Yole’s Group of Companies , has conducted a teardown and analysed two smartphones from two US companies with two strategies for meeting market trends. Both models are featured in its Quarterly Smartphone Design Win Monitor, Q2 2021 . The deep dive teardown data was analysed to see how BLU Products and Apple are addressing different consumer trends and market demands with very different supply chains.
In the latest Quarterly Smartphone Design Win Monitor , System Plus Consulting (June 2021) has once again selected representing today’s smartphones, according to shipment market share. The Monitor uses data from System Plus Consulting’s detailed analyses from teardowns Tracks, an examination at the semiconductor and component levels, and a look at the supply chain to indicate some trends in the smartphone market.
The two highlighted US companies are designing totally different phones, with
totally different supply chains, here is the explanation as to why this is:
BLU Products’ strategy is to integrate mostly mid-end and low-end
components from Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers (Mediatek, Lansus, Awinic, Richtek,
Sensortek, Maxscend, Yatelian, Willsemi, Sensortek…) Apple chooses to integrate its own high-end custom
components with those from US-based semiconductor compagnies (Qorvo, Broadcom, Skyworks, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Cirrus Logic…) At a time when the US government is banning all the key players of the Chinese semiconductor industry, it is quite surprising that a US phone OEM is able to release good smartphones with its key devices coming from China.
Two of the selected phones in this quarter’s Monitor are by phone makers from the USA. The G90 is by BLU Products. The company is based in Miami, Florida and was introduced in this quarter’s Monitor. It has a very different strategy to that adopted by California’s Apple for its iPhone 12.
“Both phones were introduced last year. They have very different supply chain strategies Romain Fraux, CEO of System Plus Consulting , “Which conducts the teardown and analysis for the Quarterly Smartphone Design Win Monitor. Although both are sold by American companies, the BLU smartphone is more of a product of China. It is specified in the US but designed and manufactured in China. Apple’s iPhone 12 is also fabricated in China but the specification and the design takes place in the US”.
The markets for the two smartphones are
also very different. BLU is mostly sold in the US, South America and Canada as
an affordable smartphone, designed to appeal for its fashionable design. The
iPhone 12 is sold worldwide and builds on Apple’s reputation for innovative
design through the implementation of high-performance technology, for example
in the phone’s camera and biometric system.
BLU has a large catalog smartphones, the
company produces around 20 a year, with an estimated bill of materials (BoM)
cost of $100 per phone, compared with Apple’s output of three smartphone
introductions annually, with an estimated BoM of $350 per phone.
“The most significant parts of a smartphone are the applications processor and the RF component”,
The RF segments of the two smartphones are
also very different and show a significant divergence in approaches to meeting
market trends. The BLU G90 is defined by affordability, whereas high
performance is the driver for the iPhone 12. Apple complements its in-house A14
with a new design win for Qualcomm, integrating the SnapDragon X55, which is a
specific modem for 5G mmWave performance.
The BLU G90 does not offer the same RF
capabilities; it is 4G compatible, as opposed to the iPhone 12’s 5G
compatibility. Apple has also integrated a higher degree of connectivity than BLU,
with NFC and UWB which are not offered by the G90. The iPhone 12 is WiFi
6-enabled, whereas the G90 has WiFi 5 capability. The difference in the RF
technology is highlighted by Apple’s estimated bill of materials (BoM) of $61
compared with $7 for the G90.
Both smartphones have a memory capacity of
4GB RAM / 64GB Flash, although BLU uses a combination memory component from
SpecTek, which is a subsidiary of Micron specialising in cost-effective memory
solutions. This combo memory is one of the only US component with a microphone
from Knowles and an image sensor from OmniVision.
Other functions in smartphones, such as the
camera and fingerprint/biometrics rely on sensors and again BLU focuses on affordability
with an estimated spend of $15 on sensors compared with $25 in the iPhone 12,
allowing Apple to offer a superior camera and to introduce facial ID. Comparing
the audio and power management in the two smartphones highlights the increased
functionality and capability in the Apple phone, with widely different BoMs and
components in the iPhone 12 having an estimated value of $15 and just $2 in the
G90.
The form factor of both smartphones is
similar; the iPhone 12 measure 6.1”, compared with the G90’s 6.5”. The larger
G90 is also a little heavier at 185g than the iPhone 12 (164g).
Apple spends approximately $180 on the
total electronic BoM costs for its iPhone 12, compared with less than $60 for
the G90. There are nearly twice as many components in the Apple model (104)
than in the BLU smartphone (57), with around 60% of components supplied by US
companies whereas BLU populates its G90 with components produced in Asia.
Inside the smartphones, the iPhone 12 has
104 components from leading US and European suppliers, such as Qorvo, Broadcom,
Skyworks, Murata, TI, STMicroelectronics, Cirrus Logic and Qualcomm. These
components occupy a total area of 2,114mm2 . In the G90, there are
less components, and these are from mostly Asian suppliers, for example South
Korea’s WISOL, Taiwan’s MediaTek, China’s Awinic, Lansus and Maxscend as well as British RF company, ACT. Together these components
occupy an area of 882mm2 , illustrating the increased level of
integration used by Apple.
In terms of die or chip count, the estimated total value of die from North American suppliers in the iPhone 12 is more than the total content of die in the G90. In the iPhone 12, leading edge players such as Qualcomm, Micron, Apple, Kioxia, Sony, Broadcom, STMicroelectronics, Skyworks and Cirrus Logic supply 233 chips to account for a total die area of 1,234mm2 . In comparison, Micron, MediaTek, Samsung, OmniVision, Focaltech and Lansus supply a total of 89 chips, occupying a total die area of 714mm2 in BLU’s G90 smartphone.
The two phones selected for this tear down
and analysis are both from US companies but there is a significant difference
in supply chain strategies and technology drivers. The connectivity and
processing capabilities are radically different, as a result of the different
supplier choices based on BLU’s quest for affordability and Apple’s emphasis on
leading edge performance. The differences are reflected in the price points and
functionality. The consumer is left to balance the price-performance in terms
of what they need in a smartphone.
About the Smarphone Design Win Monitor
The first-ever smartphone technology monitor covering the latest components, packaging, and silicon chip choices of smartphone makers.
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Smartphone Design Win Monitor: discover the decisions that global manufacturers make Targeting financial investors, device maker marketing teams, companies involved in the supply chain for equipment, packaging, materials and more, the quarterly update offers a clear view of the semiconductor companies leading this rapidly growing market, drawing comparisons between OEMs and including easily digestible information on the supply chain and technology evolution. ..
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