Find out the real prices of the three top-of-the-line 2019 phones: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Huawei P30 Pro and the iPhone Xs Max
How much do top-of-the-line 2019 phones cost, really? How much of the cost we pay depends on the hardware components and materials used to build them, how much on the software optimization work, and how much is left as a margin to manufacturers? The magazine Appleinsider has tried to answer these questions with regard to the three top of the range phones from Samsung, Huawei and Apple. That is, the Samsung S10+, the Huawei P30 Pro and the iPhone Xs Max.
The analysis starts from the so-called “bill of materials” (BOM, the “bill of materials” that lists all components and their unit costs) and ends with the margins, as a percentage of the selling price, that remain in the pockets of manufacturers: about 60% for the iPhone Xs Max, 57-60% for the S10+ and 63-65% for the P30 Pro. Margins that, however, are calculated exclusively by counting the expenses for materials and not also those for the development of the software integrated in the devices and therefore must be well interpreted. But how much do the individual components of the three top-of-the-line smartphones from Samsung, Apple and Huawei cost?
Top-of-the-line smartphones 2019: how much do the cameras cost
One of the biggest costs in the latest generation of smartphones is certainly the camera compartment. The Samsung S10+ mounts two 10+8 MP front cameras and 3 12+12+16 MP rear cameras, for a total cost to the Korean manufacturer of $44 per device. Huawei P30 Pro responds with 1 32 MP front camera and 4 rear 40+20+8 MP cameras with TOF sensor, with a total cost of $56. Apple, on the other hand, on the iPhone Xs Max spends $34.50 for 1 front 7 MP TrueDepht camera and two rear both 12 MP.
Top-of-the-line 2019 smartphones: how much do displays cost
Another very expensive component of modern phones, in many cases the most expensive, is the screen. The Samsung S10+ has a 6.4-inch 1440×3040 pixel display at 522 ppi that costs $125. The competing Huawei P30 Pro has a 6.47-inch 2340×1080 display at 398 ppi that costs $110. The iPhone Xs Max mounts a 6.5-inch 2699×1242 display at 458 ppi costing $120. Note, however, that the screens used by Apple and Huawei are manufactured by Samsung itself, which therefore earns something for every iPhone and P30 sold by its competitors.
Real cost iPhone Xs Max, Galaxy S10+ and Huawei P30 Pro
In light of this data, we can easily guess that the three manufacturers spend more or less the same amount on the display, while Apple spends much less on cameras than Samsung and, especially, Huawei. But the P30 Pro is by no means the most expensive smartphone, on the contrary: in online stores you can find it starting at 750-800 euros, while the S10+ can be bought on average at 750-900 euros and, finally, the iPhone Xs Max can hardly be found for less than 900-950 euros.