iPhone 13 Pro Supposedly Costs Slightly More To Build Than iPhone 12 Pro

As it turns out, an iPhone 13 Pro teardown has revealed that customers who bought the latest Apple release might be getting more value than those who bought last year’s iPhone. The higher estimated price is attributed to the more expensive A-series processor, NAND flash memory, display subsystem, and main enclosure.

The cost analysis by computer hardware specialist Techinsights estimates that the 13 Pro costs US$570 (~RM2383) for the base 128GB storage model, US$21.50 (~RM89) more than the US$548.50 (~RM2288) build cost for the 12 Pro.

Some of the components highlighted in the report are the A15 processor, the more compact TrueDepth array, and the display subsystem. The 13 Pro uses an LTPO panel used for the 120Hz ProMotion display, which might have added to the build cost when compared to the regular iPhone 13’s OLED panel.

The analysis also found that the A15 silicon found in the 13 and 13 Pro series might be the same processor. While Apple claims that the five GPU cores on the Pro are different than the four GPUs on the base 13, the tech giant might actually be disabling one of the GPU cores for the lower-end 13, as it did with the A12X chip. Techinsights says that both SoCs contained the same TMMU71 die mark and the exact same die size, which is 22.82% bigger than last year’s A14.

The price jump between the 12 Pro and 13 Pro is not as big of a leap as the one between the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12, which Counterpoint Research says may have costed 21% more due to the addition of 5G and OLED. The estimates are based on standard market rates so they might not be quite accurate given Apple’s supply chain scale.

The iPhone 13 Pro is launching at the same price as its predecessor, at RM4899. In contrast, the hardware researchers estimate that the Samsung S21+ 5G costs US$508 (~RM2124) to build and was launched in Malaysia for RM3999.

Foxconn’s iPhone 12 Production In India More Than Halved By COVID Outbreak

A Foxconn factory in India saw its iPhone 12 production drop by over 50% due to a COVID-19 outbreak there which forced infected workers to leave their posts, according to a Reuters report citing sources.

One source told Reuters that over 100 Foxconn employees in Tamil Nadu – the state where the factory is located – have tested positive for the coronavirus, and that the firm has banned entry to the factory until late May.

“Employees are only allowed to leave but not to enter the facility since yesterday,” the source said. “Only a small part of output is being kept.”

The affected factory produces iPhones specifically for India – the second largest smartphone market in the world after China. Earlier in March, it was reported that Foxconn would shift some of its iPhone 12 production out of China and to India.

The move was thought to be based on rising labour costs (in China) as well as escalating tensions between the US and China. India has also tempted major smartphone manufacturers with attractive subsidies.

Since March, however, the COVID-19 situation has grown exponentially worse in India – by some estimates, new cases are exceeding 350,000 per day, with deaths in the thousands. A full statewide lockdown has been imposed in the state of Tamil Nadu, where the factory is, since Monday.

Apple iPhone 12 And iPhone 12 mini Receives New Purple Colour Option

Last night’s Spring Loaded event saw the launch of several new products from Apple; including the brand new iPad Pro, iMac computers, AirTags and more. Much to our surprise, the Cupertino-based company also managed to slip in an iPhone announcement, but not in the major kind of way that most would have hoped for. 

Months after their initial debut back in late October last year, Apple has revealed that the standard and mini variants of its iPhone 12 smartphone series will receive a new addition to its current colour selection. Slated to arrive soon, fans can now own these models in the newly announced Purple colour. Yeah, that’s pretty much it.

Usually we’d expect phone brands to provide some sort of explanation as to why a new option has suddenly emerged, often with some fancy copywriting to go along with it. Instead, Apple senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak simply said, “The new purple finish, just in time for spring, adds another bright and fun option to the lineup, and we think customers are going to love it.” 

Aside from the new colour addition, everything else remains unchanged. Both the standard and mini variants of the iPhone 12 retain the same 5G-enabled A14 Bionic chip, RAM and storage configurations, MagSafe capabilities, so on and so forth. The company did note that the newer batch will ship with the recently announced iOS 14.5 firmware update, which is also slated to roll out to users sometime next week.

Apple says that the aforementioned Purple cladded iPhone 12 models will be available in the US starting 30 April, with pre-orders opening soon on 23 April. At this current time, the new colour selection is listed to be “coming soon” on Apple Malaysia’s website and despite featuring a newer colour, both models are offered at the same price as their original release. Specifically, the standard iPhone 12 is offered at a starting price of RM 3,899, while the mini variant starts at RM 3,399.

Apple Gets US$2 Million Fine In Brazil For Excluding Charger From iPhone 12 Box

Back in October last year, Apple announced the iPhone 12 series of devices, and their lack of a charger. Half a year later, we now see one country, Brazil, issuing a fine to the company for that decision.

Brazilian consumer protection body Procon-SP issued a US$2 million (~RM8.2 million) to Apple over the weekend. The fine didn’t exactly come without warning. About the time Apple announced the iPhone 12, Procon questioned the environmental gains of not including a charger with the phone. A month after that, the regulator concluded that the company did not demonstrate environmental gain from the move.

In addition to not including a charger, Procon is also charging Apple for a number of other issues. These range from misleading advertising to unfair terms. According to 9to5Mac, the former is because Brazilian customers reported that Apple did not repair iPhone 11 Pro devices with water problems. As for the latter, the agency claims that the iPhone maker “exempts itself from all legal and implicit guarantees and against hidden or not apparent defects”.

While the fact that Apple getting fines may seem like a substantial event, it probably isn’t. After all, US$2 million is likely less than a drop of water for one of the largest smartphone makers.

Foxconn Shifting Some iPhone 12 Production Away From China To India

China’s already eroding reputation as the ‘world’s factory’ has taken another hit. Taiwan manufacturer Foxconn is set to shift some of its iPhone 12 production away from China to India, Nikkei Asia reported.

Up to 10% of Foxconn’s iPhone 12 production will be moved to a factory in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India, the report added. This would mean that the phone would no longer be exclusively produced in China, which faces increasingly stiff competition from India and Vietnam.

Foxconn has long based most of its operations in China, but increasing labour costs and deepening US-China tensions has prodded it to look elsewhere. Understanding this, India has deftly exploited the situation by tempting major smartphone manufacturers with attractive subsidies.

All iPhones are manufactured by three Taiwanese firms: Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron. Foxconn already makes older iPhone models in India, while Pegatron and Wistron have plans to expand there, Nikkei Asia said.

But India isn’t the only beneficiary of this larger shift. Foxconn will begin producing iPads in Vietnam this year – something it previously did only in China. Furthermore, Pegatron set up shop in Vietnam last year in March.

It isn’t like Beijing is unaware of the problem. A top Chinese leader recently opined on the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the country’s manufacturing sector.