Snapchat introduced its Spectacles camera glasses in 2016. Snap unveiled the first-generation glasses on September 24, 2016, as the company’s first hardware product, and began releasing them through Snapbot vending machines on November 10.
Spectacles were designed to make Snapchat videos feel more immediate and personal. A small camera built into the glasses could record short, circular videos from the wearer’s point of view, then synchronize them with Snapchat. The product also helped explain why Snapchat Inc. rebranded itself as Snap Inc. in September 2016.
A common mix-up is 2018, which was the release year of the second-generation Spectacles. That version added improvements such as water resistance, better image quality, and a revised design. The first generation belongs to 2016, even though wider online sales began in February 2017.