Snap Spectacles
The Snap Spectacles (5th generation, 2024) is a standalone augmented reality glasses device developed by Snap Inc., unveiled September 17, 2024 at Snap Partner Summit at $99/month subscription ($1,200/year, developer-only). Featuring dual LCoS projectors with 46° diagonal FOV (37 pixels per degree, comparable to Apple Vision Pro), dual Qualcomm Snapdragon processors with titanium vapor chamber cooling, 4-camera spatial understanding and hand tracking, 13ms motion-to-photon latency, Snap OS operating system with OpenAI partnership, and 45 minutes battery life. Targeting developers with over 4 million compatible Snapchat Lenses.
| Snap Spectacles | |
|---|---|
| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | AR Glasses |
| Subtype | Developer AR |
| Platform | Snap OS |
| Developer | Snap Inc. |
| Manufacturer | Snap Inc. |
| Announcement Date | September 17, 2024 (SPS 2024) |
| Release Date | September 17, 2024 (5th gen) |
| Price | $99/month ($1,200/year subscription, developer-only) |
| Website | https://www.snap.com/ |
| Predecessor | Snap Spectacles 4 |
| System | |
| Chipset | Dual Qualcomm Snapdragon |
| Storage | |
| Display | |
| Display | LCoS (dual) |
| Refresh Rate | Variable |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 46° diagonal |
| Optics | |
| Ocularity | Binocular |
| Tracking | |
| Eye Tracking | Integrated |
| Hand Tracking | 4-camera system |
| Latency | 13ms motion-to-photon |
| Audio | |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Connectivity | |
| Device | |
| Weight | 226g |
History and Development
Snap Inc. announced the fifth-generation Spectacles at Snap Partner Summit on September 17, 2024. The 5th gen represents a significant leap from the 4th generation (2021), which had only 26° FOV and 30 minutes battery. Available exclusively to developers on a subscription model, Spectacles '24 aims to establish an AR lens ecosystem before potential consumer launch. Snap announced lighter consumer "Specs" for 2026 release.[1]
Design and Hardware
Display
LCoS micro-projectors:
- 37 pixels per degree (PPD)
- 46° diagonal FOV (vs 26° gen 4)
- LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon)
- Proprietary micro-projectors
- 100-inch equivalent at 10 feet
- Automatic environmental tinting
- Works indoors and in direct sunlight
Processing
Dual-chip architecture:
- Dual Qualcomm Snapdragon processors
- Split compute workload
- Reduced power consumption
- Titanium vapor chamber cooling
- Heat dissipation optimization
Tracking
Comprehensive spatial:
- 4 cameras
- 6-axis IMU
- Spatial understanding
- Machine learning processing
- Hand tracking
- Eye tracking
Input
Multiple modalities:
- Hand gestures
- Voice commands
- Physical buttons
- Eye tracking navigation
Latency
- 13ms motion-to-photon
- Seamless AR integration
- Real-time responsiveness
Audio
- Stereo speakers
- 6 microphones
- Spatial audio
- Voice input
Battery
- 45 minutes continuous standalone
- Nearly 3x improvement vs gen 4 (30 min)
Build
- 226g weight
- Less than half VR headset weight
- Glasses form factor
- ~3x larger than gen 4
Snap OS
New operating system:
- Ground-up AR-focused design
- Natural world interaction
- OpenAI partnership
- Multimodal AI integration
- Cloud-hosted AI models
Developer Program
Pricing
- $99/month subscription
- $1,200/year commitment required
- Developer-only access
Features
- No developer revenue tax
- 4+ million compatible Lenses
- LEGO partnership
- Lucasfilm partnership
- Enterprise training integrations
Generation Comparison
| Spec | Gen 4 (2021) | Gen 5 (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| FOV | 26.3° | 46° |
| PPD | Limited | 37 |
| Processor | Snapdragon XR1 | Dual Snapdragon |
| Battery | 30 min | 45 min |
| Hand Tracking | No | Yes |
| Availability | Limited devs | Developer subscription |
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | LCoS micro-projectors |
| PPD | 37 |
| FOV | 46° diagonal |
| Latency | 13ms motion-to-photon |
| Processor | Dual Qualcomm Snapdragon |
| Cameras | 4 |
| Microphones | 6 |
| Battery | 45 minutes |
| Weight | 226g |
| Price | $1,200/year (developer) |
Reception
Praise:
- 46° FOV significant improvement
- 37 PPD Apple Vision Pro comparable
- 13ms latency responsive
- Snap OS purpose-built
- OpenAI partnership innovative
- 4M+ compatible Lenses
- No developer tax
- Hand tracking added
- Dual Snapdragon powerful
- Enterprise partnerships
Criticism:
- $1,200/year developer-only
- 45 minutes battery still short
- 226g heavier than consumer glasses
- Not available to consumers
- FOV still narrow vs VR
- Subscription model unusual
- Limited general availability
- Competition from others[2]