Let’s get the ball rolling with a confession: I am not really into Snapchat. I’ve got nothing against the platform, it just passed me by.
There were a few points between my natural progression out of Twitter and into Instagram that I heard quite a bit about it, but that was mainly down to Snapchat’s initial boom as a ‘sexy picture sharing service’ to paraphrase an old intern.
But then I heard Snap was getting into the camera game, and so I started to pay attention. Last year it released its first Snapchat Spectacles, a camera-come-sunglasses hybrid that let its users take point-of-view video with the touch of a button, and it did… just alright.
Not only did its critics point out that this was mainly a device from those who rely on Snapchat (so again, not really relevant to those in the same social media boat as me), but its design was rather ‘out there’. And like all quirkily-designed things, they go out of style rather quickly.
Fast forward a year and Snap is now doubling down on its camera game, which is why it has released not one, not two, but three pairs (technically speaking) new its new Snapchat Spectacles.
Of course, in true Silicon Valley form, it has dubbed them: Snapchat Spectacles 2.0.
Snapchat Spectacles 2.0: How do they work?
Getting these things to work is rather simple. Push the button on the top left and it will record a single ten-second video. Tap it twice, and you’ll get two ten second videos. Tap it three times, and you get the picture.
As it records these videos from right from your eye line, you get quite an interesting point-of-view which makes these videos look rather different from just holding your phone near your face and hitting record. You can also take pictures, by holding the button down for a few seconds.
To get footage off the glasses, you just power up the Snapchat app (yes, there’s no way around it. If you want to use these specs you’re going to need to download the app and create an account), connect to your glasses via Wi-Fi and they will automatically download to your phone.
It charges via a regular USB to proprietary magnet connector – cleverly hidden within the hinges of one of the arms.
Snapchat Spectacles 2.0: Are they any good?
As we’ve previously discussed, I am not super in to Snapchat. I set up an account for the purposes of this review, and I probably won’t do much more with it once this review is done. You might think that this makes Spectacles 2.0 utterly redundant to me. But you’d be wrong.
Snapchat quietly rolled out an update to its specs a few months ago that lets you export its videos in either square of widescreen format. Which means the videos you record are applicable to both Instagram and YouTube (huzzah).
Sure, the videos suffer some warping at the sides, but given the right light they are perfectly acceptable for your average post / would-be social media influencer.
They look nice, too. Well, two of them do. The two fashion-forward models for men and women have been dubbed ‘Nico’ and ‘Veronica’ respectively, presumably because these sound like two models just off the catwalks in Milan.
These models look a lot more akin to a regular pair of specs, which is only a good thing in my book. But – if you subscribe to a more ‘kooky’ way of dress – the original design is also still available, albeit without the bright yellow circles around the camera.
Oh, and all three models they’re waterproof, too.
Snapchat Spectacles 2.0: Where do I buy them?
You can buy them online – of course – as well as at all good Virgin Megastores here in the UAE. Nico and Veronica models cost AED890, while the OG Spectacles 2.0 retail around AED 650.
