fps and 60fps. There's a 24MP selfie camera that's hidden away in the bezel to facilitate a notch-less display perfect for gaming or watching media. 

The battery comes in at 4,00mAh and supports 65W fast charging and Qualcomm Quick Charge 5. That means it'll keep you going for a long while and when you're running out of juice, you can get back to full power in just over 50 minutes. Or if you can't wait that long, you'll be up to 70% in 30 minutes. 

The Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders is "coming soon" to the US, UK, Europe, and China and will retail for $1,499/ £1,099 / €1,299. You can sign up for notifications on when it becomes available on Qualcomm's website

Shabana Arif

Shabana worked at T3.com as News Editor covering tech and gaming, and has been writing about video games for almost a decade (and playing them since forever). She's had bylines at major gaming sites during her freelance career before settling down here at T3, and has podcasts, streaming, and video content under her belt to boot. Outside of work, she also plays video games and should really think about expanding her hobbies. If you have any tech or gaming tips, shoot over an email or DM her on social media.