Cost of Memory of Apple iPhone X: $33,60

IHS Markit Ltd. regularly publishes the bill of materials (BOM) of Apple iPhone smartphones.

The new iPhone X model A1865 version of the smartphone with 64GB of NAND memory carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $370.25 – the highest ever for an Apple smartphone – and ends with a starting price of $999.

This implies that component costs as a percentage of the devices retail price would stand at 37%, compared to about 35% for the iPhone 7 and 36% for the iPhone 8 Plus. It is $50 more BOM than the previous most expensive iPhone 8 Plus 256GB. BOM was $255.16 for an iPhone 8 and $237.94 for the iPhone 7. Margins on the 256GB iPhone X, priced at $1,149, could be similar, despite the recent uptick in NAND prices.

Another comparison: Samsung’s Galaxy S8 with 64GB of NAND memory has a BOM of $302 and retails at around $720 (42%).

64GB flash NAND TLC from Toshiba and DRAM from SK Hynix, at $33,60, are together the most expansive components of iPhone X after display/touchscreen module ($110) and major mechanical/electro-mechanical elements ($61).

For another analyst firm, Tech Insighst, Inc., total BOM of Apple’s iPhone X smartphone is $357.50 including $25.50 for volatile memory and $20.50 for non-volatile memory.

On its side, Chinese tech industry publication ichunt.com, estimates that $1,149 iPhone X costs $412.75 to make.

Costs of various components of iPhone X by TechInsighst