Later this year, Snap is expected to finally release its next-generation Specs. The smart glasses feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR chipset platform.
This week, Snap and Qualcomm announced that the two companies are continuing their partnership. “We believe the future of computing will be more human and grounded in the real world," said co-founder and CEO of Snap, Evan Spiegel, in a press release.
Both companies seem to believe the future of smart glasses is making them more socially acceptable and merging AI and AR glasses.
Social acceptability
Snap went all out promoting Specs AR glasses at last year's Augmented World Expo (AWE). At the time, CEO Evan Spiegel promised that the new Specs would be smaller, lighter and much more wearable.
We've seen the Specs over several hands-on sessions — cramming XR smarts in a pair of glasses, but these aren't the sleek Meta Ray-Bans or even second monitors like the RayNeo Air 4 Pros. Right now, the Specs feature two Snapdragon chips that power everything the glasses do.
The directed demos we've seen have been fairly impressive and a hint at future where you see the world without a smartphone.
Former VP of hardware Scott Myers was pretty open about the design during a conversation at AWE last year.
"The form factor obviously matters, but it's also the fit and finish of these things that matter when you make that jump. They need to be robust, but all of those are pulling the product in different directions," Myers said.
He went on to say that the company's strategy of slowly developing the Specs with input from the community and developers is the balance the company was seeking.
It should be noted that Myers left Snap in February 2026. Reportedly, the departure was over an alleged "blow up" with CEO Evan Spiegel over the direction of Specs and the company. Snap disputed the characterization but did not elaborate on why Myers left in a statement to TechCrunch.
Long term roadmap
The press release from Snap and Qualcomm notes that the partnership agreement is a five-year extension.
“The next era of computing will be defined by devices that understand what you see, hear and say as well as context and respond instantly to the world around you,” Qualcomm CEO and President Cristiano Amon said in the release.
Qualcomm is creating AI-forward chips that take up less space and are more power-efficient for any number of devices, from the Galaxy S26 Ultra to its Windows laptop CPUs. The company also has partnerships with Google and Samsung for the Android XR platform.
The chips will get better, and Snap presumably will condense its glasses over time.
The question is whether Snap will be able to find its footing with the glasses. As one commenter said when Myers left Snap, "Those enormous things are not ready for release. Leaving the company seems like a good idea."
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