Snapchat is upping the ante on augmented reality glasses

The new generation of Spectacles with transparent lenses offers better display quality and faster response times. Like the previous 2021 model, it won’t be sold to consumers for now, but will instead be rented to developers.

In so-called augmented reality (AR), digital content is displayed in the user’s field of vision using projectors and light guides while wearing glasses with transparent lenses. Apple and Facebook’s Meta are also working on this technology. But the technology isn’t yet ready to guarantee a long battery life. The new Spectacles can operate continuously for up to 45 minutes. That’s probably still too little for everyday use.

That's why Apple and Meta primarily continued to develop virtual reality headsets in which users project screens in front of their eyes. The devices have external cameras that can record the environment and transmit it to the screens.

It’s more natural to look at the world through see-through lenses, Snapchat co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel said as he showed off his new Spectacles in Los Angeles. He’s sticking with the expensive project even as Snapchat has irked investors with lackluster growth.