With the Moto X, Google and Motorola are showing that “Assembled in America” can also mean “Assembled cheaply in America.”
According to a preliminary report from analysis firm IHS, the components used the build the Moto X total $214, which combined an estimated $12 assembly cost, means it costs Motorola $226 to put it all together.
This, as IHS says, means that the premium attached to “onshoring” the Moto X — estimated at $3 to $4 — is pretty low. According to previous reports from IHS, the Galaxy S IV costs Samsung $8.50 to assemble, and Apple spends $8.00 each time it manufactures an iPhone 5. (IHS estimates that the Moto X’s total manufacturing cost is 9 percent more than the iPhone 5 but about 5 percent less than the Galaxy S4.)
But while Google is spending a bit more to make the Moto X in the U.S., doing so is what ultimately allows the company to offer consumers their own custom versions of the phone — one of its biggest selling points.
Moto X: Pretty pretty and pretty cheap. (Source: IHS)
IHS also points out that there isn’t much new or impressive with the Moto X’s components, which are largely mid-range and present in many other existing phones.
This is all a good thing. By keeping costs low, and offering the device for $579, Motorola stands to make some significant profit if the Moto X ends up selling well (assuming that the company isn’t losing an inordinate amount of money elsewhere).
That’s a big deal, considering that the Google spent $1.5 billion on Motorola in the hopes that the comapny would eventually become a moneymaker. If things go right, the Moto X could be the first step in making that happen.
Filed under: Mobile 
Moto X teardown proves Google isn’t breaking the bank by manufacturing in the US
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