Research company TD Cowen announced the total production cost (material set) iPhone 16 Pro Max For 256GB; Includes components, product assembly and packaging. According to their survey, the total production cost of the 256 GB version of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is only $485, which is almost a third of the price.

The most expensive were the screen and main camera

For context, the iPhone 15 Pro Max costs $453, which is $32 (or 7%) cheaper than the iPhone 16 Pro Max. As you can see from the table, cameras and the screen are among the most expensive components of the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The rear camera installation alone accounts for 16% of the total production cost of the model. The cost of the display panel and touch screen is the same as the rear camera system.

By comparison, installing a rear camera on the iPhone 15 Pro Max costs $70, which is 15% of the total manufacturing cost. This may be because the 12MP ultra-wide is priced lower than the 48MP in the latest Pro Max model.

Interestingly, the much more powerful A18 Pro chip in the latest iPhone costs just $5 more than the A17 Pro that powers the previous model. The cost of memory and storage also increased by $5. Other improvements, such as a larger battery, reportedly cost the same $15.

It is noteworthy that the cost of the standard iPhone 16 increased from $ 395 of its predecessor to $ 416. The company also listed the iPhone 16 on its US website for $100 more than the iPhone 15.

Speaking of other aspects, all iPhone 16 series models feature a new Capture button that makes the camera more accessible. It’s also interesting to see that the BOM analysis doesn’t even mention the new button being added, while the previous report stated that replacing it could cost users $750.