Snap Inc. has again caught our attention with the recent publicizing of its newest invention, Spectacles ’24. The new augmented reality glasses, more popularly known as Spectacles 3.0, assure a change in how we will perceive everything around us. The bar is set high for AR experiences at Snap, an amalgamation of fantastic technology and friendly user design.
Snap Inc. just announced the latest model of its Spectacles AR glasses, dubbed Spectacles ’24, at a recent event. These new glasses provide an immersive AR experience with a 46-degree field of view, dual Snapdragon processors, and auto-transitioning lenses.
But the amazing thing about Spectacles 3.0 is that they are independent. You won’t need a smartphone or any other peripheral to view augmented reality; wear these glasses and enjoy total immersion. Imagine walking in a park with these glasses and viewing digital overlays displaying information about the trees and landmarks surrounding you without touching your phone.
Another highlight of the display is that it is a 46-degree field of view merged with 37 pixels per degree, which feels like having a giant 100-inch screen right in front of your eyes. The visuals are full of life and highly interactive, whether you watch videos, play games, or explore AR content.
Under the hood, it’s just as impressive: loaded with two powerful Snapdragon processors, these Spectacles process everything internally. That means efficient performance without fumbling around and hooking up to other devices. Plus, battery life has been bumped up to as much as 45 minutes of continuous use. For some, that will constitute a limitation, but it’s a conservative bump over previous models and ideal for quick AR experiences.
This makes the newer auto-transitioning lenses a big win for users. The lenses automatically change tint to adjust to different lighting conditions so that your visuals are crystal clear—from indoor settings to bright sunlight outside. This adds more comfort to viewing and reduces eye strain so that one can enjoy being in AR without discomfort.
Co-presence, per se, is one of the main attractions of Spectacles 3.0. In that respect, you can share your AR experience with people around you. People in proximity can see what you are looking at in real-time using “Spectator Mode.” The feature builds a sense of connection and collaboration, letting friends and family join the fun during an outing or other event.
Controlling the Spectacles is easy: advanced gesture recognition technology allows users to interact with their experiences using hand gestures and voice commands. The result is a very intuitive control system that creates natural-similar flows within the experience.
Comfort was also a reason for designing the Spectacles. At 0.49 lbs (226 grams), these are among the lightest AR headsets on the market. The sides flex to accommodate prescription glasses, so everyone can be comfortable with them. That balanced weight distribution means you can wear them longer without straining your nose or ears.
That weight balance will keep the glasses from becoming front-heavy, which is generally the tendency with headsets and smart glasses when they are always on the head. Snap’s thought about this as something people can wear in real-world environments, whether on a quick outing or well into a long day of creation.
With any AR device, there’s always one foot over the horizon-old privacy concerns. Discreet recording with a pair of Spectacles begs valid questions about surveillance and the potential misuse of that technology. Most important will be how the data collected through such devices about user locations and interactions is handled to avoid breaches.
Snap has tried to assuage some of these fears with features that show when recording is active, but without question, it’ll be talked about more and more as AR mainlines its way into everyday life.
Snap has partnered with OpenAI to bring state-of-the-art multimodal large language models directly into its Lenses. For the first time, a newly redesigned Lens Studio 5.0 empowers developers to create and distribute their innovations faster than ever onto Spectacles.
Meanwhile, Snapchat boasts over 850 million active users and is getting a full redesign. A slimmed-down app version is being tested with a small group of people worldwide.
