Verizon's HTC Droid Incredible, iSuppli discovered during a teardown, might be thought of as the "Google Nexus Two," so similar are their components. The Incredible carries a bill of materials of $163 to the Nexus One's $174.
The HTC Droid Incredible has a BOM (bill
of materials) that tallies $163.35, iSuppli announced July 29, following a
teardown of the smartphone. Add nearly $9 in manufacturing costs, and that
figure rises to $172.25-for a device Verizon sells for $199 with a two-year
contract.
Perhaps more striking, however, are the similarities that the firm's
analysis service found between the Droid Incredible and Google's Nexus One,
also made by HTC.
"The Droid Incredible could have been dubbed the 'Nexus Two,' given its
similarity to HTC's Nexus One introduced
early this year," Andrew Rassweiler, principal analyst and teardown
services manager for iSuppli, said in a statement. "Indeed, the phones are
very similar in terms of costs and features, with the main difference being the
Incredible's support for the CDMA air standard used by carrier Verizon in the United
States."
Google offers the Nexus One-
which
has an iSuppli-estimated BOM of $174.15-unlocked for $529 or with a
two-year T-Mobile service contract for $179.
Both phones run Google's Android operating system, both feature-as their "centerpiece,"
writes iSuppli-a 3.7-inch AMOLED display and both have an electronic design
based around Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon processor. iSuppli adds that both also
integrate a "class-leading density, at 4Gbit, of Mobile DDR
(Double Data Rate) DRAM to support the
processor."
As for differences, the Droid Incredible features HTC's
Sense user interface, while the Nexus One is straight-up Android. Also, the
Incredible features an optical trackpad to the Nexus One's trackball.
As for the Incredible's BOM, topping the list is that Qualcomm processor-which
features dual-mode HSPA/CDMA 1xEVDO Rev. A, with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS,
3D graphics and mobile broadcast TV, iSuppli adds-for $31.40. In a close second
place is the Samsung-provided display, at $31.20, and "memory section,"
at $29.80.
"In the individual Incredible phone unit torn down by iSuppli, this
section consists of NAND flash memory and mobile [DDR]
DRAM from Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and
more NAND from Hynix Semiconductor Inc.," stated the report. "However,
iSuppli believes that HTC is likely using
additional sources of supply for these commodity memory parts."
Also contributing to (or benefiting from) the Droid Incredible are Broadcom,
Texas Instruments and Atmel, writes
iSuppli. Broadcom, at a rate of $8.45 a unit, contributes a chip that combines
Bluetooth, FM and WLAN support. From Texas Instruments and Qualcomm, the
Incredible gets power-management components, for $7.25, while Atmel, for $5.55,
kicks in the touch screen, which is paired with an AKM Semiconductor compass
and a Bosch Sensortec accelerometer.
The Incredible's 8-megapixel camera comes at a cost to HTC
of $15.70 a unit.
With the launch of the Incredible, which began selling in late April,
analysts have said that
HTC
solidified its standing as a major U.S. smartphone brand-a feat partially
accomplished through its embrace of Google's Android. Verizon has since faced a
shortage of Incredible handsets, as several of the manufacturers listed above
have struggled to meet demand. Verizon executives, however,
during
a conference call with analysts and media to discuss the carrier's
second-quarter earnings, downplayed the shortages as "more timing than
anything else" and "just a little delay."
iSuppli noted that its BOM tallies do not take into account expenses such as
software, licensing and royalties.
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