I Did Push-Ups With Snap’s Chunky AR Glasses

The augmented reality experience remains too distracting and visually altered for public use.

Snap's Spectacles, a new augmented reality headset, were recently tested by a journalist who found the $2,195 glasses surprisingly stable during physical activity, such as push-ups. Despite their large size, the AR elements remained visible even in bright sunlight, with the glasses automatically adjusting to a sunglasses mode. The device offers various applications, including fitness tracking, virtual painting, navigation overlays, and NBA-themed basketball training. However, the journalist noted that the controls could be finicky, and typing with a connected keyboard experienced significant lag. Features like spell-casting felt more like advertisements, and the overall public wearability was questioned due to visual distractions and a rainbow shimmer effect from the waveguides. Snap is targeting developers and early adopters, but current software features have seen little innovation since previous developer versions, making it a hard sell against competitors like Meta and Xreal.

Snap's Spectacles are priced at $2,195 and are set to begin shipping soon, targeting early adopters and developers. While the hardware has seen improvements in comfort and stability, the software ecosystem appears to be lagging, with repetitive demos and a lack of a standout killer application. This suggests a potential disconnect between Snap's hardware ambitions and the practical utility of its current AR offerings.

Competitors like Meta and Xreal offer more polished mixed-reality glasses at lower price points, presenting a significant challenge for Spectacles' market adoption. Snap's strategy seems to rely on a gradual consumer adoption process, acknowledging that hardware, software, and experiences must mature concurrently, but the current iteration may struggle to justify its premium cost and perceived public awkwardness.