Red Magic 5G cost exposed: the main control accounts for more than 60% of the total cost of the whole machine, Qualcomm's 5G solution is expensive

We have analyzed the BOM of the Red Magic 5G, and this time we will analyze the number of components and their cost.

Device analysis description:

Before we start the analysis, we need to explain some concepts and issues of component analysis. We purchased the machine through the official open channels of the market. Each product may have a different supplier for the same component, so we purchase and disassemble the machine as the standard.

During the component analysis process, new products may encounter situations where the brand or specific model cannot be identified. This part of components accounts for about 10%. The cost estimate is determined based on the component database and will be corrected in combination with some market research. However, there are many factors that affect the cost of components. For example, the quantity purchased by the manufacturer from the supplier will also cause the unit price of the components to change. Therefore, the error in the cost estimate will also be about 10%.

Therefore, the cost estimate of components is for reference only and may differ from the actual cost.

Device analysis:

We estimate that the total cost of the Red Magic 5G is $301.668 (about RMB 2,112), including an assembly fee of $3.8 and a total cost of $181.8 for the main control. The main control components account for about 60.2% of the total cost, which is very high. The mobile phones we usually disassemble usually account for about 30%-50%. From the BOM table, we can see that the Red Magic 5G uses a full set of Qualcomm 5G solutions, and the total cost of the main control is as high as $181.8, which indirectly shows that the cost of Qualcomm's 5G solution is very expensive.

The Red Magic 5G device contains 1,740 components, of which Japan provides 1,432 components, accounting for 82.3% of the total, the highest proportion in terms of component count and 8.3% of the cost, mainly in devices and camera sensors.

China provides 239 components, accounting for 13.7% of the total and 25% of the cost, with the main areas being non-electronic devices, connectors and screens.

The United States provides 61 components, accounting for 3.5% of the total and 48.3% of the cost, the highest cost share, mainly in the IC area.

South Korea provides 3 components, accounting for 0.2% of the total and 17.5% of the cost, mainly in the flash memory area.

Other countries and regions provide 5 components, accounting for 0.3% of the total and 0.9% of the cost. In addition, the assembly cost is US$3.8.

We have summarized the top 5 cost components of the Red Magic 5G, which are: main chip, memory, 5G baseband and flash memory. As a gaming phone, the Red Magic 5G is equipped with Qualcomm's flagship chip Snapdragon 865 processor to ensure excellent performance, but the Snapdragon 865 does not integrate a 5G baseband, and the cost of the 5G baseband is also very high, also on the top 5 cost list. The Red Magic 5G we disassembled this time is the 8GB version, and both the memory and flash memory are provided by Samsung. The price of 8GB memory is still very high, surpassing the screen cost and ranking second.

The cost of Red Magic 5G's flexible AMOLED screen ranks third. It is provided by domestic manufacturer Visionox. Visionox was founded in 2001. Its predecessor was the OLED project team of Tsinghua University established in 1996. It has now become a high-tech enterprise integrating independent research and development, large-scale production, and market sales. It is the first company in mainland China to have a large-scale OLED production line and can mass-produce OLED products. 

Although Samsung's screens are still the best in the minds of many consumers, the quality of domestic screens has been gradually improving in recent years. BOE has entered Apple's supply chain and also provides screens for Huawei's flagship models. Tianma is also a supplier of Huawei screens, and Visionox also supplies many mobile phone manufacturers. The proportion of domestically produced screens is gradually increasing, which is a very good phenomenon.

Special thanks to eWiseTech Dismantling Company for providing professional technical support