Sleek £150 Snapchat Spectacles go on sale today

Snapchat has unveiled a waterproof version of its Spectacles featuring a stylish slimmed-down design.

At $150 (£150), the new Spectacles are $20 (£20) more expensive than the previous model and now come with lighter lenses and faster HD syncing options.

Like their predecessor, they can be used to record videos, which are automatically uploaded to the users’ Snapchat app.

The new model also lets user take photos at a resolution is 1642 x 1642, which the company describes as HD.

Users can now choose between mirrored, natural or prescription lenses and black, red or blue frames.

Snapchat has revealed their new waterproof Spectacles sunglasses with built-in cameras that take photos as well as video (pictured)

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SNAPCHAT’S SPECTACLES?
Version 1	Version 2
Colours: Black, Coral, Teal Not water resistant 1088 x 1088 HD video resolution No photos Single microphone recording	Ruby, Onyx, Sapphire, Two lens choices per colour Water resistant 1216 x 1216 HD video resolution 1642 x 1642 HD photo resolution Dual microphone recording Charging case 20% smaller Transfer to Memories 4x faster

The new glasses are more discreet than the previous model and the case is around a third smaller.

There is still a little circle of white lights when recording but there is no permanent yellow ring, according to the company which first debuted its first version of the Spectacles back in November 2016.

Developers say the Spectacles have enough video capacity to record ten videos a day for a week on normal charge.

Users can long-press for a photo or tap for 10-second video with extra taps to extend the clip for up to 30 seconds.

The ring of lights illuminate to let people know they are being recorded.

The field of vision has also been reduced from 115 to 105 degrees, meaning some of the fish-eye warping is cut off. Videos record on 1216 x 1216 pixels, while photos are 1642 x 1642

At $150 (£150) they are $20 (£20) more expensive than the previous model and now come with lighter lenses and faster HD syncing options

The field of vision has also been reduced from 115 to 105 degrees, meaning some of the fish-eye warping is cut off.

Videos record on 1216 x 1216 pixels, while photos are 1642 x 1642.

Syncing the snaps to the user’s phone requires bluetooth rather than using QR code scans and all exports are in HD.

Transfers happen four times quicker than on the previous glasses, developers say.

There are now two microphones as opposed to just one. This makes audio higher quality and there is also greater noise depth when listening back to clips.

Developers say the spectacles have enough video to record ten videos a day for a week on normal charge

This means it is also easier to tell who is talking in videos.

Users will need the latest version of Snapchat installed on an iPhone 5 or later running iOS 10 or above, or an Android phone running Android 4.4 or above, with Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

The spectacles go on sale in the US, Canada, UK and France today.

On 3rd May they then go on sale in 13 more European countries – Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Spain and Italy.

Unlike the previous release, there will be no Amazon, pop-up stores or vending SnapBots selling them.

The firm had a highly successful ad campaign where the glasses were at first available exclusively through pop-up vending machines called ‘Snapbots’.

It later made them available on its website in the US and the UK.

Syncing the snaps to the user’s phone just requires bluetooth rather than using QR code scans and all exports are in HD

There are now two microphones as opposed to just one. This makes audio higher quality and there is also greater noise depth when listening back to clips

Users can long-press for a photo or tap for 10-second video with extra taps to extend the clip for up to 30 seconds

WHAT ARE THE SPECS FOR SNAPCHAT V2 SPECTACLES?

– The Spectacles cost $150 (£150).

– As well as taking under-water videos, users can also choose between mirrored or natural lens colour as well as prescription lenses.

– They come in three colours – black, red and blue.

– Developers say the spectacles have enough video to record ten videos a day for a week on normal charge.

– Users can long-press for a photo or tap for 10-second video with extra taps to extend the clip for up to 30 seconds.

– The ring of lights illuminate to let people know they are being recorded.

– The field of vision has also been reduced from 115 to 105 degrees, meaning some of the fish-eye warping is cut off.

– Videos record on 1216 x 1216 pixels, while photos are 1642 x 1642.

– Syncing the snaps to the user’s phone just requires bluetooth and all exports are in HD.

– There are now two microphones as opposed to just one. This makes audio higher quality and there is also greater noise depth when listening back to clips.

– Users will need the latest version of Snapchat installed on an iPhone 5 or later running iOS 10 or above, or an Android phone running Android 4.4 or above, with Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)

As well as taking under-water videos, users can also choose between mirrored or natural lens colour as well as prescription lenses

WHAT HAS SNAPCHAT INTRODUCED IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS?

Snapchat has introduced several major new features in the last six months to increase its popularity, including:

App redesign: Separates ‘Friends’ and ‘Discover’ pages to create a more personalised experience.
Deluxe bitmoji app: Features new hairstyles and skin tones and more inclusive avatars.
Snap Store: Users can buy a t-shirt with a dog filter plastered on the front or a plushie of the firm’s ‘augmented reality superstar,’ also known as the dancing hot dog, among other items.
Custom geofilters: Geofilters are a location-based tool that allows Snapchat users to share where they are, or what they’re up to, by adding overlay text and images to a Snap. They can be placed to cover an area the size of a house up to a 100 football pitches and made visible for a couple of hours up to a few days.
Share Snapchat Stories with anyone: Users can now share Snapchat stories with anyone, regardless of whether they have the app. The features allows users to create a hyperlink for clips and pictures. The feature appears when you press and hold down on certain ‘tiles’ in the Discover part of the app.
Add links, voice filters and backdrops to snaps: The ‘paperclip’ feature allows users to add a link to their snap, which users can open by swiping up. The ‘backdrops’ feature allows users to add a motif backdrop to their snap by drawing they want to stand outside of the filter. The ‘voice filters’ allows users to remix the sound of their voice in various different styles, including that of a cat or an alien.
Group video chat: Users can add up to 16 friends at once to a group video chat, which can be accessed in the app’s messaging section Simply tap the video icon in a group chat in the app. Friends in the group will receive a notification inviting them to join.
Tagging: To tag a friend, users insert the ‘@’ sign, type out their friend’s username and then tap on the name of the user they want to tag. When a user sees a tagged Snap, they can swipe up and add the person as a friend or view any public Stories.
Snappables: Snappables lets you play with your friends in a variety of point scoring challenges and multiplayer scenarios, including fighting aliens or playing basketball.

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