We tried Snapchat Spectacles 5, a promising glimpse of the augmented reality of tomorrow

If you follow the latest technology news, you probably already know that Snapchat is not its first attempt at connected glasses. Shows 5presented during the last Snap Partner Summit in September, represent the fifth generation of connected glasses from the brand. And the second to offer augmented reality.

Upon discovering their technical sheet, we are surprised to find such a number of cutting-edge technologies in such a compact device. These glasses notably have a 46° field of vision in 9/16 format, with a resolution of 37 pixels per degree, three times more than the previous generation screen. And above all, each arm of the glasses is equipped with a Qualcomm XR2 Gen 2 chip, while headsets as high performance as the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S embeds only one of these same chips. Snapchat has therefore brought out the heavy artillery to ensure the best possible fluidity for its product, even during the most resource-intensive experiences. Because yes, Spectacles 5 do not just superimpose a few basic virtual elements on our environment: they promise to generate fairly complex graphics in real time.

Augmented reality, a priority for Snapchat

While it may seem surprising to see a player like Snapchat unveil such a concentration of technology, those who know the brand a little know that for its founder, Evan Spiegel, augmented reality is far from being just a passing fad. In 2019, he mentioned a ten-year plan, making Spectacles 5 the mid-term stage of this ambitious project. Snapchat also seems convinced that the 2030 decade will be the decade of augmented reality glasses.

This belief does not come out of nowhere. One number in particular is very telling: Snapchat users interact with AR Lenses more than 6 billion times per day on average. Building on this success, the firm decided to go further by developing its own augmented reality glasses.

Beyond hardware, the social media giant also created Snapchat AR Studios based in Paris, in order to develop the software side of its ambitions. This AR Studios offers all the experiences produced in LensStudio and collaborates with many cultural institutions in France and Europe, such as the Design Museum in London for a Tim Burton exhibition, the Louvre Museum or the Château de Chantilly.

Promising handling despite some teething flaws

As said in the preamble, we had the chance to handle the Spectacles 5 for more than an hour. Let's remember straight away that these glasses are currently only intended for developers, with a rental price of 110 euros per month. Snapchat hopes that these developers will take advantage of the concept and enrich the brand's augmented reality ecosystem. The new version of Lens Studio 5.0 and the Interaction Kit for Spectacles have also been designed to facilitate the deployment of projects on glasses.

Once the Spectacles 5 are on the nose, we immediately notice the possibility of darkening or lightening the field of vision, allowing use both indoors and outdoors. Weighing just 226 grams, they are remarkably light compared to current AR/VR headsets, with Apple Vision Pro in the lead.

The graphic rendering turns out to be surprisingly good, even if the virtual elements do not occupy the entire surface of the glasses, focusing instead on a central position in the shape of a rectangle, in 9/16 format therefore. Heat management is done from the back of the device and we did not feel any sensation of heat during our handling.

Varied experiences

Among the wide variety of experiments that we were able to try, “Nature Paint” allows us to materialize flowers almost everywhere, with perfect recognition of the elements of the room such as the table, the walls and the ceiling. The relative persistence of the generated elements is impressive: it is possible to change rooms and then return without the virtual flowers having moved.

It is also possible to draw in the air in collaborative mode, to play golf with just the glasses on, to play chess (without a real game obviously), to play billiards with vanishing lines in augmented reality, to follow origami folding tutorials and much more.

Other apps like “My Measure” allow you to measure the environment and objects around you, while “Human Body” offers a detailed exploration of human anatomy in augmented reality. We can easily imagine that in a few years, all students will have this type of device for learning interactively.

Promising partnerships have also been established, such as with Niantic for “Peridot”, a sort of Tamagotchi in augmented reality, or with Lego for “Bricktacular”.

Finally, the Spectacles application on smartphone allows you to view what the user is doing in mirroring mode, the phone can even serve as a controller for certain games.

Work in progress

Even if they are not yet intended for the general public, the Snapchat Spectacles 5 glasses already offer a nice glimpse of what augmented reality could be in a few years, through a truly wearable device for everyday use, what's more .

Of course, significant technical challenges remain to be overcome, such as autonomy or field of vision. But Snapchat believes it is halfway through its project and the result is already very promising.