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Snap’s Spectacles 5 (S5) is a chunky developer kit demoed at CES, SPIE AR/VR/MR and AWE in 2025—think big LCOS light engines tucked into oversized temples, 2-D diffractive WaveOptics waveguides rotated for a bit better color uniformity, four cameras plus IMU for 6DOF tracking and late-stage reprojection at 360 Hz to tame field-sequential color breakup. It’s not a holiday must-have but a peek at the tech Snap’s opening up to devs as they gear up for a sleeker consumer AR headset in 2026.
Behind the scenes, Snap has quietly stitched together the entire optical chain by scooping up WaveOptics (2021) for waveguides and Compound Photonics (2022) for LCOS/MicroLED engines—partly to keep rivals like Meta from snapping them up. The result? Snap now owns everything from microdisplays to optics, setting the stage for a fully in-house AR glasses launch next year.
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