• Qualcomm takes the top spot in terms of cost contribution, accounting for over 34% of the model’s BoM cost.
• Qualcomm and Samsung combined contribute more than 65% of the component cost in the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
• Featuring Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon chipset, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra makes a considerable leap in computing performance with its shift to TSMC’s 4nm process node.

Producing an 8GB+256GB Galaxy S23 Ultra (Sub-6GHz) variant costs Samsung around $469, according to the latest bill of materials (BoM) analysis by Counterpoint’s component research service. The major components driving cost in the smartphone are the SoC, display and camera subsystem. Due to excess inventory and supply, components related to the RF sub-system and memory were subjected to a cost decrease.

Qualcomm and Samsung’s design wins

The S23 Ultra further builds upon Qualcomm’s design, showcasing a customized version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, manufactured on TSMC’s 4nm process node. Samsung has chosen Qualcomm chipsets due to enhanced cellular support, increased performance gain from both the CPU and GPU, and better battery life. The GPU also has support for raytracing and has gained a slight uplift of 39MHz clock speed.

Qualcomm’s share in the S23 Ultra has increased to an all-time high after attaining design wins for the fingerprint sensor IC, key power management ICs, audio codec, RF power amplifiers, Wi-Fi + Bluetooth, GPS and Sub-6GHz transceiver.

Samsung is the second largest beneficiary. It is an exclusive supplier of the 256GB NAND flash and the 6.8-inch AMOLED display for the S23 Ultra. The display can sustain 1750 nits of peak brightness and has a resolution of 1440 x 3088 pixels that allows the users to view pictures and videos in sharp detail. The 120Hz LTPO panel also supports adaptive refresh rate.

In the camera sub-system, the design wins are shared between Samsung (SEMCO) and Sony. Samsung provides the 200MP wide-angle camera (S5KHP2) and the 12MP selfie camera (S5K3LU), while Sony offers the 12MP Ultrawide (IMX564), 10MP Telephoto and Periscope Telephoto (IMX754) sensors.

Other component suppliers

Silicon Mitus and Maxim are the providers of power management ICs that support the regulation of power for display and other key components.

For sensing components, STM has registered design wins related to the laser autofocus module, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and touch panel controller. The battery is packaged by Samsung and the cell is provided by ATL. The quick charging IC, which charges up to 45W, is sourced from NXP while the 15W wireless charging IC is from Convenient Power.

Samsung’s sourcing strategy and choice of components are enabling the brand to have a competitive edge in terms of cost efficiency.

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