Snap Inc. has opened preorders for Specs, its standalone augmented reality (AR) glasses, at a price of $2,195. Shipping is scheduled for fall 2025 in the United States, United Kingdom, and France. The device represents the company's first consumer release of true AR glasses following years of development and earlier developer-only iterations.
Product Specifications
Specs are standalone wireless glasses that do not require a connection to a smartphone or external battery pack. The device features two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors: one dedicated to operating system and application functions, and one focused on computer vision tasks including hand tracking, head tracking, environment meshing, and spatial anchoring.
The display uses liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) technology with a 51-degree diagonal field of view. Snap has described the display as equivalent to a 24-inch monitor or a 115-inch cinema screen viewed from 10 feet. The glasses support 16 million colors. Motion-to-photon latency is 7 milliseconds.
The glasses weigh between 132 grams and 136 grams depending on frame size. Two frame sizes are available: Narrow Fit (47mm) and Wide Fit (52mm). The frames are constructed from Swiss TR90 polymer. Electrochromic lenses transition from clear to tinted in 10 seconds. Removable prescription lens inserts are supported.
Battery life is rated at up to four hours of mixed use (including audio, video, AI assistance, and Bluetooth notifications). The charging case provides four additional full charges, extending total usage to approximately 20 hours. A magnetic cable allows streaming from connected devices.
Operating System and Software
Specs run Snap OS, an Android-based operating system. Applications are built as sandboxed "Lenses" using Snap's Lens Studio for Windows and macOS, with development in JavaScript or TypeScript. The OS does not support multitasking.
Pre-installed features include web browsing, on-foot navigation, real-world measurement, extended screen casting from a laptop, whiteboarding, real-time translation, and a contextual AI assistant that provides information about objects seen through the glasses. Music, audiobooks, podcasts, and phone notifications are also supported. A store for third-party Lenses will be available, with monetization options including in-app payments or subscriptions via Snap's Commerce Kit.
Snap announced a Native Development Kit (NDK) allowing developers to integrate C/C++ code into Lenses. Support for AI coding agents including OpenAI Codex and Claude Code has been added, with full MCP (Model Context Protocol) support.
Availability and Pricing
Preorders require a refundable $200 deposit, with the remaining $1,995 due at shipment. The device is priced at $2,195 total. Availability is initially limited to the United States, United Kingdom, and France. Shipping is expected in fall 2025.
Developer and Target Audience
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel stated that the initial focus is on the developer community, noting 450,000 existing Snap augmented reality tool users. The company stated the glasses are aimed at tech enthusiasts, developers, and studios, with plans to later target early adopters and users with specific use cases.
Spiegel outlined three major use categories:
- Utility: Heads-up directions, translation, measurement for tasks such as retail projects.
- Large Private Display: Working or streaming content on the go, such as on an airplane.
- Shared Computing Experiences: Multiplayer games or collaborative work on 3D models.
Gaming includes multiplayer support via "EyeConnect," initiated by eye contact between two wearers.
Privacy Features
The glasses include outward-facing LEDs that illuminate when recording is active. Snap stated that permission prompts are required for sensitive information and that on-device processing is emphasized. Users control data storage, syncing, sharing, and deletion.
Company Background and Development
Snap has invested approximately $3 billion in AR research over roughly ten years. The company created a subsidiary, Specs Inc., in January 2025 to house the AR glasses development. Previous iterations include the 2021 Spectacles (26-degree FOV, 30-minute battery) and the 2024 Spectacles developer kit (46-degree FOV, 45-minute battery, 226g).
Snap's last consumer version of camera glasses (Spectacles) was released in 2019; subsequent iterations were limited to developer distribution.
Market Context and Reaction
At $2,195, Specs are priced higher than Meta's Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (starting at $350) and lower than Apple's Vision Pro headset ($3,500). According to IDC, smart glasses without displays saw 167% year-over-year growth in Q1 2025, reaching 2.25 million units. Glasses with displays grew 86% in the same period.
Following the announcement, Snap Inc. (SNAP) stock declined, with reports indicating a decline ranging from approximately 3% to 10% over subsequent trading sessions. In Q1 2026, Snap reported revenue of $1.53 billion (up 12% year-over-year), a net loss of $89 million (narrowed from a loss of $140 million in Q1 2025), and free cash flow of $286 million. Daily active users grew 5% to 483 million. The company has been unprofitable since becoming a public company.
Market analyst Ben Hatton of CCS Insight stated that the price suggests the technology is "unlikely to become a mainstream device any time soon" and that Snap's younger core audience "rarely have this sort of money to spend on a single gadget."
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel acknowledged the price may be unattainable for some but expressed expectation for future price reductions to increase accessibility.
Competitive Landscape
Companies including Meta, XReal, Samsung, Google, and Apple are developing AR or smart glasses products. Meta has found success with camera-and-audio glasses produced in partnership with Ray-Ban. Google launched Google Glass in 2013 but discontinued the consumer version. Google re-entered the category in 2026 with AI glasses. Apple introduced the Vision Pro headset; reports indicate Apple's AR glasses are not expected until at least 2028.