Snap unveils Specs AR glasses for $2,195

On Tuesday, Snap officially unveiled Specs, its new consumer smart glasses. The device is priced at $2,195, with preorders starting on June 16. To secure a preorder, customers must place a $200 refundable deposit. Snap expects to ship the devices this fall to buyers in the U.S., the U.K., and France. This launch represents Snap’s first consumer-facing hardware release in this category since 2019, when the company last released a consumer version of its glasses.

The hardware features on-device computing, meaning all processing occurs directly on the glasses without requiring an external tether. The technical specifications include:

• Processing: The device runs on two Snapdragon processors, which are Qualcomm chips used for computing.
• Display: The built-in display supports 16 million colors and offers a 51-degree field of view.
• Sizing and Weight: The glasses come in two sizes: a 47 mm model weighing approximately 132 grams (4.6 ounces) and a larger 52 mm model weighing 136 grams (4.7 ounces).
• Battery Life: The system provides up to four hours of continuous battery life, which can be extended to 20 hours total using the included charging case.
• Software Features: The glasses support “EyeConnect,” a Snap feature for multiplayer sessions activated by eye contact, as well as contextual AI, which is artificial intelligence that provides information based on what the user is looking at.

Specs enters a competitive market for wearable augmented reality glasses. The device is positioned between lower-cost smart glasses and high-end spatial computing headsets. For comparison, Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses run as low as $350, while Google has announced its own line of AI-powered glasses. On the higher end, Apple’s Vision Pro headset starts at $3,500 and is significantly heavier, weighing 26.4 to 28.2 ounces. At a rounded price of $2,200, Snap is targeting tech enthusiasts, developers, and studios.

The hardware push comes at a challenging time for Snap, which is not consistently profitable. The company has struggled over the past few years with a “wobbling stock” and a “decline in North American user engagement.” To manage its financial difficulties, Snap underwent a “round of layoffs” in April. It remains to be seen whether this developer-focused hardware can reverse the company’s financial trajectory.

Why it matters

Snap is attempting to turn around its business with a new hardware product after years of struggling with profitability and user engagement, entering a competitive market dominated by Meta and others.