Vertical Divider

Qualcomm to Enter the Smartphone Market w/Gaming Model
​
A report suggested that Qualcomm would team with Asus, notable for its role in making Zenfones and the ROG gaming phone series, with as many as 500,000 units being manufactured. The first signs of the Qualcomm-Asus partnership include China’s TENAA regulatory body certified a new phone, with images that show a Snapdragon-branded Asus phone. 

• The regulatory filing helpfully also lists some specs, including a 6.78-inch OLED display, what sounds like a Snapdragon 888, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, along with a 3,840mAh battery capacity. 
• There are also camera details, including a triple rear camera setup with a 64MP lens and a 12MP selfie camera on the front. A headphone jack is listed as well.
• Based on the initial reports, this phone should’ve been out months ago, and with Asus already launching the Zenfone 8 and the ROG Phone 5, it does suggest this isn’t another Asus listing, but something else…

 
Qualcomm has made smartphones before, showing reference devices at its events and conferences, when announcing new chipsets. The reference devices allow for some immediate benchmarks. Qualcomm runs the risk of upsetting its partners enabling  MediaTek may sell more chipsets, but Qualcomm is the leader in processing power and modem connectivity. It also makes a healthy margin from each Snapdragon-branded chipset and packaged modem, whether it’s flagship or mid-range.

• Should Qualcomm partners with an existing OEM  for a specialized gaming phone rather than a super-competitive spec model for a price no one else can match, it would be just a small distraction to the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi.
• Gaming itself is a niche, and Qualcomm has little front-facing consumer support, software updates, and so on, in its corporate history.