The post mortem dissection of the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s have been completed by IHS and iFixit. Both iPhones come in just under $200 while selling for $450 to $650 more, making for nice profit margins. Fixing the latest iPhone incarnations can be difficult and require special tools.
A 16GB iPhone 5S costs $199 to build while a 64GB models costs $218. Even with the larger battery, fingerprint sensor, faster processor and larger battery it's cheaper to make than the 16GB iPhone 5 which came in at $205. Displays that cost $41 most likely comes from Sharp, Japan Display or LG Display. These models sell for $649 to $849
The iPhone 5c cost from $173 to $183 to make with $7 for assembly. Unsubsidized models sell for $549 to $649.
Apple combined many radio frequencies into its RF chipsets. Apple appears to have the power to get vendors to do things what they "don't do for anyone else." The RF chips are made by Qualcomm, Skyworks, Avago, RF Micro Devices and TriQuint Semiconductor.
The iPhone 5c and 5S supported as many as 13 radio bands. IHS predicts that eventually Apple may be able to make a single version of each iPhone that support all the world's cellular and radio bands. Both phones use RF chipsets that cost $32. They also have the same display, cameras and memory chips.
Other costs of components.
- Fingerprint Sensor - $7 (iPhone 5S only).
- A7 Processor - $19 (iPhone 5S only).
- A6 Processor - $13 (iPhone 5S only).
Fixing to Fix Your iPhone 5S/5c?
According to iFixit Apple continued to use pentalobular screws which you can't replace yet in gold for the iPhone 5S. The Touch ID sensor in the home button to the Lightning port assembly making disassembly dangerous because pulling too hard on the suction cup could cause accidental damage to the cable. The 1560 mAh battery is glued in tightly with two long lines of adhesive that requires heat and prying to remove. The front glass, digitizer, and LCD are all one component, thereby increasing cost of repair. iFixit gave the iPhone 5S a repair rating of 6 out of 10.
Samsung is the manufacturer of Apple’s A7 for the iPhone 5S, most likely because Samsung has a license to ARM's 64-bit core.
The iPhone 5C has different Pentalobe screws than the iPhone 5/5S but uses glue to hold the 1510 mAh battery in place. There is also adhesive on the antenna connectors and logic board. It has a different display assembly than the iPhone 5S. iFixit also rated it 6 out of 10 for repair factors noting the about the same reasons as the iPhone 5S.
In general the cost of fixing an iPhone yourself is much less expensive than paying Apple, however you run the risk of damaging components.