Snap has launched its AR glasses, called Specs, at $2,195 with preorders open via a $200 refundable deposit and a fall 2026 ship date in the US, UK, and France. The self-contained device runs on dual Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, offers a 51-degree FOV, 4-hour battery life, and AI integration via OpenAI and Google partnerships. A notable social feature called EyeConnect enables shared AR experiences between two Specs wearers. The launch comes amid significant financial strain — Snap cut ~1,000 employees and its ad revenue grew just 3% vs Meta's 33%. The glasses sit in a competitive no-man's land: pricier than Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses ($350, 7M+ units sold) but less capable than Apple's Vision Pro ($3,500). Key hardware specs like display resolution, brightness, and storage remain undisclosed, raising questions about competitiveness.
