In September, Snapchat introduced an updated version of Spectacles, offering a glimpse into the future with their augmented reality glasses. I had a chance to test them earlier this week, and honestly, they are quite impressive. They aren’t without flaws, but they’re definitely astonishing.
Quick Overview
To clarify, Spectacles are not a consumer product meant for direct purchase, and they won’t be available for that purpose in the near future. Developers can acquire them to create applications for Snapchat’s new AR platform, Snap OS – but they aren’t geared toward general consumers.
To get your hands on them as a developer, you’ll need to enroll in Snapchat’s developer program for $99/month and commit for a minimum of 12 months. At this point, it isn’t particularly accessible. However, having the chance to use them made me wish I owned a pair.
Additionally, while these glasses share the “Spectacles” name with Snapchat’s earlier camera models, it’s important to note that they are fundamentally different. These are true augmented reality glasses, featuring displays that project content into your real-world environment.
They maintain cameras for content capture, akin to the older Spectacles – but these new glasses go significantly beyond their predecessors, despite the shared branding.
Shared Experiences
I explored several distinct applications on the Spectacles, including an interactive drawing app that allows you to create art in your surroundings, another that generates virtual forests using hand motions (where your finger acts as a magic wand), chess, video calls, and piano lessons.
The first two applications felt somewhat gimmicky, and in practicality, I probably wouldn’t use them. However, the chess application was truly engaging. I spent a significant portion of my demo time playing it with a Snap OS developer present.
Certain experiences enabled connection with another Spectacles user, enhancing the chess match. We were seated across from each other at a table, manipulating a virtual chess board suspended in mid-air. The tracking of our hand movements was quite impressive. I found myself more mesmerized by the experience than focused on the actual game, which naturally led to my defeat. But that’s not really the point.
More Experiences in Snap OS
The other applications I tried included video calls and piano lessons. Video calling was straightforward, but unlike FaceTime on the Apple Vision Pro, it doesn’t reconstruct your face or track your facial expressions. For now, the focus is mainly on sharing your perspective through the outward-facing cameras.
This isn’t necessarily a drawback and could offer exciting possibilities, but it presents a unique approach. One significant difference with the Spectacles is their outdoor usability, making the rear point of view more relevant compared to the Vision Pro, which is primarily designed for home use.
One particularly impressive feature – possibly the highlight of my experience – was the piano lessons. This lens was introduced shortly before my demo, meaning I was among the first to try it. While it wasn’t the most entertaining activity I engaged in, it was undoubtedly the most technically impressive.
In essence, the glasses accurately track the keys on a piano and overlay the required notes to play each song as it progresses, essentially allowing anyone to play piano without any prior experience. If you manage to keep up with highlighting keys on both sides of the keyboard, you’ll do quite well.
Although I struggled to master it in my brief session, my colleague Fernando, who was engaged in piano lessons while I played chess, managed to play a few songs quite accurately. It’s an exciting concept.
Form Factor
The new Spectacles from Snapchat weigh approximately 226 grams, making them feel surprisingly lightweight on your face despite their bulkier appearance, especially when compared to mixed reality headsets. All technology is integrated into the frames, eliminating the need for an external compute unit or battery – they’re genuinely an all-in-one solution.
It’s tempting to compare these to Meta’s Orion glasses, which appear thinner and possibly more stylish (or at the very least, less bulky) – but this distinction is notable. Personally, if I were to choose a product available today, I might prefer the Orions for their reduced heft, although the pricing for either device remains uncertain.
Despite this observation, it doesn’t diminish the monumental nature of Snapchat’s new Spectacles. While their design might not be the most sleek, they are indeed usable and available for developers to purchase, a claim Meta cannot make about its own AR glasses.
Displays
Now, let’s discuss the most critical aspect of AR glasses – the displays. The new Spectacles employ Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCoS) micro-projectors that produce “vivid, sharp images,” which is undoubtedly one of their standout features. While I wouldn’t classify it as high resolution, it certainly isn’t low, and everything appeared sharp enough to view comfortably.
The displays also reached impressive brightness levels, possibly too bright for certain indoor settings. I was pleasantly surprised by how bright they could become. This brightness is particularly beneficial for outdoor use – the glasses even incorporate a tint feature, allowing them to block some light like sunglasses.
One downside I noticed was the limited field of view, which Snap claims is 46 degrees. While using the glasses, you can certainly perceive where the displays end, especially during tasks that require head movements while focusing on something, like navigating the home interface.
I’m not certain if this is something that can be easily resolved with AR glasses, considering flat displays must fit within the lenses, but it was noteworthy during my experience.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t much more to say about the software beyond what I’ve covered. There are simple hand gestures to interact with the user interface, such as looking at your hand to exit applications or return to the home screen. When you notice the interface on your left hand, you can physically press the buttons using your right hand.
The glasses also feature typical hand tracking with a cursor, quite similar to the Meta Quest. However, there is no eye tracking feature like that found on the Apple Vision Pro.
Overall, they provided an excellent experience, albeit with obvious imperfections. Snap’s newest Spectacles offer a glimpse into what the future may hold, and I’m genuinely surprised that standalone AR glasses are being manufactured at any level in 2024. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing the advancements in this technology over the next 2-3 years.
What are your thoughts on Snap’s new Spectacles? Share them in the comments below.
Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
