hen Snap first pulled back the curtain on its Specs glasses in June, the reaction was more puzzlement than excitement. Why would people want to spend $2,195 on glasses that aren't exactly aesthetic?

Snap Spec's launch event on Wednesday was meant to provide clarity on what the glasses can do. I flew to LA to try them, and as someone who wore them when they were first unveiled as a developer kit and has also tried nearly every competitor on the market, I can confidently say that what they offer is pretty impressive. But before we dive into the experience, a quick reminder of the hardware specs:

• Display: 51-degree field of view, equivalent to a 24-inch desktop display or 115-inch home cinema screen, and 16 million colors for rich visuals
• Lenses: Electrochromic lenses that can shift from clear to tinted in 10 seconds; removable inserts support single-vision prescriptions ranging from -8 to +2 diopters
• Processors: Powered by two Snapdragon processors, one for computer vision and the other for running the lenses
• Frames: Made from Swiss TR90 polymer
• Privacy: LED light glows when recording, on-device data processing prioritized, and users are prompted before accessing sensitive information
• Battery life: Snap claims 4 hours in mixed use

The experience highlighted that they were designed to be as intuitive as possible, with even the first step, measuring your pupillary distance, being as simple as holding the Specs in front of you and letting it face you for a couple of seconds. Typically, with AR experiences, there's an adjustment period to get into the flow of this virtual world; yet this experience felt natural from the start, with picking up items, making selections, and dragging windows all being straightforward.

The adaptive tint lenses, which let you toggle between a see-through eyeglasses mode and a dark-tinted sunglasses mode, work effectively within seconds. Between this and the ability to easily readjust the size and position of your windows, with an option to pin them in your environment, watch videos, play games, and even type in a Google Docs document with a Bluetooth keyboard offered a comfortable viewing experience.

Some more memorable parts of the demo included entering multiplayer mode to play dominoes in a virtual environment with my boyfriend, and using travel mode to watch HBO Max as a passenger in a moving vehicle. These scenarios helped me better understand the versatility of the glasses. I could see them as a device to bring on a plane to enjoy a bigger screen or on a cruise to keep yourself entertained with games and other shared experiences. You can also connect your laptop for a virtual workplace experience.

There were also new announcements, including Specs Intelligence, the name of the AI service from Snap designed to work across iPhone, Mac, and Specs AR glasses. Snap says it is meant to build an understanding of your preferences, such as routines and priorities, with a focus on preemptive assistance such as bringing relevant information into view on the Specs. Anyone in the US today can download the iOS app and try the Specs Intelligence preview. A waitlist is also available for the fuller Mac experience.

As for the AI features, I can't talk about the personalization of it all, but I did use it to open a YouTube video, and it understood me and did it. The Translation feature also worked accurately, translating from Italian and Spanish to English in real time. When I asked what AI model was powering the experience, Snap didn't provide details.

The only other super noteworthy announcement was that charging case cellular connectivity is available. Users in the United States can add Verizon service, and the new case and glasses are offered at a bundled price of $2,395, not including the cost of the wireless data plan.

Our Deeper View

This hands-on time with the specs confirmed what I already knew: these are meant to be session-only glasses that can help you with specific use cases, such as watching a movie or working on your screen. Honestly, for the short time I wore them, they felt pretty comfortable, but after 4 hours (which is how long the battery is supposed to last), I can't say I feel the same way. I would have to do a full review to actually talk about that, which I plan to do when they launch to the public, expected in the fall. With the caveat of the limited time I have spent with them, out of all the AR glasses I have tested, the fact that these do not have any tethered cables, are pretty comfortable, and offer a seamless experience makes them, to me, the best on the market right now.

Disclaimer: Sabrina Ortiz's travel to the Snap Specs launch event was paid for by Snap. The Deep View's coverage is editorially independent from the companies we cover.