Snap taps Qualcomm for Spectacles

Snap has picked Qualcomm to supply the chips for its next Spectacles, locking in a multi-year deal ahead of a consumer launch planned for later in 2026. (newsroom.snap.com) Snap said on April 10 that its subsidiary Specs Inc. will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon extended reality platforms in future glasses, and Reuters reported financial terms were not disclosed. (newsroom.snap.com) (money.usnews.com) Those chips handle the basic computing inside the glasses, and Snap said the setup is meant to run artificial intelligence features directly on the device for faster responses and more private use. (newsroom.snap.com) (qualcomm.com) Snap has been building toward this release for more than a year. In September 2024, it introduced a fifth-generation Spectacles model for developers, not general buyers, and said the glasses ran on its new Snap operating system. (newsroom.snap.com) In June 2025, Snap said it would launch lighter consumer Specs in 2026 after spending 11 years and more than $3 billion on augmented reality hardware and software. (newsroom.snap.com) The company then reorganized the project in January 2026 by creating Specs Inc., a standalone subsidiary inside Snap focused on the glasses business ahead of the planned launch later this year. (bloomberg.com) (techcrunch.com) Qualcomm is not a new supplier for Snap. Snap said the companies have worked together for more than five years, and Qualcomm chips already powered several earlier Spectacles models. (newsroom.snap.com) (finance.yahoo.com) Snap is pushing into a market that larger rivals are also targeting. The Verge reported Meta could sell consumer augmented reality glasses in 2027, while Google and Samsung are also developing competing products. (theverge.com) For Snap, the Qualcomm deal turns a long-running research project into a supply-chain commitment tied to a launch window: consumer Specs are still scheduled to arrive later in 2026. (newsroom.snap.com) (roadtovr.com)