The HTC Thunderbolt is a Verizon LTE-equipped smartphone, and you can buy one with a two-year contract for $249.99. That's a pretty high price point, considering we usually see smartphones with a tag of $199.99. But what's even more expensive than its on-contract price is the actual price HTC pays to build these suckers. That price, my friends? Well, that's $262.
Now, that's obviously nowhere near what the Tag Hauer device costs, but it's still pretty substantial: iSuplli states that its the most expensive smartphone (to build) that it's ever torn down; in other words, more expensive than the iPhone.
It doesn't mean much to the consumer in terms of pricing, because you're paying less on-contract than what it actually costs (before your monthly payments for subsidation occur.) What it does mean to the consumer is quality. I have a Thunderbolt, and it's easily the best Android device I've ever used. Hopefully some other companies will take a hint.
[SlashGear]
