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The Samsung Galaxy S4 costs £156 to make. The S4’s bill of materials (BOM) — the actual cost of the components in the phone, not what you’ll pay for it — adds up to $236, according to the phone-prodding teardown specialists at analysts IHS.
That’s a significant increase over the BOM of the S4’s predecessor, the best-selling Galaxy S3, due to the new phone’s various upgraded components, including a new eight-core Samsung Exynos Octa processor (see update below).
But the biggest cost increase is due to the screen. The 1,920×1,080-pixel high-definition AMOLED display in the S4 is estimated to cost a full ten bucks more than the 1,280×720-pixel screen in the S3.
Oddly enough, the version without 4G actually costs a couple more bucks more to build.
With just over a month to go before it hits shops on 26 April, the price of the S4 is yet to be revealed by retailers or networks — although early hints suggest it will be cheaper than the iPhone 5.
The S4 is the most hotly tipped phone of the year, although it disappointed phone fans with its lack of exciting changes over its predecessor.
The hardware upgrades may have made the S4 more expensive to manufacture than the S3, but you wouldn’t know it by looking: the S4, pictured left, looks pretty much identical to the older phone, pictured right.
New software features include various options for controlling the phone without touching the screen, and assorted gimmicky photo formats — check out our pick of the best bits and worst bits of the Galaxy S4.
How much would you pay for the S4? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
Update: Samsung has confirmed the UK will not receive the eight-core S4. “In the UK,” Samsung says, “the Galaxy S4 will be available as a 4G device with a 1.9GHz Quad Core Processor.” Read the full story here.
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