Qualcomm won't make its own smartphones after all

Snapdragon 845
(Image credit: Future)

You won't be seeing a Qualcomm or Snapdragon branded smartphone anytime soon, as company President Cristiano Amon confirmed to TechRadar that the firm has no plans to get into the handset business.

Speaking in a Q&A at the Snapdragon Summit 2020 - where we saw the new flagship Snapdragon 888 launched - Amon responded directly to a question from TechRadar regarding reports from October that the firm was working with Asus to produce devices.

"We have built different reference designs and that's what we'll continue to do," Amon explained, with these devices purely used to show off what the company's new technology can do - they are never destined for the open market.

"We won't change the business model"

We've experience a number of Qualcomm reference devices over the years, and they generally aren't built to the standard consumers would expect, or want, from their smartphone - and Amon was clear that wasn't about to change.

"We won't change the business model, and we won't make devices for any other reasons other for technology demos", he concluded.

It had been reported that Qualcomm was working with Asus to produce a range of own-brand smartphones, but we can now put this rumor to bed and focus on the phones that will be getting the new Snapdragon 888 chipset in 2021.

John McCann
Former Global Managing Editor

TechRadar's former Global Managing Editor, John has been a technology journalist for more than a decade, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He’s interviewed CEOs from some of the world’s biggest tech firms, visited their HQs, and appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC, and BBC Radio 4.

Latest in Phones
Man using iMessage on an iPhone
Apple will finally enable encrypted RCS messages between iOS and Android, and it's about time
Android 16 logo on a phone
Android 16 Beta 3 has arrived – here are the 4 features I think will be the most useful
Apple iPhone 16e REVIEW
Some iPhone 16e owners are reporting Bluetooth audio issues that could be an iOS problem
An image of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra from a hands-on event
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could resurrect an intriguing camera feature
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max REVIEW
The latest iPhone 17 Pro Max leak may have given us another look at its upcoming redesign
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 could be in line for a Galaxy S25 Ultra-level camera upgrade
Latest in News
Super Mario Odyssey
ChatGPT is the ultimate gaming tool - here's 4 ways you can use AI to help with your next playthrough
Brad Pitt looks over his right shoulder with 'F1' written behind him
Apple Original Films will take you behind-the-scenes of a racing cockpit in this new thrilling F1 movie trailer
AI writer
Coding AI tells developer to write it himself
Reacher looking down at another character from the Prime Video TV series Reacher
Reacher season 3 becomes Prime Video’s biggest returning show thanks to Hollywood’s biggest heavyweight
Finger Presses Orange Button Domain Name Registration on Black Keyboard Background. Closeup View
I visited the world’s first registered .com domain – and you won’t believe what it’s offering today
Image showing detail of the Leica D-Lux 8
Still can't get a Fujifilm X100VI? This premium Leica compact costs less, and it's in stock