A new version of Snap’s camera glasses are here – and they have some major improvements over the original model.
Snap on Thursday released the second-generation Spectacles, a slimmer, lighter, better-looking version of the company’s camera glasses, and the first hardware update since they were first released in late 2016.
The new Spectacles have a few basic aesthetic improvements – including no obvious yellow rings on the front and more sophisticated colors – but Snap also made some technological tweaks, like adding waterproofing and a still-image mode.
Here are all the major differences between the new Snap Spectacles and the original version:
The new Spectacles cost more than the first generation.
Spectacles now cost $150, a $20 increase over the first version.
The new Spectacles come in slightly different colors.
The new version comes in sapphire, ruby, and onyx.
While they're the same general colors - the original Spectacles came coral, teal, and black, as depicted in the image above - the new Spectacles colors are darker and more high-end.
You'll now have two different options for lens colors with the new Spectacles.
With each color, you can choose between a darker or lighter lens option.
If you want sapphire Spectacles, you can decide between "twilight" and "midnight" lenses. Ruby Spectacles come with "daybreak" or "sunset" lenses, and onyx Spectacles have either "moonlight" or "eclipse" lenses.
You can add prescription lenses to the new version of Spectacles, too.
Prescription lenses cost an additional $125. Buy them here.
The new Spectacles are waterproof.
Snap says Spectacles can be submerged in shallow water, but shouldn't be kept underwater for long periods of time, or submerged in deep water.
Snap removed the yellow ring around both the camera lens and the LED lights at the corners of the Spectacles, making them look slightly more sophisticated.
The new Spectacles are significantly smaller, slimmer, and more comfortable to wear than the first-generation pair.
The second-generation Spectacles weigh 45.4 g, which makes them much lighter than the original pair, which clocked in at about 408 grams, or 14.4 ounces.
Snap says the new Spectacles have "new and improved" audio recording.
While the first generation of Spectacles only let you record video, the new Spectacles let you take photos as well.
Snap says the videos and photos you take will now transfer to Snapchat four times faster than before.
Snap also says the videos will always record in HD, which wasn't the case with the last model - before, you had to import them into the Snapchat app and manually convert them into HD.
The new Spectacles cost $20 more than the original version — the new model costs $150 — but Snap is making the second-generation Spectacles more widely available.
The first-generation Spectacles were only available through Snap's Snapbot vending machines to start. The vending machines would pop up in locations around the US every few days, which made Spectacles a lot harder to come by.
But the new Spectacles are already available to buy on Snap's website. Snap is offering free two-day shipping and 30-day returns, and if you buy them now, Spectacles will ship in 2-3 weeks.