iSuppli disassembly analysis: Samsung Galaxy Tab is unlikely to challenge iPad

A recent teardown analysis report by market research firm iSuppli pointed out that in terms of functions and component costs, Samsung Electronics' new tablet Galaxy Tab GT-P1000 can only be regarded as an enlarged version of a smartphone and cannot truly become a competitor to Apple's iPad.

iSuppli's analysis shows that the Galaxy Tab's bill of materials (BOM) cost is $205.22, much lower than the $264.27 estimated in its previous teardown analysis of the 16Gbyte 3G iPad. However, the Galaxy's lower cost is mainly due to its smaller, lower-resolution display compared to the iPad.

"The Galaxy Tab does not compete directly with the iPad on a functional basis; it is essentially a larger version of Samsung's Galaxy S smartphone," said Andrew Rassweiler, manager and principal analyst of iSuppli's teardown analysis service. "The Galaxy's design architecture makes it cheaper to manufacture than the iPad 3G, but also means that the technology lacks the same level of usability as the iPad 3G."

Rassweiler pointed out that the Galaxy Tab's screen resolution, size and technology are not up to par with the iPad, which is a key difference. In fact, the display is also an important product differentiator for the iPad.

As for the advantages of Galaxy Tab, it still has some features that iPad does not have, such as a MEMS gyroscope, and in addition to the 3-megapixel autofocus main camera, there is also a 1.3-megapixel front panel camera that supports video conferencing. And most importantly, Galaxy Tab supports Adobe's Flash, which is the biggest lack of iPad.

iSuppli estimates that if the manufacturing cost of $9.35 is added, the total cost of the Galaxy Tab is about $214.57 (see detailed table); the cost of the Galaxy Tab GT-P1000 estimated in the iSuppli disassembly analysis report only includes hardware and manufacturing costs, and does not include software, royalties and licensing fees.