Snap introduces its AR glasses

Social media platform plans to sell wearable computers next year

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Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel speaks at the Snap Partner Summit last year. Snap has invested billions of dollars on developing augmented reality glasses and is ready to roll. Charley Gallay — Getty Images

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By Queenie Wong

Los Angeles Times

For years, Snap has envisioned a future where people wear glasses to view and interact with computer-generated images without having to scroll through their smartphones.

The Santa Monica-based tech company will soon see if its multibillion-dollar bet on augmented reality glasses has paid off.

Snap said Tuesday it plans to release in 2026 AR glasses that people will be able to buy.

Last year, Snap launched the latest version of its AR glasses, but the gadget was only available to developers. The new AR glasses, known as Specs, will be lighter and more advanced than what was shown in 2024, Snap said.

The company behind the disappearing messaging app Snapchat hasn’t revealed the price of the glasses or exactly when they will go on sale.

Augmented reality involves overlaying digital objects onto a person’s view of the physical world, allowing people to wear virtual dog ears on their faces and catch virtual Pokémon. Snap says its glasses will be useful in more ways, helping people translate signs, learn how to play the drums, browse recipes and access AI assistance.

“We’re obsessed with making computers more human. And with advances in AI, computers are thinking and acting like humans more than ever before. But if we want to unleash the true potential of AI, we need to bring it from screens into the real world,” said Evan Spiegel, Snap’s co-founder and chief executive, in his prepared remarks for the Augmented World Expo. The conference, held in Long Beach, focuses on technology such as AR.

Snap is betting big that AR glasses will reshape how people interact with technology, spending more than $3 billion and 11 years building AR glasses. The competition has been fierce.

Snap’s announcement comes as major tech companies including Meta, Google and Apple also work on glasses with AI-powered tools.

While tech companies have released glasses in the past, convincing people to buy them has been an uphill battle. Early versions of Snap’s Spectacles, used for recording videos, and smartglasses such as Google Glass flopped but technology has improved.

President Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on goods from countries such as China could also impact the development of new gadgets or consumer appetite to buy new electronics.