Cost of Galaxy's battle against iPhone on the rise

ROCK AND A HARD PLACE: Samsung has to offer higher quality hardware to stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace but can't fully reflect those costs with higher retail prices.

SEOUL: Samsung Electronics has pulled out all the stops on its new Galaxy smartphones, but their modest prices compared to the latest iPhones throw an uneasy spotlight on the long-term cost of fighting Apple's premium branding. 

The 64GB model of the Galaxy S6 edge costs US$290.45 (RM1,053) to make, according to IHS Technology. That's more expensive than any Galaxy S model and iPhone analysed by the US research company.