BlackBerry Torch costs less to build than iPhone 4

A teardown analysis of Research In Motion latest smartphone, the BlackBerry Torch, has revealed it costs less to build than the Apple iPhone 4.

The Torch comprises $171.05 of materials, according to market research group iSuppli, with a total cost of $183.05 including manufacturing costs.

iSuppli analyst Andrew Rassweiler said on the firm’s site that RIM has taken an “evolutionary approach”, as it uses a fair amount of the infrastructure used in previous versions of the BlackBerry line.

“With this evolutionary approach, RIM has delivered a smartphone with an enhanced feature set that largely matches those of the BlackBerry’s chief competitors: the iPhone and the Android-based handsets.”

RIM hopes the Torch will appeal to the enterprise market, allowing it to gain a leg-up on Apple and the iPhone 4.