Google Glass is one of the most exciting, yet at the same time polarizing and controversial, projects by Google. Glass, a wearable heads-up display with built-in camera, processor and touch area, is not yet sold to the general public, but a select few developers can opt in (or get invites) Google’s Explorers program to try it.
Glass, however, is not free - it costs a pretty hefty $1500 to those early adopters and testers. What they might not be very happy to learn is that Glass is actually extremely cheap to make. The bill of materials for Google’s wearable is estimated at just $80 by Teardown.com, which took it apart and looked for the price of each part and added costs for putting it together.
Interestingly, the prism that acts as a display is said to cost just $5! Last year, another publication, China Post, suggested Glass could cost as little as $30 to make, but in either case, it’s clear that Google’s wearable is not all that expensive to make.
Recommended For You
This means that Google sells Glass to developers at a whopping 95% margin, all other factors not accounted. Truth be told, though, Glass did not appear out of thin air. It’s a brand new category of a device (or at least will be, if it ever gets a public release) that took years of development and research. Those R&D costs are clearly not accounted for, and nor is the fact that being a developer device, $1500 could be treated as a cost to access to that platform, not just the product itself.
Moreover, a Google spokesperson has now denied all these estimates, calling them "absolutely wrong." However, the spokesperson did not provide any further clarifications or details.
We've actually heard speculations and rumors that when (and if) Google launches Glass en masse the price will be set at the much more manageable $600. Would you buy it then?
Get Visible as low as $20/mo for 1 year. Limited time offer with code: FRESHSTART
$20
/mo
$25
$5 off (20%)
Offer Ends 6.1.2026 at 11.59pm ET. New members get $5/mo off the $25/mg Visible plan, $35/mo Visible+ plan, or $45/mo Visible+ Pro plan for the first 12 months. Promo code FRESHSTART required at checkout.
Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: