Mobile phone costs: How much goes to where

Like everything else that you buy, there’s a cost involved in manufacturing a mobile phone. That’s very obvious. But what is not so obvious is how much of this cost goes to where — as in, how much does a manufacturer spend per component in the device.

Data and visualization experts at Tableau have put together a very interesting visualization of how much each component costs in some of the more popular smart phones in the market. Tableau is quick to point out that the number presented in the table are estimates and does not include marketing and other costs.

Some interesting points to ponder from the data:

• Apple spent more on the housing for the iPhone 4 than any other manufacturer spent on ANY other component
• On the same note, Apple spent a decent amount on reception components in the iPhone 4 but still there were issues with reception. If the quality is top-notch, is the installation of said components to be blames for the antennagate?
• The BlackBerry Torch is the cheapest to produce in terms of components. In fact, the processor in the BlackBerry Torch is the second cheapest component in the device with the display being the most expensive
• The 12MP camera on the Nokia N8 is the most expensive camera component in the device lineup. The camera alone costs US$31 or close to RM100. In comparison, the N8’s processor is the cheapest of the bunch

So what do you think? Are the cost of the components in the device listed justified?

Hit the link to checkout the info in detail.

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