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Snap Specs launch LIVE — latest updates from AWE 2026 as Snapchat prepares to take on Meta
Snapchat is about to unveil its next pair of AR smart glasses
Picking out your favorite pair of the best smart glasses is about to get tougher as Snap is expected to unveil its next generation of AR smart glasses in California today. The company will be bringing the fight to the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will take to the stage at the Augmented World Expo (AWE) event in Long Beach today, and rumors are pointing to a reveal of the new Snap Specs. Snap already has a developer version out in the world, but this could mark the first consumer version of Snap's answer to Meta, Xreal, Viture and all the rest.
The build-up to today's reveal — if it happens — has been gaining momentum over the last year or so. We've already seen some key updates made to Snap OS to make it ready for today's event, and we know the hardware will be powered by a partnership with Qualcomm.
One of the biggest questions we still have is exactly what these new smart glasses will look like. The early developer prototypes were clunky devices that seemed a world away from Meta's stylish collaborations with Ray-Ban and Oakley.
How to watch today's keynote
The keynote is scheduled to take place today, June 16 at 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET / 6:30pm BST.
Evan Spiegel's keynote address is titled “Making Computing More Human" and is expected to last for around 30 minutes.
It will be taking place on the Main Stage at the AWE Expo in Long Beach, California.
The address will be livestreamed on the AWE YouTube channel, but don't worry, I've embedded the video above so you won't need to leave this page to watch it yourself. If you want to, you can also register here to watch the event.
We'll be following along with all the announcements below, and please let us know what you think of everything that's announced in the comments box below.
LIVE — latest updates
Expect a lot of talk about AI, too
Back in January, Evan Spiegel gave us an idea of what he may be preparing to talk about today.
"For over a decade we’ve been working to make computing more human by building a new type of eyewear called Specs that integrate your digital experience with the real world," he wrote.
If the recent keynote speeches from other tech leaders like Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella and Tim Cook are anything to go by, we can expect a lot of AI talk to accompany a hardware reveal today.
Spiegel promises a "first-of-its-kind Intelligence System" with Snap Specs that "uses its understanding of you and your world to help get things done on your behalf while protecting and respecting your privacy."
The rumored price for the Snap Specs is *high*
One of the biggest questions around any potential Snap Specs is likely to be how much they'll cost you. And according to Alex Heath's Sources newsletter (via UploadVR) it could be a lot. Heath suggested Snap is looking at producing 100,000 Specs with a target price of $2,500 (£1,800)!
That puts that way ahead of both Meta's most expensive Ray-Ban glasses and its Quest 3 VR headset. The Viture Beast is our current pick of the best AR smart glasses you can buy, and a pair of those costs $549. Launching a gen 1 product into the smart glasses space with that high a price could be dangerous. Just ask Apple.
Developers have hopefully been busy
There's no point launching a new hardware product if you don't have the software to back it up. Snap currently rents its Spectacles development kit glasses out to developers for $99/month to build "Lenses" (apps) through a program called Lens Studio on Windows and macOS.
Although Snap OS is based on Android, it's restricted in the fact that you can't install APKs or use third-party engines on it. Snap is likely hoping to capture some of the benefits of Apple's visionOS approach here: a bespoke suite of consistent apps that operate without friction.
If it can have a robust set of titles ready for users at launch, it's a much easier sell. Particularly if there's a killer app it can point to.
What exactly do we expect from Snap today?
It's not a foregone conclusion that Speigel will reveal the new Snap Specs today, but the timing would line up nicely. Last year at AWE 2025, Spiegel talked up Snap's 5th-generation standalone AR glasses and announced that the company had plans for a consumer model called "Specs" in 2026.
Spiegel promised this consumer version of the wearable would be lighter with a smaller-form-factor. He said they would have "a fraction of the weight, with a ton more capability."
If Speigel doesn't reveal any hardware today, he could spend time talking about how the company is pushing forward with what it calls "Lenses" — basically, its own take on apps for its smart glasses.
The competition
Snapchat was one of the first companies to experiment with smart eyewear but now the company is far from alone. The biggest competitor to Snap is its old arch-rival Facebook. Sorry, Meta. In the form of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
Meta's glasses look cool, feature a respectable camera, decent battery life and a responsive AI that lets you take full advantage of the glasses’ hardware. The second-gen Ray-Ban Meta costs $379 to start but the first-gen Ray-Ban Metas are still on sale for $299.
Hello and welcome!
Welcome to our live coverage of today's Snap Specs announcement! It's just under six hours until Evan Spiegel is due to take the stage at AWE 2026. There have been a lot of rumors about what's coming, but the only official glimpse we've had so far came last week on Snap's Instagram post teasing the forthcoming hardware at today's reveal.
