Snap to launch new lightweight smart glasses called 'Specs' in 2026

Snapchat

Snap Inc, the company behind Snapchat, has announced it will launch a new pair of smart glasses called “Specs” in 2026. The announcement was made at the Augmented World Expo 2025 in Long Beach, California.

The new Specs are designed to be lightweight and wearable, with see-through lenses that layer digital elements onto the real world. Think of them as a mix between a computer and a pair of glasses. Snap says the Specs can understand what’s around you using built-in sensors, and can bring artificial intelligence (AI) features into your surroundings.

People will be able to use the glasses for various activities—like playing interactive games with friends, browsing the internet, or streaming videos—all hands-free. They also act like a portable AI assistant that sees what you see and can respond in real-time.

Snap first released its fifth-generation Spectacles for developers in 2024, and has been working with them to test new experiences. Some of the early apps being built include:

–Super Travel, which helps users translate signs and menus while travelling abroad.

–Cookmate, which suggests recipes based on ingredients in your kitchen.

–Drum Kit, which gives drumming tips by showing visual cues on your real drum set.

–Pool Assist, to help improve your aim while playing pool.

–Wisp World, an app that adds playful elements to your surroundings.

Snap is also rolling out updates to its software platform. Developers will now get tools to create apps using AI from OpenAI and Google’s Gemini, allowing more interactive features like translations and recipe suggestions based on what users see or say.

Other tools include speech recognition that works in over 40 languages, the ability to create 3D objects inside apps, and features for building AR-guided tours of places like museums or events.

One company, Enklu, is already using Specs in their interactive theater experience in Chicago. Visitors can wear the glasses and play a group game called SightCraft.

Snap says it’s also teaming up with Niantic to bring location-based features to the Specs in the future. And soon, developers will even be able to test their apps using a browser.

The public rollout of Snap’s Specs is expected sometime next year.