I tried out Snap Specs, the social platform's chunky AR smart glasses and they delivered in more ways than I expected

Date:
Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Description:
Chunky? Sure, but Snap Specs still manage to deliver a comfortable fit, as well as some impressive AR and AI capabilities.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Snaps Specs are its sixth-generation AR glasses They may be hefty devices, but theyre
surprisingly comfortable to wear and easy to use The Specs come packed with engaging features, including a new AI assistant Its been almost a decade
since Snap Inc. released its first Spectacles smart glasses back in 2016, and the series has grown a lot since then. The original pair was essentially an extension of Snapchat, designed to record short 10-second clips for the
social platform.

Since then, Snaps tech has grown into a robust augmented reality platform, improving both the hardware and software along the way. Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) Image 1 of 3 View Original Image 2 of 3 View Original Image 3 of 3 View Original For Fall 2026, Snap Inc. will soon launch what is technically its sixth generation of Spectacles. However, it seems that the company is looking for a fresh start, as these smart glasses will simply be known as the Snap Specs. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The Specs were initially unveiled at the Augmented World Expo 2026 in June, and it was revealed then that the company was placing greater emphasis on regular consumers rather than strictly an enterprise audience.

I had the opportunity to try out the Specs myself at Snap Inc.s headquarters in Santa Monica, California. And it was instantly clear to me that the
glasses are meant to be the entry point to a vast AR ecosystem. While I had a lot of fun using them in an early demo, the experience wasnt without its quirks. You may like Meta Ray-Ban Scriber Optics hands-on: superb 2026 smart glasses I finally tried Xreal Aura and theyre the comfiest XR headset Ive
worn Even Realities G2 smart glasses show the limits of speaker- and camera-free frames Big frames, vibrant screen While these 6th-gen Specs are much slimmer than the previous generation , they are still quite chunky, sporting thick black frames made out of a Swiss TR90 polymer.

Snap offers two sizes: a 47mm model weighing 132 grams and a 52mm model weighing 136 grams. For anyone keeping score, that's significantly heavier than a pair of Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, which weigh just 50 grams. But
Snap did a good job of distributing weight. The 52mm devices felt quite comfortable on my head. The smaller 47mm glasses, on the other hand, pinched my temples. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up
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These glasses project a digital screen with a 51-degree field of view (FoV)
in front of your eyes, providing a decent amount of viewing space. Snap equates the floating display to a 24-inch desktop monitor. Combine that with the liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) lenses, and you get high-resolution, vibrant images. (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) Smart, intuitive software Most of my hands-on time with the Specs was spent using the consumer-facing software. The UI is clean and easy to understand. Features are split between the Home and My Lenses menus, with the main window remaining visible in your immediate view. Digital objects can be repositioned using a simple pinching gesture.

In my experience, dragging and dropping windows was a little finicky. The process was smooth most of the time, although there were instances when the glasses didnt register my hand movements, and I had to repeat the gesture several times. What to read next RayNeo X3 Pro AI+AR Smart Glasses review L'Atitude 52N Smart Glasses review: stylish smart glasses thatll help you see the world, but are they worth the subscription? 48 hours with the MemoMind
On: no camera and slow AI left me wanting more

Navigating the interface takes some getting used to, although there is an alternative. Holding your left hand up toward the camera brings up a quick menu that lets you quickly navigate to the Home screen as well as other parts of the system.

A major aspect of the Specs is the new on-board AI assistant, Specs Intelligence. Like other AI assistants, such as Google Gemini, Specs Intelligence can provide contextually relevant information in response to voice commands. It will keep listening until instructed otherwise. Do note that youll need to speak up for the microphones to pick up your voice.

It also builds an understanding of your routines so it can surface useful information when you need it. I found Specs Intelligence to be one of the
best parts of the glasses. Its quick to operate, delivering accurate search results and suggestions in almost no time. Seeing the Apps I had access to a few third-party apps, namely Spotify and Google Docs. When it comes to audio, the glasses' stems have speakers on either end that point directly toward
your ears. Music from Spotify came through crystal clear, with a bit of
punchy bass. The best part is how little audio leakage there is. I held the glasses close to my face during the demo, and I could barely hear the music.

With Google Docs, you can connect a wireless keyboard to the Specs glasses
via Bluetooth for on-the-go work. Its a nice utility to have, although there was noticeable latency between the keyboard input and what appeared on the page. I asked if I could connect a mouse to the wearables. I was told that currently, users can't connect computer mice. Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) (Image credit: Cesar Cadenas) Image 1 of 2 View Original Image 2 of 2 View Original Outside the third-party software, there were plenty of first-party apps, including an internet browser, an image gallery,
navigation, direct access to Snapchat, and, most notably, a translation tool. Whats cool about the translation tool is that it translates other languages
in real time. I had a Snap representative speak to me in Italian, and the translated text appeared on the display a few seconds after they finished speaking.

Admittedly, I dont know how accurate the translation tool is. I dont speak Italian, so I cant verify it myself, but we were able to have a fluid conversation without issue. The early verdict Snaps new Specs were pretty fun to use. Theyre comfortable to wear despite their size, and the software felt intuitive. Yes, the gesture controls were a little inconsistent, but there is still time before the official launch to address those quirks.

At the time of this writing, you can pre-order the Snap Specs for an eye-watering $2,195 (around 1,640 / AU$3,090) with a $200 deposit, making
them quite the investment.

A release date is set for sometime this Fall (in other words, sometime before the end of November). An exact date has not been given. It is worth pointing out that Snap Inc. will let interested shoppers try the smart glasses at the Specs First Look pop-up in the Westfield Century City shopping mall in Los Angeles, starting October 1. Given that date, an October launch seems likely. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/i-tried- out-snap-specs-the-social-platforms-chunky-ar-smartglasses-and-they-delivered- in-more-ways-than-i-expected


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