The Samsung Galaxy S10+ costs just US$420 to build

Samsung released a new trio of Galaxy S10 flagships two weeks ago. The devices, fiercely anticipated by fans, offer a significant upgrade in hardware over their predecessors, but that improvement comes also came with an increase in MSRP. In typical fashion, the folks over at Tech Insights have taken an in-depth look at the new Samsung Galaxy S10+, and come up with an estimated Bill of Materials.

According to the source report, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ cost US$420 to build. That’s a slight bump in cost over the S9+, a device estimated by the same publication to cost US$379.5 to build. 

Going by Tech Insight’s estimate, the display on S10+ is the device’s most expensive component, clocking in at US$86.50, a slight jump from the US$72.50 display on the S9+. The five camera sensors on the S10+ are said to cost US$56.5, while the S9+’s three sensors cost US$48. That’s an indication that the camera hardware on the S10+ may have been cheaper than those of the S9+. Of course, one of the five sensors on the S10+ is just a depth sensor, and we’re willing to bet that it skews the total price a bit.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is the fact that the S10+ retails for US$160 more than the S9+, while only costing US$40.5 more to build. Of course, those figures don’t include the cost of R&D that undoubtedly went into the development of the S10 phones.