Why is the iPhone 13 Pro More Expensive to Build than the Apple iPhone 12 Pro? Study Finds $21 Difference
(Photo : Image from Apple Website) Why is the iPhone 13 Pro More Expensive to Build than the Apple iPhone 12 Pro? Study Finds $21 Difference

The iPhone 13 Pro is reportedly more expensive for Apple to build compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. A recent study finds that there is a $21 difference in the production of the newer iPhone 13 Pro unit compared to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Comparison

According to a story by Apple Insider, build costs for the latest Apple iPhone 13 Pro are now slightly higher compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, as found by new research. With the higher prices for the new smartphone's A-series processor, NAND flash memory, and also display subsystem are listed as the major contributors to this significant price hike.

Techinsights, a computer hardware specialist, conducted a certain teardown and cost analysis of the iPhone 13 Pro and estimated that the build costs for the smartphone come in at $570 for its 128GB storage model. The figure is reportedly $21.50 higher compared to the firm's estimates for the Apple iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 13 Pro Specs

As expected, the new iPhone 13 Pro components and systems account for a bulk of the increase that was assigned by Techinsights. One of the significant increases is found in the A15 Bionic processor, repackaged and redesigned TrueDepth array, rear-facing camera, and the new ProMotion display. Check out the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 specs difference.

On the latter, the display subsystem is noted to carry a higher estimated cost, the LTPO panel itself, however, might also be more expensive compared to the previous OLED used on the Apple iPhone 13. An in-depth analysis of the new Apple iPhone's onboard silicon is now revealing that the company is potentially continuing its strategy of disabling GPUs on the A-series chips that are outfitted in lower-end hardware.

Read Also: Apple Is Reporting LONG Delivery Times For iPhone 13 Units

Apple Pricing

For 2021, the base model for the Apple iPhone 13 features an A15 chip with four GPU cores. The system-on-chip processor in the iPhone 13 Pro variant comes with five GPU cores. Techinsights note that the A15 dies that are used in both the iPhone 13 as well as the iPhone 13 Pro actually bear identical marks, the TMMU71. They are reportedly using the same size, which suggests the same number of GPUs.

The increase in price between the Apple iPhone 12 Pro and the newer iPhone 13 Pro is said to be much less pronounced compared to the increase from the iPhone 11 to the iPhone 12. Counterpoint Research did a similar analysis in January 2021 estimated that the previous iPhone 12's material bills were at $415, which was just 21% more than its predecessor. 

This is mainly due to a whole litany of hardware upgrades which include 5G components as well as a switch from LCD to OLED. Apple recently debuted the iPhone 13 Pro in September 2021, starting at the same $999 price as the iPhone 12 Pro. The new iPhone 13 Pro 1TB storage option, however, puts the price all the way up to $1,499.

Related Article: Apple iPhone 13 Accessories: What to Buy For Your New Phone? AT&T Sale Up to 15%

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Written by Urian B.

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