Skip to main content

North drops the price of its Focals smart glasses by nearly half

North drops the price of its Focals smart glasses by nearly half

/

They’ll start at $599 now

Share this story

After less than a month on the market, the Focals by North smart glasses are getting a price cut of nearly 50 percent. The company says today that it’s adjusting the pricing to align them more with typical glasses, where the cost varies based on the lenses, frames, and coatings. But the price can climb quickly depending on what you want.

The most basic pair, which have been on the market since late January, now cost $599.99 as compared to the original $999. Prescription lenses cost an extra $200, which you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement; blue light blocking lenses cost $100; round frames cost $100; and limited-edition colors like tortoise and gradient also cost $100. You could end up paying $1,000 for the whole package.

North tells The Verge it’ll offer refunds to people who bought the glasses at the full price, and says that sales aren’t to blame for the price drop. “It’s been a great few months,” a spokesperson says. “That being said, this is a new product in an emerging category, so we’re still very much so in the learn-and-iterate phase. Everything from manufacturing efficiencies to customer feedback is impacting this price change.”