Snap Announces $2,195 AR Glasses for Later This Year, No Demos Available

Snap announced AR Specs at AWE. The device will go on sale later this year at a price of $2,195. " He said the positioning distinguishes the product from AI glasses that are marketed for recording content.

Specs will mostly be used by adults, Spiegel stated. The company has built parental control features that let users swipe a toggle in the Specs app to limit the Lenses available to teens. Spiegel addressed facial recognition concerns.

"There are certain use cases, like facial recognition, that we don't allow in Lenses, and one of the benefits of having our own developer ecosystem and our own developer tools is that we're able to moderate the Lenses that are submitted and available on Snap to make sure that they comply with our guidelines," he told Engadget.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK would ban children under 16 from social media, including Snap. Spiegel said the parental controls were developed in response to the regulatory environment.

Snap first started experimenting with camera-enabled glasses in 2016. The new Specs have narrower and rounder frames from the front compared with earlier versions. The arms remain thick and extend past the wearer's head.

The lenses show rainbow-like reflections from embedded waveguides when the wearer turns their head. When the dimming feature is enabled, the lenses appear fully blacked out like dark sunglasses. Spiegel was wearing the new Specs during the interview.

Snap is not offering demos of the device at this time.