Snap debuts standalone AR glasses Specs to rival Meta and Apple devices
Snap has invested over $3.5 billion in Specs despite pressure from an activist investor
Snapchat parent company Snap has launched its first consumer augmented reality glasses, called Specs, at $2,195, pitching the fully standalone device as the future of human interaction with technology in the AI age — and a direct challenger to products from Apple and Meta.
Unveiled at Augmented World Expo
The glasses were unveiled on Tuesday at the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, California, marking a significant moment for the social media company as it makes its boldest hardware bet yet.
The launch arrives at a difficult time for Snap, whose advertising business faces mounting pressure from larger rivals, and comes despite calls from an activist investor to spin off or shut down the Specs unit after more than $3.5 billion in cumulative investment.
What Specs can do
Specs are initially available in black and are designed to resemble a pair of chunky retro sunglasses with thick frames, requiring no external battery pack or accessories such as a hand-gesture control puck. Through their AR lenses, wearers can overlay digital content onto their real-world view — projecting walking directions onto streets, receiving AI-powered answers mid-task, streaming content, or opening a virtual whiteboard.
Developers have already built AR experiences for the platform, ranging from an immersive Apollo 11 recreation to PuttView golf guidance, and the glasses also support standard smartglass features such as video capture.
Spiegel on the vision behind Specs
Snap Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel said the company developed new technology across virtually every component of the device. "We wanted to build a totally new type of computer," Spiegel told Reuters.
He said this included a custom display and lens layer delivering a wide field of view, alongside software optimised for low-power chips to extend battery life without adding bulk. Specs offer the capability of some "more expensive headsets with the wearability of smart glasses at a more accessible price point," Spiegel added.
How Specs stack up against rivals
Snap has positioned Specs as lighter than Apple's $3,499 Vision Pro and more capable than Meta's Ray-Ban smartglasses, which range from $379 to $799 and feature only a small display for text and navigation prompts without full augmented reality. Meta's glasses, developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, weigh roughly half as much as Specs.
Growing unease about smartphones' impact on mental health, combined with rapid advances in AI, has given rise to a wave of products aiming to displace the phone as the central gadget in daily life — and Snap is betting Specs can lead that charge.
Analyst verdict
Industry observers offered a measured response to the launch. "The price point is still a bit on the high end of what consumers expect from AR glasses," said Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
However, Sag acknowledged that "building full AR glasses is extremely difficult and expensive, and for Snap to be among the first is a big deal," adding that Specs' operating system is "undervalued" and central to the product's long-term proposition. Specs are scheduled to ship this autumn in the United States, United Kingdom, and France.
