# Price Verification — July 2026

Every reference cost on this site, checked against public listings. Costs are per-unit at ~1,000-unit quantity unless noted; prototype quantities (1–5 units) carry a ×2.6 small-lot multiplier and real CNC enclosure pricing. Indicative ±25% — every real quote is engineer-confirmed against live supplier quotes.

| Category | Site figure | Verified basis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCU (ESP32-class) | $4 | ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 module from $3.28 (LCSC, qty 1) | [LCSC C2913197](https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2913197.html) |
| Linux SoC (RK3566-class) | $28 | Industrial SoMs $30–60; CN volume core boards lower | [Forlinx](https://www.forlinx.net/product/rk3588-som-134.html) |
| AI SoC w/ NPU (RK3588-class) | $75 | Dev-retail SoMs $169–239 (ArmSoM/Turing); CN volume core boards ~$55–80 | [CNX Software](https://www.cnx-software.com/2025/08/22/armsom-rk3588-ai-module7-system-on-module-follows-nvidia-jetson-nano-form-factor/) |
| Mic array (2–4 + codec) | $4 | MSM261 MEMS $0.29–0.47/ea; ES7210 codec $0.47 (LCSC) | [MSM261](https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C51928215.html) · [ES7210](https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C365743.html) |
| Camera 5–13MP | $5 | OV5640 5MP MIPI modules from $4.8 bulk | [Alibaba OV5640](https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/ov5640-mipi-5mp-cmos-camera-module.html) |
| Touchscreen 5–7" | $10 | 7" MIPI panels from $5 at volume; IPS+touch typical $8–15 @1k | [Alibaba 7" MIPI](https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/7-inch-mipi-dsi-interface-lcd-display.html) |
| Small OLED | $2 | 0.96–1.3" OLED modules $1.2–1.8 common market | LCSC category |
| Speaker + amp | $3 | MAX98357-class amp ~$1.2 + speaker ~$1 | maker-standard BOM |
| Wi-Fi / BLE | $4 | ESP32-class module $3.3 / AP6256-class $3–4 | [LCSC](https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C2913197.html) |
| 4G LTE Cat-1 | $7 | EC800-CN $2.5–6; Air780E lower @scale; global-band $8–12 → mid figure | [Quectel EC800](https://developer.quectel.com/en/modules-cat/ec800m-series) · [Air780E](https://www.accio.ai/find-product/air780e-module) |
| GPS | $2 | ATGM336H $1.55–2.06 (LCSC) | [LCSC C5117921](https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/C5117921.html) |
| Battery + PMIC | $4 | 18650 cell $2–3 + charge/protection IC <$1 | [UFine battery guide](https://www.ufinebattery.com/blog/learn-about-the-18650-li-ion-battery-price/) |
| Env. sensors | $3 | SHT30-class ~$1 + IMU ~$1.5 | LCSC category |
| PCB + assembly | $8 | 4-layer SMT @1k, industry norm | — |
| Enclosure | $60 proto / $25 pilot / $7 @1k | CNC small-lot reality vs amortized molding | industry norm |

## Category relevance check (2026)

Embedded-AI hardware in 2026 splits into three classes — high-performance edge SoCs, dedicated NPUs, and MCU-class TinyML accelerators — matching our three compute tiers ([Promwad 2026 overview](https://promwad.com/news/embedded-ai-hardware-platforms-2026)). Voice devices standardize on MEMS mic arrays + class-D amps; ESP32-S3 dominates TinyML/voice builds ([Ampheo](https://www.ampheo.com/blog/best-esp32-projects-you-can-build-in-2026), [Soldered](https://soldered.com/blogs/learn/best-esp32-boards-for-iot)). LTE Cat-1 remains the cost-optimal cellular class for IoT ([Quectel](https://www.quectel.com/lte-cat-1-bis-modules/)). All ten component categories confirmed current; candidate future addition: USB/M.2 NPU accelerator sticks as a separate line.

*Next verification due: 2026-10, or before launch.*