BlackBerry Storm costs more to make than the iPhone 3G

Ever wonder how much that cellphone you just bought really cost to make? A company called iSuppli is in the business of tearing apart phones to determine how much the components inside have been purchased for. With the battle for touchscreen supremacy currently between the BlackBerry Storm and the Apple iPhone 3G, iSuppli decided to take a look at the estimated value of the parts that make up these devices. Not including patent costs and the value of distribution, each Storm costs a tad under $203 to produce. Each iPhone 3G takes a little less than $175 to manufacture. The most expensive component of the first touchscreen BlackBerry is also a part that sets it apart from Apple's device. A $35 chip from Qualcomm allows the Storm to operate on both CDMA and GSM/GPRS technologies while the iPhone is limited to the latter network. As far as retail price is concerned, Verizon Wireless currently offers the Storm for $249 with a new two year contract. A $50 mail-in rebate brings down the cost to the same $199 that AT&T asks for the iPhone 3G, also with a two year contract.

source: BusinessWeek via BGR