Snapchat has its eye on the prize.
The social media company on Tuesday revealed the launch of its sixth generation of Specs, with consumer augmented reality (AR) glasses.
Unveiled at the Augmented World Expo 2026, Snapchat said Specs were created to “seamlessly integrate into everyday life to blend the digital and physical worlds” that “feels natural, social and immersive.”
Courtesy of Snapchat
The social media platform also said that the creation of Specs was to provide wearers with access to information, entertainment and assistance while engaging with the people and world around them.
“When we started Snap, we believed technology could help people connect more deeply with one another. Over time, that belief led us to augmented reality. We believe augmented reality is the most natural way to use a computer because it aligns with how people already experience the world: visually, socially and in three dimensions,” said Snapchat in a statement.
As part of the launch, the company also is debuting its global campaign photographed by Steven Meisel, featuring its first Visionaries — Golden State Warriors basketball player Jimmy Butler, English singer and songwriter Imogen Heap, Korean model and actress Hoyeon Jung, rapper and singer Jack Harlow and model Kaia Gerber. Spanning the worlds of fashion, sports, music, entertainment and technology, Snapchat selected them for both their influence in culture and “the ways they’re pushing their industries forward and reimagining what’s possible.”
Jack Harlow for Snapchat Specs’ Visionaries campaign.
Courtesy of Snapchat
Snapchat said they tapped the five notable names to be more than just ambassadors. All have worked directly with Specs engineers and the company’s creators to shape the future of the platform and develop an original experience to debut alongside the consumer glasses launch to showcase how the glasses can be used for “creativity, storytelling, expression and connection.”
“We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with such talented visionaries and creatives to bring Specs to life,” Evan Spiegel, cofounder and chief executive officer of Snap Inc., told WWD in an exclusive statement. “The intersection of art and technology is so inspiring to me and our team. We can’t wait to share the new Lens experiences we’ve built together later this fall.”
Snapchat follows in the footsteps of major tech companies such as Meta’s AI glasses, continuing to double down on its wearables. Snapchat said that it could’ve gone the AI glasses route as well but decided against it given its “limited” capabilities. Headsets were also another option given their power but their “isolating and cumbersome” nature made Snapchat shy away.
Courtesy of Snapchat
Built with high-performance Swiss TR90 “plastic titanium” and available in both 47mm and 52mm size models for narrow and wide fits, the glasses have removable inserts for prescription lenses. Electrochromic lenses transition from clear to tinted in 10 seconds for eye protection. The display system is powered by the company’s proprietary liquid crystal on silicon tech — allowing for a 51-degree field of view and 16 million colors. The glasses are also powered by two Snapdragon processors.
With up to four hours of mixed-use battery life, including audio and video playback, AI assistance, Bluetooth notifications and more, the Specs come with a charging case with four extra charges on the go for 20 total hours of mixed usage.
Specs’ developers have already built hundreds of lenses for the glasses, including golf guidance from PuttView, immersive historical experiences such as Apollo 11 and education tools like Vector Fields.
Given the recent legal questions surrounding privacy with wearable tech that have made headlines, Snapchat addressed this for the launch by noting that the Specs ask before accessing sensitive information, its LED indicator lights up when recordings take place and the company said it’s prioritizing on-device processing.
Hoyeon Jung for Snapchat Specs’ Visionaries campaign.
Courtesy of Snapchat
“We’ve spent more than a decade building toward this moment. Along the way, we’ve invested across the entire augmented reality stack — from developer tools and our operating system to displays, optics, computer vision and hardware. We’ve also filed more than 7,000 patents worldwide as part of that work,” Snapchat shared in a statement.
According to a February 2026 Grand View Research report, the global wearable tech market was estimated at $92.90 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $229.97 billion by 2033 — a CAGR of 12.1 percent from 2026 to 2033. A report published in April 2025 by Grand View Research saw the overall global eyewear market size valued at $200.46 billion in 2024 and projected to reach $335.90 billion by 2033, with a CAGR rate of 8.6 percent from 2025 to 2030.
The Specs are available for preorder on Specs.com and will retail for $2,195 with a $200 refundable deposit; glasses are expected to ship out this fall across the U.S., U.K. and France.
