21st June 2026 – (London) Snap has unveiled a new pair of augmented reality smart glasses priced at £1,995 in the U.K. and $2,195 in the United States, as the Snapchat parent company seeks to position eyewear as the next frontier in personal computing.
The device, branded simply as “Specs”, was presented by chief executive Evan Spiegel at the Augmented World Expo in California. Shipping is expected to begin this autumn in the U.S., U.K. and France, with customers required to place a refundable $200 deposit to secure a pre‑order.
The launch marks Snap’s most ambitious hardware effort since its original Spectacles sunglasses debuted in 2016. Those camera‑equipped glasses, priced at £129, failed to generate sustained consumer demand and led to reported losses of around $40m due to surplus stock. Subsequent revisions in 2018 and 2019 did little to reverse its fortunes.
In recent years, Snap has pivoted more decisively towards augmented reality, releasing limited‑run Spectacles for developers in 2021. The new Specs represent its first widely available AR glasses aimed at consumers in nearly a decade. Industry analysts say Snap’s move reflects a broader ambition shared across Silicon Valley. Companies including Meta, Apple and Google are investing heavily in wearable technology, convinced that smartphones will not remain the dominant computing platform indefinitely.
Technology commentator Joanna Stern noted that many major firms believe glasses could become the next everyday device. However, she highlighted the irony that companies instrumental in making smartphones ubiquitous are now promoting products intended to reduce reliance on them. Specs overlay digital content directly into the wearer’s field of vision, allowing users to view maps, notifications and augmented reality games, browse the web, watch video and consult an integrated AI assistant. The glasses can also capture footage from the user’s perspective.
Unlike Meta’s Ray‑Ban smart glasses, Snap’s device does not require constant pairing with a smartphone. Nor does it depend on an external battery pack like Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which is primarily designed for indoor use.
Snap says the glasses are intended to be suitable for everyday wear. The battery provides around four hours of mixed use, with a charging case offering up to 20 additional hours. Analysts caution that while removing the need for a wired power source improves mobility, limited battery life and a relatively bulky frame may hinder mainstream appeal.
At nearly £2,000, Specs are considerably cheaper than Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro but far more expensive than Meta’s entry‑level smart glasses, which start at around $224. Market watchers question whether Snap’s largely youthful user base will be willing or able to spend that sum on a single device.
Ben Hatton, an analyst at CCS Insight, suggested the price point makes it unlikely that the product will become a mass‑market fixture in the near future, adding that smartphones are unlikely to be displaced any time soon.
Smart glasses have long attracted criticism over privacy risks. Previous devices have been used to record individuals in public without consent, and regulators have scrutinised how footage is stored and moderated. Mr Spiegel acknowledged that trust would be critical to adoption. The glasses include a visible recording light and user controls over how data is stored, shared or deleted. “Specs only work if people trust them,” he said. Despite the fanfare, investors reacted cautiously, with Snap’s share price falling by around 9 per cent following the announcement.