Snap is bringing back its smart glasses plans after years of hesitation. The company’s new smart glasses, called Specs, are set to ship in 2026 and will feature augmented reality and artificial intelligence capabilities.
The specs, which are smaller and lighter than their predecessors, will have see-through lenses that display graphics as if they were projected onto the real world. They’ll also come with an AI-powered assistant capable of processing audio and video.
Snap’s strategy is to leverage its SnapOS developer ecosystem, which has been built over the past few years, to give it an edge in the AR market. Many existing AR experiences developed for Snapchat and Spectacles will work on the new Specs.
The company showcased a few lenses during its announcement, including one that translates signs and menus for users in foreign countries. Snap also announced several developer updates, including support for multimodal AI models from OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
However, several details are still unclear, such as the price of the specs or how they’ll be sold to consumers. Meta’s recent AR product launch has raised the bar, and Snap may need to make smart glasses more practical to appeal to consumers.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/10/snap-plans-to-sell-lightweight-consumer-ar-glasses-in-2026