The opening keynote of AWE USA 2026 was given by Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap. He unveiled the latest version of Snap's augmented reality (AR) glasses, called Specs, to much excitement. Snap has been working to advance spatial computing in a glasses form factor for over a decade, IDTechEx was among the first of those able to try out the latest product at AWE. For further coverage of AR and AR optics, see IDTechEx's report, "Optics for Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality 2026-2036: Technologies, Forecasts, Markets".
IDTechEx analyst wearing the new Snap Specs announced at AWE 2026 in Long Beach. Source: IDTechEx photo.
IDTechEx spoke to many players across the exhibition floor who expressed disappointment at the unveiling. The glasses (which come in two sizes) cost over US$2,100, weigh more than 130g and have a bulky form factor. For glasses that target consumers, these factors will prove significant barriers to adoption. The battery life was said to be four hours of mixed use, which is not long enough for all day wear. Having tried on and used the glasses for several minutes, IDTechEx did not find the glasses to be comfortable enough for extended use. The transparency of the eyepiece is also low, giving a similar appearance to sunglasses. This could be another social barrier to consumer adoption.
That being said, the capability of Specs was impressive and goes beyond existing products such as the Meta Ray Ban Display, which was launched in September 2025. Specs feature two of Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors and do not require external computing power, a significant difference from other smart glasses, which require a wired or wireless connection to a smartphone. This goes some way to addressing complaints about cost, form factor, weight and battery life, especially when comparing them to other products which are not as capable in terms of computing.
The technology within the glasses is also impressive, they feature 51° diffractive waveguides in each eye, LCOS displays which enable 16 million colors, multiple cameras and hand tracking with 7ms motion to photon latency. Hand tracking removes the need for an extra user interface, such as the neural wristband provided by Meta. The electrochromic dimming technology in the lenses is the same technology as used in Boeing aircraft windows, and it says the waveguides used enabled a 35% increase in transparency.
A use case for AR smart glasses that can justify the cost and form factor of current devices is yet to be found, such that consumer adoption will 'explode' as it did for smartphones. It should be noted that Specs are expected to mainly be bought by early adopters, with future generations of the device expected to iteratively improve features alongside reducing weight and size. The use cases of Specs which were highlighted included a virtual screen to serve as an extra monitor, interactive navigation, AI assistance (for example with cooking a recipe) and gaming. Snap's software will enable creative developers to continue to produce and improve potential use cases.
Specs begin to deliver the promise of spatial computing, requiring no tethering to a smartphone. However, there are arguments as to whether this is necessary. Whilst some believe smart glasses could one day replace the smartphone, in the short-to-medium term the computing power of the smartphone will remain in consumer pockets. Utilizing this computing power may enable more fashionable form factors and lighter AR glasses, which are key to unlocking mass consumer adoption. Whilst this is the approach that several may prefer, it is not the approach that Snap is currently taking.
To find out more about other wearable products and technologies which enable these markets, see www.IDTechEx.com/Research/WT.
