system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How are tablets so much cheaper than smartphones? I get that it's harder to fit all of the technology into a smaller device, but once they figure that out it's less materials overall

Example: The Samsung Galaxy Tab goes for only $160 on amazon but even the older model of smartphone, the Galaxy S5, goes for $380 and the 3 year old Galaxy S3 with much less computing power still goes for $210.
gpt
One big cost is the radio. The radio chip of a top tier cell phone is a ridiculously complex and expensive component that draws a ton of power because it has to have a range of miles and work on over a dozen different frequency allocations (so it can be a world phone). A tablet just needs a simple wifi chip with a range of a hundred feet and two different frequency ranges that are standard throughout the world. 

Then keep in mind the tablet, because it's larger, can use many generic components that don't have custom size and power requirements. Those components are made in bulk for many, many customers (high supply, moderate demand, low price). Compare to the cell phone, which because of its size and design that drastically varies from manufacturer to manufacturer requires custom components just for their model or two (low demand, low supply, high cost).