Snap Specs: Lighter and More Comfortable Smart Glasses
Snap's new Specs weigh 132 grams, feature spring hinges and two sizes, but still carry a hefty $2,200 price tag.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Snap's updated Specs feature a significantly lighter and more comfortable form factor
- The headset weighs 132 grams and comes in 47mm and 52mm size options
- The device carries a steep price tag of $2,200 per unit
- It still lacks a clearly defined dedicated purpose for everyday use
Fast forwarding to late October, our team met back up with the Snap team at a Four Seasons hotel in downtown San Francisco. By this time, the company had already debuted Specs publicly during an event alongside CEO Evan Spiegel, and pre-orders for the long-gestating headset were officially underway.
Looking at the physical form factor, Specs has improved significantly since our first hands-on experience with the device. The glasses now weigh nearly half of the previous version, slimming down to 132 grams or approximately 4.6 ounces. Furthermore, during an hour-long demo session, the device did not heat up the way its predecessor used to.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
In terms of ergonomics, Specs now ships in two distinct sizes—47mm and 52mm. The purpose of this variation is strictly to accommodate different head sizes, ensuring a snug fit for whoever happens to wear them. Additionally, the manufacturer equipped them with spring hinges, making the hardware much more flexible and comfortable.
However, while the physical body of the device has improved drastically, its core purpose remains very much a work-in-progress. The glasses can certainly be fun, but they still seem to lack a dedicated utility, leaving users struggling to imagine how this expensive $2,200 headgear could prove genuinely useful in a daily capacity. When asking Snap staff whether the device was built primarily for fun and games or productivity, the answers remained vague.
"The device attempts to be a bunch of things at once and, in the process, ends up feeling a little rudderless."
TechCrunch Reporter
General-purpose wearable devices often face the difficult hurdle of establishing a compelling killer app that justifies high-end laptop pricing for everyday consumers. While Snap's spatial synching technology—allowing multiple users to share a synchronized view—shows great promise, translating that technical achievement into everyday practical utility remains a critical challenge for mass adoption.
On the technical front, it is genuinely impressive how the Snap team managed to integrate various user experiences into a single unified device. Standout achievements like spatial synching technology, which allows two users to see the exact same thing simultaneously, hold massive potential for future development and interesting use cases.
Even so, what the hardware currently brings to the table may simply not be compelling enough to encourage mainstream consumers to shell out the hefty cash that Snap is asking for.
Source: TechCrunch
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