Snap Challenges Competitors With Its New Augmented Reality Glasses A Computer You Wear On Your Face

For years, Snap has imagined a future where glasses let users see and engage with digital content without needing their smartphones.

Snap, the tech company based in Santa Monica, California, is getting closer to finding out if its multibillion-dollar investment in augmented reality glasses will pay off.

Snap to Launch Sleeker, Smarter AR Glasses for Consumers in 2026

The company announced plans to launch consumer-ready AR glasses in 2026. While Snap released a developer-only version last year, the upcoming “Specs” will be lighter and more advanced than the 2024 model.

Snap, known for its Snapchat app, hasn’t disclosed the price or exact release date. The AR glasses will overlay digital elements onto the real world, enabling features like real-time translation, music tutorials, recipe browsing, and AI-powered assistance—far beyond playful filters and virtual games.

“We’re passionate about making computers more human,” said Evan Spiegel, Snap’s co-founder and CEO, in prepared remarks for the Augmented World Expo in Long Beach, which highlights AR and related tech. “With AI progressing rapidly, machines are starting to think and behave more like people. But to fully unlock AI’s potential, we need to move it off screens and into the physical world.”

Snap Bets Big on AR Future with $3 Billion Investment Amid Fierce Competition

Snap is making a major wager that AR glasses will transform the way people engage with technology, having invested over $3 billion and 11 years into their development. The race is intense.

Snap’s announcement arrives as tech giants like Meta, Google, and Apple also develop AI-powered smart glasses.

Though companies have launched similar products in the past, getting consumers to adopt them has been challenging. Early versions like Snap’s video-recording Spectacles and Google Glass struggled to catch on, but the technology has since evolved.

Additionally, shifting U.S. tariffs on imports from countries like China, influenced by former President Trump’s trade policies, could affect both the production of new devices and consumer demand.

Despite past setbacks, tech companies aren’t backing down from developing smart glasses. Meta, in partnership with Ray-Ban, sells glasses that allow users to take photos and videos, listen to music, and interact with an AI assistant. The company has also revealed more advanced AR glasses, called Orion, though they’re not yet available to consumers.

Google and OpenAI Tease Next-Gen AI Devices as Smart Glasses Competition Heats Up

Google, too, demonstrated a prototype at its developer conference this year. When connected to a smartphone, the glasses let users ask Google’s AI assistant, Gemini, questions aloud to learn more about things like artwork or travel.

Meanwhile, OpenAI—maker of ChatGPT—is collaborating with former Apple designer Jony Ive on a new AI-powered device, though details remain under wraps.

For Snap, AR glasses offer a potential revenue stream beyond digital advertising. In April, the company’s stock dropped over 15% after it withheld its second-quarter outlook, raising concerns that economic uncertainty—partly tied to Trump-era tariffs—could lead advertisers to cut spending. As of Monday, Snap’s stock was down more than 24% this year, trading at $8.50 per share.

Snap has increased its revenue while significantly cutting its net losses. In the first quarter, revenue rose 14%, from $1.19 billion in 2024 to $1.36 billion this year, while net losses declined by 54% to $140 million.

The company now boasts over 900 million monthly active users and 460 million daily active users.

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