Oh Snap! Ray-Ban Meta And Apple Better Watch Out For These Lightweight Specs
Snap Inc. today announced its most ambitious entry into augmented reality yet, revealing plans to launch the "Specs" (so, Spec specs?) in 2026. The announcement, made at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2025, points to a more powerful and lightweight pair of glasses that will push machine learning into three-dimensional space.
Unlike previous iterations of Spectacles, which primarily targeted developers, Specs is designed for the consumer audience, promising a sleek, unobtrusive form factor with powerful capabilities. Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., expressed his excitement, stating, "We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world."
These forthcoming glasses are touted as an "ultra-powerful wearable computer" integrated into transparent lenses, capable of seamlessly blending digital content with the physical world. Leveraging advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence, Specs aims to provide real-time AI assistance in your three-dimensional space, enable shared gaming experiences, and function as a workstation for browsing and streaming.
Unlike previous iterations of Spectacles, which primarily targeted developers, Specs is designed for the consumer audience, promising a sleek, unobtrusive form factor with powerful capabilities. Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., expressed his excitement, stating, "We believe the time is right for a revolution in computing that naturally integrates our digital experiences with the physical world."
These forthcoming glasses are touted as an "ultra-powerful wearable computer" integrated into transparent lenses, capable of seamlessly blending digital content with the physical world. Leveraging advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence, Specs aims to provide real-time AI assistance in your three-dimensional space, enable shared gaming experiences, and function as a workstation for browsing and streaming.
A key highlight of Specs is its integration with leading AI models, including OpenAI and Google Gemini. This allows developers to create multimodal AI-powered AR Lenses that can, for instance, translate text and currency for travelers (as seen in the Super Travel app by Gowaaa), suggest recipes based on available ingredients (Cookmate from Headraft), or even guide users through interactive drumming lessons (Drum Kit by Paradiddle).
So far, Snap has invested over $3 billion and more than a decade in R&D to bring Specs to fruition. The new glasses will run on Snap OS, with significant updates designed to benefit developers. Features like the Depth Module API will translate 2D information from large language models to accurately anchor AR content in 3D space, while the Automated Speech Recognition API will offer real-time transcription in over 40 languages. Snap is also partnering with Niantic Spatial to integrate their Visual Positioning System, envisioning a shared, AI-powered map of the world (sorry, no Pokemon GO AR).
While pricing and the exact launch date in 2026 remain question marks, the move positions Snap directly against other tech giants like Meta and Apple in the burgeoning AR hardware market. However, Snap hopes its extensive developer ecosystem, with over 400,000 creators building more than 4 million Lenses for the Snapchat camera daily, will give it a unique advantage.
