# Snap is betting on AR with its new Spectacles

## Snap Partner Summit: How Snap is betting on AR with its new Spectacles

25/05/2021

_That something we couldn’t imagine one year ago, Snap takes the lead in the **AR glasses race** with a huge announcement during the last [**Snap Partner Summit**](https://snappartnersummit.com/) last week. During this annual virtual event, Snap revealed the latest products, features, and partnerships around **Snap’s augmented reality offerings** and platforms for creators and developers. Let’s take a look!_

## Snap platform Snapchat is the best example of AR democratization

Snapchat is becoming one of the most successful social media platforms regarding the numbers:

- **0 million** daily active users  
- **0 million** monthly active users

The platform is bringing together AR lenses, short video content as much as mini-games, and instant chat (which was its first core feature at the time). Today, **1 out of every 2 smartphone users in the U.S** is on Snapchat, the company is officially betting on **augmented reality for consumers** in its future developments. Moreover, Snapchat users are opening the app **30 times a day**, and the platform is well-appreciated by the **13-24**, which announces a bright future for AR tech.

The company has also announced key partnerships, with huge companies like **Disney** to bring AR lenses at Walt Disney World, **Unity** for mini-game development, or **Youtube**.

## Connected Lenses: Share your AR experience with your friends

The **Connected Lenses** now allow users to interact with digital objects and scenes together through AR. The first of these experiences, created through a partnership with **Snap** and **Lego**, went live during Snap’s presentation. It’s a brand new way to use **Snapchat’s camera**, which is becoming social, allowing people to share the same AR experience in real-time.

> Introducing Connected Lenses! Using Lens Studio, you can now build Lenses that enable shared state, real-time interaction, and co-located sessions whether friends are across the room or across the world. [#SnapPartnerSummit](https://twitter.com/hashtag/SnapPartnerSummit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/clwHOIAD6L](https://t.co/clwHOIAD6L)  
> — Snap AR (@SnapAR) [May 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/SnapAR/status/1395437666158616577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

## Expanding AR Capabilities With Lens Studio 4.0

[Lens Studio](https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/) was already a powerful tool for AR developers. With Lens Studio 4.0, Lens creators also have access to new machine learning capabilities including **3D Body Mesh**, **Cloth Simulation**, and **Visual Effect Editor**. In addition to recognizing over 500 categories of objects, Snap gives lens creators the ability to import their own custom **machine learning models**.

At the same time, the “Camera Company” will launch [**Story Studio**](https://snap.com/en-US/storystudio), a standalone app with **editing tools** to help users improve their mobile videos easily and create **professional videos** without the need for heavy software.

To boost AR development, Snap has also announced **Ghost**, a new AR innovation lab partnered with **Verizon** for research into **5G-enabled** experiences, with **3.5M** in funding for the most innovative projects.

## With its new Spectacles, Snap is launching its own AR glasses

It was the huge surprise of the event: the launch of **real smart-glasses** by **Snap**. Even if some rumors were on the table these last weeks, we couldn’t expect such a finished product!

Surprisingly, the new **[Spectacles](https://www.spectacles.com/new-spectacles)** are **standalone**. They feature **dual-waveguide displays** with a **26.3-degree field-of-view**, and built-in touchpad control. Users can display AR content indoor or outdoor. Dual cameras allow **6-degrees-of-freedom hand and surface tracking**, and a built-in microphone allows for voice commands. Weighing in at **134g**, the glasses have a **half-hour operating life**. Naturally, they come integrated with Snap’s cameras and full integration with Lens studio.

> Introducing the next generation of Spectacles – our first pair of glasses that bring augmented reality to life. With top AR innovators, we’re rethinking the way we communicate, live, and explore the world together. [#SnapPartnerSummit](https://twitter.com/hashtag/SnapPartnerSummit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/2kNJ92IV6N](https://t.co/2kNJ92IV6N)  
> — Spectacles (@Spectacles) [May 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/Spectacles/status/1395442287367266304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The new smart-glasses are not available for the consumer market at this time, they are only being sent as a **developer kit** to select creators, but there is no doubt that they open up a wide range of possibilities for AR content creation and AR adoption growth.