Snap beats Apple and Google to launch real AR Specs, just wait 'til you see the price though
Snap Specs are a cross between Ray-Ban Meta and Apple Vision Pro – not just any old smart glasses
Quick Summary
Snap has launched Specs – its first consumer-friendly AR glasses with a design fit for everyday use.
Available to preorder now in the US, UK and France, they will ship from this "fall". Just make sure you have a spare couple of grand.
While Snap might still be seething about the UK's forthcoming social media ban, which includes Snapchat, it also took to the stage at AWE's XR + AI event on Tuesday to announce more positive news.
Snap Specs will finally be available as a full, working product later this year, with preorders open now.
These are no mere smart glasses. The launch venue couldn't have been more apt as Specs are augmented reality glasses – essentially squeezing the capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro or Samsung Galaxy XR into a smaller, everyday form factor.
I've actually tested a previous, developer-only model in the last couple of years and was impressed. That was the fourth-gen Snap Spectacles and they've seemingly come on leaps and bounds since then.
Specs are the company's seventh generation model and it's easy to see the main external change – they now look like something people would wear daily. This no mean feat as all of the processing and power are built into the frames themselves. You won't have to tether them to an external battery or device.
The frames are made from a Swiss TR90 polymer plastic and the maximum weight is just 136g (there are two sizes, 47mm and 52mm).
The lenses include a proprietary liquid crystal on silicon technology for the display. This has a 51-degree field of view and is capable of showing up to 16 million colours. They're also electrochromic, so can be tinted or clear.
The glasses run on two Snapdragon processors – one for computer vision, the other just to drive the lenses. You can connect them to your phone, but the experiences are activated on the Specs themselves.
Battery life is claimed to last up to four hours with "mixed use", and although that's not ideal for full day wear, the included charging case stores four additional charges – allowing you to get up to 20 hours.
What's also important is that, as Snap has been developing its platform and glasses for many years, multiple developers have already created experiences and apps for them. This includes games, map navigation, video streaming, golf guidance, and much more.
There's just one thing you probably need to sit down for – the price. The Snap Specs will ship in the US, UK and France this "fall" and are priced at $2,195 / £1,995.
These are early days for the technology of course, and future generations might be cheaper, but that's the price of being an early adopter. And to be fair, Snap has beaten Apple, Google, Meta and Samsung to the punch with a consumer release for full AR glasses. That in itself should be applauded.
