Introducing SPECS Augmented Reality Glasses: A Revolutionary Step Towards Natural Computing
Today, we unveil SPECS, our groundbreaking augmented reality glasses, at the Augmented World Expo 2026. This marks a significant milestone in our journey at Snap, where we've been dedicated to exploring the potential of augmented reality to enhance human connections.
A Vision of Natural Computing
From the inception of Snap, our mission has been to harness technology to foster deeper connections between people. This belief led us to augmented reality, a field we've been cultivating for over a decade. Our vision is to create a future where computers seamlessly understand the world through sight, sound, movement, and context, not just through text and taps.
As computers have evolved, becoming smaller, more powerful, and more personal, they've also become more demanding of our attention. We've all experienced the frustration of being engrossed in a screen, disconnecting us from the people and places around us. That's why we believe technology should fade into the background, assisting when needed and stepping aside when not.
SPECS: Redefining Augmented Reality Glasses
SPECS are designed to bring computing into the world around us, enhancing our experiences without distracting us from the present moment. Augmented reality, in our view, is the most natural way to interact with a computer, mirroring how people perceive the world visually, socially, and in three dimensions.
Building for Everyday Life
Creating a computer that fits seamlessly into a pair of glasses is a formidable challenge. We aimed to build something powerful yet lightweight, addressing the limitations of existing devices. Traditional AI glasses are lightweight but limited in functionality, while headsets are powerful but can feel isolating and cumbersome.
SPECS are fully standalone, crafted from high-performance Swiss TR90 polymer. They come in two sizes: the 47 mm model weighs 132 grams, and the 52 mm model weighs 136 grams. Removable inserts accommodate various prescriptions.
Display and Waveguide Technology
At the heart of SPECS is our proprietary liquid crystal on silicon display system, offering a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colors. This creates a vivid display that feels like a 24-inch desktop monitor for work or a 115-inch home cinema screen for entertainment, all within a compact form factor.
Our waveguide technology has been reimagined to provide a clearer and more seamless view of the world. It employs billions of invisibly small nanostructures, with more than 10,000 fitting on the tip of a single hair. This technology, inspired by Boeing 787 Dreamliner windows, enables the electrochromic lenses to transition from clear to tinted in just 10 seconds.
Making Computing Useful in the Moment
The true potential of augmented reality lies in making computing useful in the moment. Imagine navigating a city with directions appearing exactly where you need them, measuring spaces without a tape measure, or receiving AI assistance while working on a project. This is what sets augmented reality apart.
SPECS can transform any environment into a workspace, allowing you to cast screens, stream content, open whiteboards, and collaborate with others while remaining aware of your surroundings. The inherently social nature of augmented reality opens up new possibilities for shared experiences.
Developer Ecosystem and Lenses
Developers have already created hundreds of Lenses for SPECS, showcasing the platform's potential. These Lenses unlock unique experiences, such as reading the green, overlaying interactive lessons onto musical instruments, and education tools like Vector Fields that visualize invisible forces.
We believe the opportunities for augmented reality extend far beyond existing software floating in front of the user. The future holds experiences that will empower learning, work, creation, and pure enjoyment. Many of these possibilities remain untapped.
Built to Understand the World
For augmented reality to feel natural, digital experiences must understand the physical world. SPECS are powered by two Snapdragon processors, one dedicated to computer vision and the other to running Lenses. This setup enables fast hand tracking, low latency, and responsive interactions, ensuring digital content feels anchored in the real world.
SPECS deliver 7-millisecond motion-to-photon latency, verified through advanced robotic measurement systems. With up to four hours of mixed-use battery life and a charging case providing four additional charges, SPECS offer extended usability for various tasks.
A Platform for Developers
We believe that the success of any computing platform is defined by the applications built for it. The PC, web, and smartphones thrived because developers created software and apps. We envision a similar trajectory for augmented reality.
Over the past year and a half, we've released 10 Snap OS updates with over 40 new features and APIs. Developers have already published hundreds of Lenses for SPECS, and we're introducing new tools to facilitate their work.
We're offering agentic development for SPECS Lenses in Lens Studio through a developer preview, accessible via Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor. We're also introducing the SPECS Spatial Benchmark, Migration Agent, and a new Native Development Kit, enabling developers to integrate their code and libraries into Lens Studio.
AI and Augmented Reality: A Natural Partnership
AI becomes more valuable when it understands context. With SPECS, AI can see what you see, comprehend your goals, and provide assistance in the moment. This enables guidance to appear where needed, information to be linked to surrounding objects and places, and developers to create experiences that respond intelligently to the real world in real-time.
We believe AI and augmented reality are inherently compatible, both enhancing people's understanding and interaction with the world. However, this technology's success depends on trust, which must be built into the design from the outset.
Privacy as a Core Design Principle
Privacy has been a fundamental consideration in Snap's design philosophy since the beginning. SPECS are designed to be transparent about their operations, clearly requesting sensitive information and indicating when recording occurs with an LED indicator. They prioritize on-device processing, giving users control over data storage, syncing, sharing, and deletion.
Creativity Inspires Technology
Over the years, we've learned that technology becomes meaningful when creative individuals use it in unexpected ways. That's why we're launching a global SPECS campaign featuring renowned photographers like Steven Meisel and celebrities such as Jimmy Butler, Imogen Heap, Hoyeon, Jack Harlow, and Kaia Gerber.
These Visionaries are collaborating with Snap to envision new SPECS experiences, focusing on creativity, expression, presence, and play. We're eager to unveil more details later this year.
Pre-order SPECS
SPECS are now available for pre-order at SPECS.COM for $2,195, with a $200 refundable deposit. They are expected to ship this fall in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
As we take this significant step towards a future where technology enhances our lives, we remain committed to our vision. We believe that the best technology doesn't pull us away from life; it helps us live it more fully.
