Snap Spectacles (2021)
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| Snap Spectacles (2021) | |
|---|---|
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| Basic Info | |
| VR/AR | Augmented Reality |
| Type | Head-mounted display |
| Subtype | AR Glasses |
| Developer | Snap Inc. |
| Announcement Date | 20 May 2021 |
| Release Date | 2021 |
| Price | Not sold; provided to approved Lens creators through an application program |
| Predecessor | Snap Spectacles 3 |
| Successor | Snap Spectacles 2024 |
| System | |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 |
| Storage | |
| Storage | 32 GB flash storage |
| Display | |
| Display | Dual 3D waveguide displays, 200-2000 nits |
| Resolution | 480x564 per-eye |
| Refresh Rate | 30-120 FPS |
| Image | |
| Field of View | 26.3° diagonal |
| Optics | |
| Optics | Diffractive waveguides from WaveOptics |
| Ocularity | Binocular (stereo display) |
| Tracking | |
| Tracking | 6DoF inside-out tracking (Snap Spatial Engine) |
| Hand Tracking | Yes |
| Audio | |
| Audio | 2 stereo speakers |
| Microphone | 4-microphone array |
| Camera | 2 RGB cameras; 117 degree field of view, f/2.2; photos and video at 1920 x 1440, 30 fps |
| Connectivity | |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz); Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE and Classic); GPS and GLONASS |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Power | Built-in lithium-ion battery; charging case holds up to four charges |
| Battery Life | About 30 minutes per charge |
| Device | |
| Weight | 134 g |
| Input | Touchpad, Scan and Snap buttons, voice commands, hand tracking |
Snap Spectacles (2021) is an augmented reality head-mounted display released in 2021. Developed by Snap Inc., it is the fourth generation of the company's Spectacles glasses and the first to include displays, which show Snap's AR effects (called Lenses) over the wearer's view of the world.[1][2] Snap officially called the device "Spectacles" or the "next generation Spectacles", and its developer documentation used the name "Spectacles (2021)".[3][4]
Snap announced the glasses on 20 May 2021 at its Snap Partner Summit. They were never sold. Snap gave them to AR creators who applied through an online program, so that those creators could build Lenses for the glasses in Lens Studio.[1][5] The glasses have dual 3D waveguide displays with a 26.3 degree diagonal field of view, a Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 processor, six degrees of freedom tracking, and a battery that lasts about 30 minutes per charge. They weigh 134 grams.[1] Snap introduced the fifth-generation Spectacles as their successor in September 2024.[6]
Announcement and release
The first three generations of Spectacles, released from 2016 to 2019, were camera glasses without displays. The third generation, released in 2019, added a second camera to capture depth, but Lenses could only be applied to its videos afterwards on a phone.[5][6] According to The Verge, the fourth generation came from Snap Lab, a hardware division of the company.[5] Evan Spiegel, Snap's chief executive, told Wired that the AR glasses had been conceived years earlier, when the first Spectacles were being planned.[3]
Spiegel unveiled the glasses at the virtual Snap Partner Summit on 20 May 2021. In the announcement Snap described them as "our first pair of glasses that bring augmented reality to life" and stated that "Spectacles aren't for sale".[1][5] Before the announcement, Snap had given pairs to seven creators: Don Allen Stevenson III, Lauren Cason, Kat V. Harris, Zach Lieberman, Matthew Hallberg, Clay Weishaar and Leighton McDonald. Their Lenses included Poem World (made by Lieberman with Shantell Martin), SketchFlow, Metascapes and BlackSoul Gallery. Other creators could apply at spectacles.com/creators.[1]
Wired reported that Snap planned to hand out around a thousand more pairs through the application process, and that approved developers would not have to buy them.[3] Road to VR also cited this figure and described the device as a development kit for creators.[2] In December 2021, The Verge reported that Snap had given pairs to hundreds of its AR creators since May and that prescription lenses were available to approved creators. Snap co-founder and chief technology officer Bobby Murphy called the rollout a way of "getting the technology out there in the hands of actual people".[7]
WaveOptics acquisition
In May 2021, the month of the announcement, Snap acquired Wave Optics Limited (WaveOptics). Snap's quarterly report describes it as a display technology company that supplies light engines and diffractive waveguides for augmented reality displays. The total consideration was $541.8 million, of which $510.4 million was purchase consideration, consisting mainly of 4.7 million shares of Snap Class A common stock, $13.7 million in cash and a $238.4 million payable due no later than May 2023.[8] The Verge identified the glasses' waveguides as WaveOptics parts.[7]
Design and hardware
The frame is narrow and sharply angled. The Verge compared its look to Tesla's Cybertruck.[7] The arms flex outward far enough for prescription glasses to be worn underneath.[7] At 134 grams, the glasses weigh more than twice as much as the third-generation Spectacles, but The Verge noted they are far lighter than Microsoft's HoloLens headset.[5] The glasses work on their own: Snap states that no cords, controllers or battery packs are required.[4][6] The Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 platform provides the processing.[1]
Display and optics
Each eye has its own waveguide display, so the glasses show a stereo image.[4] Snap's specifications list a display resolution of 480 x 564, a brightness range of 200-2000 nits that adjusts automatically for indoor and outdoor use, a 26.3 degree diagonal field of view, 30-120 FPS and a motion-to-photon latency of 15.9 ms. The launch announcement gave the latency as 15 milliseconds.[1][4] Snap did not name the display technology. Display analyst Karl Guttag, working from Snap's promotional images and an unboxing video, identified the optics as WaveOptics diffractive waveguides. He first believed the image source was LCoS and later wrote that "subsequent information suggests" WaveOptics' older 480 x 564 DLP design was in use.[9]
The displays are additive: they add light to the scene and cannot show black. Snap's Lens Studio guide notes that white is the most prominent color and that effects which replace the real image, such as Face Stretching or Liquify, do not work on the glasses. To reduce the effect of motion-to-photon latency, the glasses predict where the wearer's head is moving and adjust the content. Developers can turn off this prediction for content that must stay fixed on the display, such as on-screen UI.[10] The field of view is small. Road to VR compared the 26.3 degree field of view with the 52 degree diagonal field of view of the Microsoft HoloLens 2, noting that a small field of view was among the chief complaints about that headset.[2]
Cameras, tracking and audio
Two front-facing RGB cameras let the glasses detect surfaces and objects and record the wearer's view.[5][1] Snap's software for this, the Snap Spatial Engine, provides six degrees of freedom tracking as well as hand, marker and surface tracking.[1] Snap's Lens Studio guide calls world tracking the preferred method on the device and describes single plane tracking, which finds floors, walls and other surfaces.[10] Wired reported that the glasses could track the wearer's hands through inside-out tracking, but that none of the earliest Lenses used this.[3] Four built-in microphones handle voice commands, and two stereo speakers, one for each ear, give spatial audio.[1][3][10]
Controls
A touchpad on the right temple opens the Lens Carousel, the menu for choosing Lenses, and responds to touches along its horizontal axis. The right-hand button starts Scan, which looks at what is in view and suggests related Lenses. A voice version of Scan can open Lenses with a spoken command. The left-hand button records 10-second Snaps of the Lens over the real world, which can be sent from the glasses.[1][10] Wired noted that the glasses have no physical volume buttons, so volume is set in the Snapchat phone app.[3]
Battery and charging
The battery lasts about 30 minutes per charge.[1] The glasses come with a charging case that holds up to four charges. According to Snap, the glasses charge to 50% in 20 minutes and fully recharge in the case in 65 minutes, while the case reaches 50% in 30 minutes and a full charge in 92 minutes. They charge over USB-C.[4][2] The Verge wrote that the 2,000-nit display brightness was a tradeoff that favored display quality at the expense of battery life.[5]
Specifications
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Display | Dual 3D waveguide displays, stereo[1][4] |
| Resolution | 480 x 564[4] |
| Brightness | 200-2000 nits, adjusted automatically[4] |
| Field of view | 26.3° diagonal[1] |
| Frame rate | 30-120 FPS[4] |
| Motion-to-photon latency | 15.9 ms (support specifications); 15 ms (launch announcement)[4][1] |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1[1] |
| Storage | 32 GB flash; up to 100 videos or 100 photos[4] |
| Cameras | 2 RGB cameras; 117 degree field of view; f/2.2; photos and video at 1920 x 1440; 30 fps[4] |
| Audio | 4-microphone array; 2 speakers[4] |
| LEDs | One outward LED; two inward LEDs[4] |
| Inputs | Scan and Snap buttons; capacitive touchpad with up to two-finger detection and up, down, left and right swipes; voice commands[4] |
| Wireless | Bluetooth 5.0 (BLE and Classic); Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz[4] |
| Positioning | GPS and GLONASS[4] |
| Battery life | About 30 minutes per charge[1] |
| Charging | Glasses: 50% in 20 minutes, full in 65 minutes in the case. Case: holds up to four charges; 50% in 30 minutes, full in 92 minutes[4] |
| Weight | 134 g (glasses); 90 g (charging case)[4] |
| Charging case size | 189 x 103 x 57 mm[4] |
| Water resistance | None[4] |
Software and features
The glasses run Lenses made in Lens Studio, Snap's desktop tool for building AR effects. Creators push Lenses from Lens Studio to the glasses over Wi-Fi for testing. The computer and the glasses must be on the same network, and the glasses must be worn with the display on.[1][11] In Lens Studio, a creator marks a project as made for "Spectacles (2021)". The preview panel can then simulate the glasses' field of view and additive display, including the left and right eye views.[11] At launch, Snap's support site required an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 11 or above, Snapchat version 11.27 or above, and Lens Studio 4.0.[12]
Snaps recorded on the glasses differ from what the wearer sees. The recording shows a wider field of view than the display, and it composites the Lens as it would appear on a normal screen, including black.[10] Snaps can be shared to Snapchat without taking the glasses off.[7]
At Lens Fest on 7 December 2021, Snap announced new features for the glasses based on creator feedback:[13]
- Connected Lenses: several people in the same space share one Lens. The Verge wrote that the pairs must be on the same Wi-Fi network.[13][7]
- Location Triggers: Lenses can change based on a GPS radius.[13]
- Endurance Mode: the display turns off between interactions with a Lens, so it can run longer.[13]
The Verge also reported that a coming feature, Custom Landmarkers, would let creators anchor Lenses persistently to local landmarks.[7] Snap's Lens Fest post listed creator Lenses for the glasses, including Save the Reef by Visionaries 777, an AR history lesson on Boston by Yusuf Omar and Lauren Cason, AR Menu by Brielle Garcia, and Monke Racing by Lucas Rizzotto.[13]
Reception
Early press coverage praised the design and Lenses but pointed to short battery life, heat and the small display area. In Wired, Lauren Goode wrote that she saw three overheating warnings in about an hour of use, and that the limited field of view annoyed her even more than the overheating. She still called the apps "remarkably cool".[3] Ben Lang of Road to VR called the field of view "miniscule" and wrote that fitting useful applications into it would be "a serious challenge" for developers. He described the charging case as a smart idea.[2]
In a hands-on published in December 2021, Alex Heath of The Verge wrote that the design was "the highest quality of any standalone AR eyewear I've tried", but that his first pair overheated after about 10 minutes. He found that the displays covered roughly half of the physical lenses and that Lenses looked better as recordings on a phone than in the glasses. He also wrote that the WaveOptics waveguides were "surprisingly rich in color and clarity" and could be seen in sunlight.[7] Murphy told The Verge that consumer AR glasses were "still a number of years away", naming battery and display technology as the two main limits.[7]
Successors
On 17 September 2024, Snap announced the fifth-generation Spectacles, again for developers. Compared with the 2021 model, UploadVR reported a wider 46 degree diagonal field of view, 45 minutes of battery life instead of 30, two Snapdragon processors and the new Snap OS. The newer glasses weigh 226 grams, compared with 134 grams for the 2021 model. Developers rent them for $99 per month with a one-year minimum term, and at launch they were available only in the United States.[6] On 16 June 2026, Snap opened pre-orders in the United States, the United Kingdom and France for Snap Specs, its first standalone AR glasses intended for consumers, priced at US$2,195, with shipping expected in fall 2026.[14]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 "SPS 2021: Introducing the Next Generation of Spectacles". Snap Newsroom. Snap Inc.. 2021-05-20. https://newsroom.snap.com/introducing-the-next-generation-of-spectacles. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Ben Lang (2021-05-21). "Snapchat's 4th-generation Spectacles Are its First to Support AR". Road to VR. https://www.roadtovr.com/snapchat-spectacles-ar-glasses-announcement/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Lauren Goode (2021-05-20). "Snap Made AR Glasses - but You Won't Be Buying Them". Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/snap-spectacles-ar/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19 4.20 "About Spectacles (2021)". Spectacles Support. Snap Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20230924212251/https://support.spectacles.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058508132-About-Spectacles-2021-. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Alex Heath (2021-05-20). "Snap's new Spectacles let you see the world in augmented reality". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/20/22445481/snap-spectacles-ar-augmented-reality-announced. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 David Heaney (2024-09-17). "Snap Unveils Upgraded AR Spectacles For Developers, Priced $100/Month". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/snap-spectacles-5-ar/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Alex Heath (2021-12-07). "Snap's first AR Spectacles are an ambitious, impractical start". The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/22819963/snap-ar-spectacles-glasses-hands-on-pictures-design-features. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Snap Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Snap Inc.. 2021-07-23. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1564408/000156459021037670/snap-10q_20210630.htm. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Karl Guttag (2021-05-21). "Exclusive: Snap Spectacles Appears to Be Using WaveOptics and [an LCOS] a DLP Display". KGOnTech. https://kguttag.com/2021/05/21/exclusive-snap-spectacles-appears-to-be-using-waveoptics-and-an-lcos-display/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Spectacles (2021)". Lens Studio guides. Snap Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927123009/https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/guides/spectacles/spectacles-2021/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Creating Lenses for Spectacles (2021)". Lens Studio guides. Snap Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20210613042417/https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/guides/spectacles/spectacles-2021/creating-lenses/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ "Compatibility". Spectacles Support. Snap Inc.. https://web.archive.org/web/20210620161248/https://support.spectacles.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058947691-Compatibility. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 "Lens Fest 2021: Celebrating the Snap AR Community". Snap Newsroom. Snap Inc.. 2021-12-07. https://newsroom.snap.com/lens-fest-2021. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2026-06-16). "Snap Reveals Next-gen Specs AR Glasses, Priced at $2,200". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/snap-specs-2026-ar-glasses-release-date-price/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.