Snap announces new AR glasses "Specs," claiming to end the smartphone era, with a bold gamble priced at $2,195.

Snap unveiled its consumer AR glasses, Specs, at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) yesterday (the 16th). Priced at $2,195, they are set to launch in the U.S., the U.K., and France this fall. CEO Spiegel said that the smartphone era is coming to an end, and that AR glasses are the next-generation computing platform.
(Background: Google teams up with Samsung to launch new smart glasses—Audio glasses are slated for this fall to challenge Meta’s more than 70% market share)
(Additional background: Meta has started testing its “AI necklace,” aiming to push shipments of tens of millions of wearable devices in the second half of the year)

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• Snap glasses specifications
• Ten years of losses—this time a bet or a cure?
• In the post-smartphone era, who has the final say?

On June 16, the U.S. technology company Snap showcased a pair of thick, retro-framed glasses on stage at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Long Beach, California, claiming that the smartphone era will end. These AR glasses, called “Specs,” are priced at $2,195 and are expected to launch first in the U.S., the U.K., and France this fall.

Augmented reality (AR), put simply, is the layering of digital information onto the real-world view in front of your eyes through transparent lenses. Navigation guidance, virtual whiteboards, and real-time AI suggestions do not require you to take out your phone. CEO Evan Spiegel said plainly that this is a “brand-new spatial computing device.”

Snap glasses specifications

In fact, Snap hasn’t built glasses for the first time. In 2016, they launched camera glasses called Spectacles, priced at $130, positioned as a community accessory at a toy level. Ten years later, Specs now costs $2,195—an increase of more than 15 times.

This time, the hardware specifications are indeed different. Specs comes with two Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, about 4 hours of battery life. It also includes a charging case that provides an additional 4 full charges. Compared with the developer version, it is lighter and offers a larger display area, without the need for external batteries or control accessories. Developers can use tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, and Cursor to build AI agent interaction experiences on Specs, with demo applications including a recreation of the Apollo 11 moon landing, golf course route assistance, and immersive AR education.

Spiegel says Specs outperform existing products in environmental awareness, AR capabilities, and ease of use. But that is the company’s official claim—and it’s worth comparing with the realities of the market.

Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses co-developed with Meta and EssilorLuxottica are priced between $379 and $799 and have already generated substantial market response. Apple’s Vision Pro is priced at $3,499, but it’s been received with a lukewarm “good reviews but not sales” outcome, with sales far below expectations. Specs at $2,195 sits between the two—lower than Vision Pro but far higher than Meta. To say it has “advantages” is one thing; consumers still need to use the actual product to judge.

Ten years of losses—this time a bet or a cure?

Before understanding Specs’ launch, let’s first understand Snap’s financial situation. Since going public, the company has been losing money year after year. Its advertising business has long been squeezed by major platforms such as Meta, while its Specs plan itself has already involved more than $3.5 billion in investment. Earlier this year, activist investors publicly demanded that the company either spin off the business or directly shut down the entire Specs business line.

Against this backdrop, the release of Specs is both a technical milestone and a high-stakes gamble under financial pressure. Snap’s core user base is largely younger consumers, whose purchasing power is relatively limited.

Spiegel also understands the constraints of the user demographic, so he chose to build momentum with a family-focused scenario. He said that as a father of four, he has already tested Specs at home, letting his children experience AR dinosaur education, LEGO creations, and laser-gun games, and he added that parental control features will be rolled out later this year.

In the post-smartphone era, who has the final say?

Snap is not alone, but its competitors are far better resourced than Snap. Google, together with Samsung, Warby Parker, and Gentle Monster, is developing AI smart glasses—backed by comprehensive ecosystem integration capabilities. Meta has already accumulated a solid distribution network and supply-chain resources in wearable hardware. Apple is also continuing to lay out its R&D direction.

Whether Specs at $2,195 will make people put down their phones remains unanswered. But whether Snap can last until that moment while surrounded by the giants may be the even harder question to answer.