Samsung Galaxy Tab with BOM of s USD 205

The Galaxy Tab carries a Bill of Materials (BOM) of USD 205.22, significantly less than iSuppli’s USD 264.27 estimate for the 16Gbyte 3G version of the iPad, based on the preliminary results of a dissection conducted by iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service. However, the reduced cost is largely the result of Galaxy’s smaller and lower resolution display compared to the iPad. “Instead of matching up with the iPad on a feature-by-feature basis, the Galaxy Tab really is larger version of Samsung’s Galaxy S smart phone,” said Andrew Rassweiler, director, principal analyst and teardown services manager for iSuppli. “While the design approach makes the Galaxy less expensive to produce than the iPad 3G, it also makes for a product that lacks the same usability. The Galaxy Tab’s screen resolution, size and technology are not at the same level as the iPad. This is a critical difference, given the fact that the display is a key differentiating factor for the iPad.” On the plus side for the Galaxy Tab, the device includes some features not found in the iPad; including gyroscopic Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor, likely for use in gaming or a primary 3 Megapixel (MP) autofocus camera along with a 1.3MP front-facing or video conferencing camera. Finally, the Galaxy Tab includes build-in support for Adobe’s Flash to provide more universal Web browsing—something notably lacking from the iPad, the market reseacher continues. When the USD 9.35 manufacturing cost of the Galaxy Tab is added in, the combined materials and production cost amounts to USD 214.57. Aside from the use of a larger display, the component content of the Galaxy Tab closely resembles that of the Samsung Galaxy S smart phone. Notably, both feature a Samsung-branded Hummingbird 1GHz ARM-based applications processor and an Infineon Technologies baseband processor that controls the wireless telephony/communication portion of the design. The Galaxy Tab employs a 7-inch TFT-LCD display with a 1'024 by 600 resolution. In contrast, the iPad uses a larger 9.7-inch diagonal display with a resolution of 1'024 by 768 pixels. While also using a TFT-LCD display, the iPad adds In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, which enhances the viewing angle and picture quality. iSuppli estimates the cost of the display/touch subsystem (from Samsung Mobile Display) in the Galaxy Tab at USD 57; The comparable figure in the iPad analysis would be USD 98. As in most new smart phone and tablet designs dissected by iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service, the display and touch screen represent the most expensive portion of the design, accounting for 27.8% of the Galaxy Tab’s total BOM. Next on the cost ranking is the memory subsystem, at a cost of USD 51, representing 24.9% of the total BOM. This subsystem features a 16Gbyte of Multilevel Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory from SanDisk, a Samsung multichip package combining 8Gbits of MLC Flex-OneNAND, 4Gbits of mobile Double Data Rate (DDR) mobile DRAM and 1Gbit of OneDRAM. The numerous mechanical and electromechanical components represent the third most expensive electronic subsystem in the Galaxy Tab, at a cost of USD 15.22, or 7.4% of the BOM. Other suppliers are: STMicroelectronics (gyroscope—a 3-axis device) Atmel (capacitive touch screen controller) Texas Instruments (LVDS transmitter) Samsung (battery) Infineon (IC for baseband subsystem, radio frequency transceiver ) TriQuint Semiconductor (transmit modules) Broadcom (single-chip Bluetooth/FM/WLAN controller, GPS receiver device) Maxim Integrated Products (power management IC)