Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by gzalo 814 days ago
No-name phones end up using chipsets/radios from varios manufacturers: unisoc, broadcom, mediatek, rockchip, ...

They can just grab a reference schematic and pcb and tune it a bit and get it manufactured. They all use mostly the same interfaces and protocols, like mipi dsi for lcds, so they can have many almost drop-in alternatives to choose depending on availability.

For printheads, it's likely that there are no common standards, each manufacturer has it's own head-cartridge interface, so it's probably more expensive to remain open to changes, reducing the potential profits
1 comments
phendrenad2 814 days ago
Well, that's on me for saying "smartphone components" when I really wanted to emphasize the screens. Can smartphone screens be made in a significantly less expensive factory than print heads? Why or why not?
link
throwaway11460 814 days ago
Well there's a reason why every flagship phone has Samsung display
link
simne 813 days ago
Because of scale factor. LG, Philips and Samsung because of large scale production, selling screens really very cheap, much cheaper than could small scale factory.

Equipment to produce screens is not something from other world, they are not cheap but achievable for business, but on small scale will not be cheaper than priced LG or Philips screen, even without considering taxes and fees of marketplaces (could add 2x-8x of cost).

If some small factory will try to enter market, it will immediately become bankrupt, because nobody will buy more expensive than from LG or Philips.

Exist possible exceptions - some Industrial or Space or Military applications (or for example, Medical), where customer have very specific needs and could pay additional money for them.

link
iancmceachern 813 days ago
They cannot, just like the chips they are made in very large, expensive plants. There are only a handful of display manufacturers, especially as yoi get up to big panels.

Your foundational analogy is faulty, smartphones are not easy to make.

You can buy some chips for cents, that doesn't mean the factory that made them is any less amazing or difficult to build and operate. The cost of the individual product doesn't necessarily tie to the cost of the plant.

link