A new Samsung Galaxy S4 teardown reveals the smartphone's components cost $236, a full 15 percent more than it predecessor the Galaxy S3 and $30 more than the iPhone 5.
"The HSPA+ version of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S4 smartphone carries a $236 bill of materials (BOM), up significantly from last year's model -- the Galaxy S III -- due to major upgrades in the display, sensors and application processor and supporting memory," writes IHS iSuppli, an organization known for its exhaustive cataloging of smartphone components and pricing.
The display in the Galaxy S4 cost $75, while the sensors, including the accelerometer, RGB light, geomagnetic, proximity, gyroscope and barometer cost $16, and the 13-megapixel camera costs $20.
Different versions of the Galaxy S4 have slightly different prices, but the largest disparity is the processor. The American version of the Galaxy S4 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor, priced at $20. Many overseas versions of the Galaxy S4 use the more expensive, but commensurately more powerful Exynos 5 Octa processor, priced at $30. However, some of the extra cost is offset by Samsung's component sourcing. The company itself makes the Exynos 5, so it can funnel profits back into other divisions.
In fact, 63 percent of the components in the Galaxy S4 are manufactured by Samsung, totaling $149 of the entire cost of the device.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 1.6GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (depending on country), 2GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display at 441 ppi, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, internal storage between 16 and 64GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64GB, a polycarbonate body, Smart Pause and floating touch tech and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Check back for the latest info on the Galaxy S4 as it becomes available.