Snapchat’s Spectacles Steal the Show at AWE 2025
At AWE USA 2025 in Long Beach, Snapchat made one of the biggest splashes of the entire conference with its latest advancements in augmented reality glasses. Over three days, tech enthusiasts, developers, and industry leaders got a first-hand look at the 5th-generation Spectacles and a sneak preview of the upcoming Specs, designed for everyday consumers. As a Los Angeles event photographer, I had the chance to capture the energy, the crowd reactions, and the sleek new designs in action.
Spectacles: Built for Creators and Developers
The current generation of Spectacles is all about empowering AR creators. Featuring waveguide displays with a wide field of view, built-in hand tracking, and voice commands, these glasses are a playground for developers using Snap’s Lens Studio. They’re lightweight, stylish, and offer a level of immersion that hints at where social AR is heading. At AWE 2025, live demos let attendees interact with augmented worlds layered seamlessly over the bustling convention floor.
Specs: The Next Step for Consumers
Snapchat also revealed Specs, its first pair of AR glasses designed specifically for public release in 2026. Unlike the developer-focused Spectacles, Specs are made for everyday wear—slimmer frames, more comfortable fit, and discreet styling. They integrate AI for smarter, context-aware AR experiences, allowing users to blend the digital and physical worlds without bulky hardware. The excitement was obvious—crowds packed the booth to try them on and imagine a near-future where AR is as common as smartphones.
AR for Everyone: Partnerships and Vision
Snap’s vision for AR goes beyond just glasses. At AWE, they announced new tools and collaborations to make location-based and socially interactive AR a standard part of the Snapchat experience. This includes integrating advanced geospatial mapping so that lenses can interact more intelligently with real-world spaces. For creators, that means more freedom to design experiences that are both visually stunning and contextually relevant.
Why It Matters
In a field crowded with tech giants, Snap’s approach feels different—less about heavy enterprise tools and more about fun, shareable, human-scale experiences. By first giving developers powerful tools and then rolling out a sleek consumer product, they’re building both the content and the community that will make AR mainstream.
From the Lens of a Los Angeles Event Photographer
From product unveilings to hands-on demos, AWE 2025 was filled with moments worth capturing. The design details, the faces lit up by holographic overlays, the energy in the room—all tell the story of a technology on the brink of everyday adoption. Events like this are exactly where innovation meets visual storytelling, and where a Los Angeles event photographer can turn fleeting moments into lasting impressions. Looking for a Los Angeles event photographer who can deliver high-quality, on-brand coverage for any occasion? Explore our full event photography services.