An analysis by Phone Repair Guru reveals that the real cost of an iPhone 13 Pro is about 30% less than retail when built from affordable parts available on AliExpress. The project illustrates that much of the iPhone's high price is attributed to branding rather than hardware. While the process of assembling an iPhone from these parts is complex and fraught with potential issues like defective components, successful assembly can yield a functional device at a fraction of the retail price, showcasing the significant 'Apple factor' markup.
The journey began with the frame, a housing unit bundled with essential internals like the charging port, speaker grilles, wireless charging coil, and even a taptic engine.
In the best-case scenario, if you DO get all your components in one shot, the iPhone could work out significantly cheaper - showing that a major chunk of the price you pay for an iPhone is for the 'Apple factor'.
It cost $88 CAD (about $65 USD), and while the Apple logo came discreetly hidden under a sticker to avoid trademark issues, the part quality was surprisingly solid.
Next came the earpiece speaker, purchased separately because the housing didn't include it. Without it, you'd lose stereo sound and phone call functionality.
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