Guide
The Asus ROG Phone 3: how do 160 hertz feel?
by Dominik Bärlocher
Qualcomm presents its first own smartphone
9.7.2021
Translation: Eva Francis
Qualcomm's first smartphone is called Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders. It is supposed to show off what Qualcomm can do. In other words: top specs that are built into a phone by the inventor.
Qualcomm manufactures Snapdragons. The systems-on-a-chip (SoC) are currently unrivalled in the Android world. Now, manufacturer Qualcomm has presented its first own smartphone. It’s called Snapdragon Smartphones for Insiders. I assume, the initial meetings on how to develop this phone went like this:
«What specs do we want this phone to have?» an executive must have asked.
«Yes,» was the answer a smartphone enthusiast gave.
The Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders if proof of how much can be built into a smartphone. And enthusiasts worldwide are amazed.
And then the manager says: «Oh and I’d like it to come with headphones.»
Featuring Asus specs
The Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders has one goal: to show what Qualcomm's flagship components are capable of when combined with Qualcomm's software. Therefore, it boasts pretty much all the top specs that are currently available on the market.
Key specs:
- 6.78-inch AMOLED display
- 2448 × 1080 pixel resolution
- no notch
- 144 hertz refresh rate
- Gorilla Glass Victus
- 24 megapixel selfie camera
- 64 megapixel wide-angle lens in the main camera, f/1.8
- 12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2
- 8 megapixel telephoto lens with 3× zoom
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC
- 16 GB of RAM
- 512 GB of internal storage
- Snapdragon X60 5G modem with maximum 7.5 Gbits download and 3 Gbits upload
- Android 11, close to stock Android
- 4,000 mAh rechargeable battery
- Quick Charge 5.0, up to 100 watts charging speed
Those are plenty of specs. Many smartphones only have a few of these features, but the Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders has them all. The Snapdragon phone is a device for enthusiasts, flagship fans and those who just want to see what’s possible. The question is: why doesn’t it have an overclocked Snapdragon 888+?
The phone is manufactured by Asus, who also builds gaming phones. This also explains its shape. Weighing in at 210 grams, this phone strongly reminds of a gaming phone, a kind of Asus ROG Phone but without the fighter jet gamer look. However, this leads to the assumption that the screen can be overclocked.
The fingerprint sensor isn’t located underneath the screen, but at the back of the phone – just like in 2015. Why? Apparently, the screen is so hard that it can’t be equipped with a fingerprint sensor.
So what about the headphones?
The Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders comes with everything you need to make the most out of Qualcomm's hardware-software combination.
- Quick Charge 5.0 charger
- two USB cables
- screen protector
- Bluetooth headphones
Why wireless headphones? Qualcomm wants to show how impressive Snapdragon Sound, a feature that not well known, is. Nit well known yet, I must say. That's why the in-ear headphones are produced by Master & Dynamic and look a bit like the Master & Dynamic MW07.
The Snapdragon Smartphone for Insiders has only one catch: it’s expensive. Very expensive. In the announcement, the price tag of 1,500 dollars was mentioned. That's without value added taxes, as this differs from state to state in the US.
In August 2021, Asus is launching the phone in China, the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, South Korea and later in India. No details have been announced yet regarding its launch in Switzerland.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
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