Tech

Snapchat just announced new $380 sunglasses with 3D cameras

Key Points
  • Snapchat unveils Spectacles 3, its latest camera glasses that shoot 3D video and photos.
  • They're made out of stainless steel instead of plastic, but cost $380.
  • Snapchat wrote down $39.9 million in losses on its first version of Spectacles.
Snapchat unveils Spectacles 3 sunglasses
VIDEO1:0301:03
Snapchat unveils Spectacles 3 sunglasses

Snap on Tuesday unveiled its latest set of smart glasses, which let users record video and pictures in 3D and share them with friends.

Snap, the company that makes the Snapchat app, said Spectacles 3 is available in two colors, carbon black and a rose-gold "mineral" hue. They cost $380 and can be preordered now ahead of availability this fall. They're made of stainless steel, instead of plastic like earlier models.

The new cameras let users apply augmented reality filters onto images and video, which means the effects appear as if they're in the real world. The new 3D camera also lets people view a picture or video from different angles.

Other tech companies are also betting big on augmented reality. Apple is reportedly working on its own set of smart glasses and has been aggressively pushing augmented reality in its iPhones and iPads over the last few years.

You can apply 3D effects to photos and videos with the new Snapchat Spectacles.
Snapchat

Spectacles haven't been a hit with consumers, however. Snap wrote down $39.9 million in 2017 on the first version, which were priced at $129.99 and initially launched in 2016. Despite the loss, Snap has continued to launch new models.

It introduced a second iteration of the original with water-resistance in 2018 and two new models, the $200 Veronica and Nico, in January. Snapchat hasn't reported losses on those models, but they haven't seem to have gained much traction.

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