NetDragon Participates in Digital China Summit for the 8th Consecutive Year, Pioneering AI-Driven Innovation in Gaming and Education
HONG KONG, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (“NetDragon” or the “Company”; Hong Kong Stock Code: 0777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to announce its participation in the 8th Digital China Summit, recently held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. As a participant for the eighth consecutive year, NetDragon showcased its latest advancements under its core strategies […]
HONG KONG, May 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (“NetDragon” or the “Company”; Hong Kong Stock Code: 0777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to announce its participation in the 8th Digital China Summit, recently held in Fuzhou, Fujian Province. As a participant for the eighth consecutive year, NetDragon showcased its latest advancements under its core strategies of “AI + Gaming” and “AI + Education.” By responding to the “Digital China” strategy, NetDragon continues to leverage AI to empower the gaming, cultural tourism, and education industries, contributing to the high-quality development of the digital economy.
At the summit, NetDragon demonstrated the integration of technology and culture through innovative digital cultural-tourism projects. Among the highlights was the “Fantasy Ride Wuyi•Nine-Bend Roaming” VR horse-riding simulator, which utilizes cutting-edge digital scanning, drone technology, 3D modeling, and Unreal Engine technology to recreate the iconic landscapes of Wuyi Mountain, including Nine-Bend Stream and Dawang Peak. This immersive VR experience allows visitors to explore the scenic beauty of the ancient Tea Route. This project is also part of the “Digital Shanhai: Reimagining Fujian Tourism through Games” initiative, co-launched with Xinhua News and Information Center and other partners, to promote Fujian’s tourism through gamification. Additionally, NetDragon introduced “Fubao,” an AI-powered digital character representing Fujian’s “Fu (Fortune)” culture. Fubao, along with the Company’s virtual CEO Tang Yu, made their debut as “AI tourism ambassadors,” engaging attendees in real-time Q&A about Fujian’s tourism attractions and unique culture. This demonstration underscores NetDragon’s expertise in AI-driven content generation and gamified interactive experiences, creating value through the synergy of gaming and cultural tourism.
In the education sector, NetDragon unveiled its vision for future learning with the intelligent education service institution EDA and the self-learning tool “Future Lab,” reinforcing its vision of a personalized, global learning ecosystem. EDA leverages advanced AI technologies to deliver customized learning experiences, spanning across the full spectrum of lifelong learning. “Future Lab,” as part of the EDA ecosystem, aims to provide immersive learning experiences for middle and high school students in subjects such as math, physics, and chemistry. NetDragon is also advancing the development of “interactive educational games” that prioritize learner-driven engagement and immersive learning, redefining traditional teaching methodologies, and enriching EDA with high-quality content.
In recent years, NetDragon has advanced its strategy of integrating education and industry by expanding its vocational education efforts internationally and nurturing eSports talent. During the summit, NetDragon co-hosted a China–Thailand collegiate eSports friendship match with Fuzhou Software Technology Vocational College (FSTVC), providing a platform for cultural exchange while demonstrating NetDragon’s innovative approach to exporting vocational education services. Through its industry-education integration model and joint programs, FSTVC is exploring new revenue streams. Notably, NetDragon’s vocational education project in Thailand was included in the “Thousand Sails Going Global” initiative in 2024, led by China’s Ministry of Commerce together with five other ministries, marking a significant milestone in the Company’s global industry-education integration efforts.
In collaboration with Rokid, NetDragon also showcased its AI + AR innovations at the summit. By integrating “Fubao” into Rokid’s AR glasses, attendees were able to explore virtual experiences of Wuyi Mountain, digital art galleries, and polar molecular structures. Rokid, a key strategic investment project of NetDragon, specializes in developing AR hardware and software ecosystems. NetDragon is building an “AI + AR” content ecosystem, leveraging AR applications across gaming, education, and tourism to create immersive digital experiences.
As part of its ongoing commitment to the “Digital China” initiative, NetDragon continues to expand its “Digital Smart+” innovation approach, promoting the integration of digital technologies across the economic, cultural, social, and ecological development. Looking ahead, NetDragon is committed to working with global partners in education, cultural tourism, and digital creativity to drive further growth in the digital economy and contribute to the development of new digital economic advantages.
About NetDragonWebsoft Holdings Limited
NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users, including previous establishments of China’s first online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China’s most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless.
Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Heroes Evolved, Conquer Online and Under Oath. In the past 10 years, NetDragon has also achieved success with its online education business both domestically and globally, and its overseas education business entity, currently a U.S.-listed subsidiary named Mynd.ai, is a global leader in interactive technology and its award-winning interactive displays and software can be found in more than 1 million learning and training spaces across 126 countries.
For investor enquiries, please contact: NetDragonWebsoft Holdings Limited Ms. Maggie ZhouSenior Director of Investor Relations Email: [email protected]/ [email protected] Website: ir.netdragon.com
Dick’s Sporting Goods to acquire Foot Locker, expand global reach
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced on Thursday it intends to acquire Foot Locker to create a “global leader in the sports retail industry.” The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has implemented tariffs on imported goods, which are expected to have a profound impact on shoes and apparel. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, over […]
Dick’s Sporting Goods announced on Thursday it intends to acquire Foot Locker to create a “global leader in the sports retail industry.”
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has implemented tariffs on imported goods, which are expected to have a profound impact on shoes and apparel. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, over 96% of footwear in the U.S. is imported.
Nearly 42% of the shoes worn in the U.S. are from China. President Trump recently dropped the tariff rate he imposed on goods from China from 145% to 30% for 90 days to facilitate trade negotiations. He has also imposed a 10% tax on imports from other countries.
Nearly 31% of the shoes worn in the U.S. are made in Vietnam.
The deal to acquire Foot Locker is expected to cost Dick’s Sporting Goods $2.4 billion. In return, the company is offering Foot Locker shareholders $24 or 0.1168 shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods stock for each share of Foot Locker stock.
The agreement will be subject to regulatory approval.
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“We have long admired the cultural significance and brand equity that Foot Locker and its dedicated Stripers have built within the communities they serve,” said Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick’s Sporting Goods. “We believe there is meaningful opportunity for growth ahead. By applying our operational expertise to this iconic business, we see a clear path to further unlocking growth and enhancing Foot Locker’s position in the industry. Together, we will leverage the complementary strengths of both organizations to better serve the broad and evolving needs of global sports retail consumers.”
Foot Locker has 2,400 locations in 26 countries, which also include Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS, and Atmos stores. Dick’s Sporting Goods has about 850 locations, which include Golf Galaxy, Public Lands, and Going, Going, Gone! stores.
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The companies say the merger will create a global platform within the growing sports retail industry, serve a broader set of consumers across differentiated concepts, strengthen relationships with brand partners through global reach, invest in future growth through an industry-leading omnichannel experience, and unlock operational efficiencies that create shareholder value.
Crunch Franchise Brings State-of-the-Art Fitness Facility to Marrero, Louisiana
MARRERO, La., May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Crunch Fitness today announces the opening of Crunch Marrero in Marrero, Louisiana. The $5 million, 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness facility will open its doors in Fall 2025. Operated by Crunch Fitness franchisee Fitness Ventures LLC, Crunch Marrero will be located at 5005 Lapalco Boulevard, creating a new fitness offering for residents of the […]
MARRERO, La., May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Crunch Fitness today announces the opening of Crunch Marrero in Marrero, Louisiana. The $5 million, 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art fitness facility will open its doors in Fall 2025. Operated by Crunch Fitness franchisee Fitness Ventures LLC, Crunch Marrero will be located at 5005 Lapalco Boulevard, creating a new fitness offering for residents of the Greater New Orleans area.
Fusing fitness with entertainment, Crunch Marrero offers Crunch’s 3.0 modernized look, featuring a revamped entry area, a larger and upgraded HIIT Zone, more functional training space, and a stronger focus on strength training. The new design also includes enhanced personal training zones and a reimagined ‘Relax & Recover’ wellness studio.
Fitness Ventures LLC owns and operates Crunch Fitness locations across the U.S. Crunch Marrero will be the Fitness Ventures LLC’s 69th location nationwide and third location in Louisiana, with plans to open at least 10 more gyms this year.
“We are excited to bring the Crunch brand to Marrero. Crunch is for everyone – from the first-time gym-goer to the seasoned athlete,” said Brian Hibbard, CEO of Fitness Ventures LLC. “With a high-energy and fun environment, and memberships starting at $9.99 per month, we have options to meet everyone’s goals and budget.”
Crunch Fitness ranked #1 in the fitness category for the second year in a row and #32 overall in the annual Entrepreneur Franchise 500® – the world’s most comprehensive franchise ranking. Crunch Fitness continues to expand nationwide and push the bar with innovative offerings for its members.
Prospective members can visit CrunchMarrero.com for more information about memberships and to sign up. The first 500 founding members to lock in their rate will receive $1 down, one month free, a complimentary t-shirt, discounts on small group and personal training, and more.
Crunch is also expanding its team within the Marrero community and is looking for individuals who are eager to help their community experience fitness, wellness, relaxation, and recovery. Crunch believes in not only being the best place to work out but also the best place to work. Interested applicants can apply today at CrunchMarrero.com.
About Crunch:
Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of ‘No Judgments.’ Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves three million members with over 500 gyms worldwide in 41 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and India. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.
Future of Sport Lab accelerator selects sixth cohort
Future of Sport Lab, a sports tech accelerator created by Toronto Metropolitan University and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has selected its sixth cohort of startups. The ten companies in the class, which were selected from an application pool of more than 150, are as follows: Digital coaching platform CoachThem, which was founded by former […]
Future of Sport Lab, a sports tech accelerator created by Toronto Metropolitan University and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, has selected its sixth cohort of startups.
The ten companies in the class, which were selected from an application pool of more than 150, are as follows:
Digital coaching platform CoachThem, which was founded by former NHL players Mike Weaver and Robb Tallas and is used by multiple NHL teams and Hockey Canada
Sports-focused travel and tourism platform Coordle, which connects teams, customers and local businesses to simplify coordination
Wearable vendor Elev8 & Perform, which uses quantum nano biomaterials and AI-powered smart imaging and analytics to improve cardiovascular health, recovery and performance
AI-powered basketball IQ platform HooperIQ, which uses quizzes, film analyses and game breakdowns to train decision-making
Women-focused golf experience company Iron Lady Golf, which was founded by PGA pro Lindsay Knowlton
Nonprofit MOMentum, which supports elite athlete mothers with grants and other resources
Free-to-play social gaming platform Shake
Athlete and sports team-focused mental health platform The Playbook
FSL founder and managing director Cheri Bradish told SBJ that FSL did not prioritize any particular business unit in the companies selected, opting to instead cast a wide net across AI, athlete performance, fan engagement and more. Bradish did note, however, that there was an emphasis on founder teams, particular those that included high performance athletes.
“The narrative is true — the more aligned the founders are with the athlete experience, and being an athlete themselves, is paramount,” she said. “It definitely has accelerated some of these companies in a way that helps them test-case where they’re going.”
The companies are currently going through an eight-week program consisting of both in-person and virtual programming. That includes FSL connecting current cohort founders to the founders of former FSL companies and executives in residence for regular meetings, as well as providing networking opportunities with sports business professionals. The program will culminate in a pitch day at the end of June.
FSL’s key partner on the “executives in residence” front is Canadian business incubator DMZ, and FSL’s mentor advisor team consists of representatives from Rogers Sportsnet, the Toronto Blue Jays, MLSE and more, according to Bradish. While FSL does not invest in its startups — their focus is on programming — it last year partnered with Canadian venture capital firm Relay Ventures, which invests in a select number. The 37 startups that have graduated from the program — including Drive Hockey Analytics, Spalk, The Gist and Zone7 — have raised more than $150 million to date, Bradish said.
This year, FSL also launched a new initiative for female entrepreneurs called FSLW, which includes eight women-founded startups (four of which come from the latest FSL cohort). FSLW will be hosting a showcase event in partnership with espnW Summit Canada — and supported by Canadian Tire’s Women’s Sports Initiative — in June.
Finally! Gemini is coming to Wear OS 6 – including non-Google devices like Samsung Galaxy Watches
Google has made big Wear OS announcements as part of its Android Show event this week Wear OS 6 will offer a visual refresh, but will also bring Gemini AI to devices from other manufacturers Gemini on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches has already been confirmed Google held its livestreamed Android Show – a prelude […]
Google has made big Wear OS announcements as part of its Android Show event this week
Wear OS 6 will offer a visual refresh, but will also bring Gemini AI to devices from other manufacturers
Gemini on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches has already been confirmed
Google held its livestreamed Android Show – a prelude of sorts to next week’s big I/O in-person – on May 13 this week. As part of the early information revealed at the event, the tech giant made big promises about its wearable platform, Wear OS 6, and something we’ve all been waiting for – Gemini support.
On the one hand, Wear OS 6 will get a series of UI tweaks, dubbed ‘Material 3 Expressive’ which ties into Android 16, and should make better use of the round face of Wear OS 6 devices.
Skyesports Championship 2025 BGMI Grand Finals Partners with iQOOiQOO Neo 10 Named Title Sponsor of the Skyesports Championship 2025 BGMI Grand Finals
India—May 15, 2025: Skyesports announced today that iQOO has joined the Skyesports Championship 2025, India’s longest-running homegrown esports IP, as the title sponsor for the BGMI Grand Finals. Scheduled to take place from May 15th to 18th, 2025, the Grand Finals will feature the top 16 teams from across India, narrowed down through open qualifiers […]
India—May 15, 2025: Skyesports announced today that iQOO has joined the Skyesports Championship 2025, India’s longest-running homegrown esports IP, as the title sponsor for the BGMI Grand Finals.
Scheduled to take place from May 15th to 18th, 2025, the Grand Finals will feature the top 16 teams from across India, narrowed down through open qualifiers that attracted thousands of aspiring players from all parts of the country, competing for the ultimate title and a share of the INR 17.5 lakhs prize pool.
With India’s best teams in action, the Grand Finals serve as the perfect platform to highlight the iQOO Neo 10, the fastest smartphone in the segment, powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor. The device enables esports-level gaming with 144 FPS, making it well-suited for high-performance mobile competition.
iQOO Neo 10 joins industry leading brands including ‘powered by’ partner AMD along with associate partners, Western Digital, Red Bull, and GIGABYTE.
Adding to the excitement, the iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship Grand Finals will introduce a unique and never-seen-before format in BGMI esports: the Sky Champ Rule. Under this format, teams must reach a points threshold and then secure a winner-winner chicken dinner (WWCD) to be crowned champions of the tournament.
This innovative structure brings an added layer of strategy and unpredictability to the final stage. The tournament has already surpassed 25 million views and hit a peak concurrent viewership of over 100,000, showcasing the growing anticipation for the Grand Finals.
Commenting on the partnership, Shiva Nandy, Founder and CEO, Skyesports, said: “The Skyesports Championship has grown into one of the largest and most recognizable esports IPs in India, consistently bringing together top talent from across the country. It’s this scale, reach, and grassroots foundation that makes the IP a compelling platform for leading brands like iQOO to engage with the gaming community. We’re excited to have them on board as the title sponsor for the Grand Finals and look forward to delivering an unforgettable last stage through our unique Sky Champ format.”
The 16 qualified teams for the iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship Grand Finals are:
Vasista Esports
True Rippers
Learn From Past
Cincinnati Kids
Money Makerz
Rising Inferno Esports
Wyld Fans
Autobotz Esports
Gods Reign
Alibaba Raiders
4Merical Esports
Team iQOO Soul
Team iQOO 8Bit
Blitz Esports
RivalryxNRI
Team Versatile
The iQOO Neo 10 Skyesports Championship 2025 BGMI Grand Finals will be streamed exclusively on the Skyesports YouTube channel from May 15th to 18th, 2025. Fans tuning in will also stand a chance to win exciting prizes, with further details to be revealed during the livestream.
At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Two sizes Attractive and durable design Lots of new health insights Improved battery life Cons Health data can be overwhelming Questionable placement of sensor in some scenarios Some software quirks Our Verdict The Huawei Watch 5 is a smartwatch that now feels like it’s shifted to become more health […]
Questionable placement of sensor in some scenarios
Some software quirks
Our Verdict
The Huawei Watch 5 is a smartwatch that now feels like it’s shifted to become more health watch. There’s lots to like, yet still needs some work in certain areas to make it truly one of the best smartwatches you can buy.
Price When Reviewed
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The Huawei Watch 5 is the latest instalment in Huawei’s flagship smartwatch series as the Chinese company continues to swell the ranks with connected timepieces as it makes a more concerted push to innovate with all things wearable.
The Watch 5 lands nearly two years after the Watch 4 series, announced alongside the Watch Fit 4 series. It continues the trend of promising a high-grade look, strong health, fitness and smartwatch features with a battery that won’t run out after a couple of days.
A new sensor bolsters the Watch 5’s health tracking abilities, along with new display technology, all while giving you a bit more battery life to play with.
Once again, it’s sitting at a price – from £399 – that puts it in the same category as the Apple Watch Series 10, Google Pixel Watch 3 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 7.
On paper, the Watch 5 has the specs and features to make sure it’s still competing with the best, but should you buy it over those rivals? Let’s find out.
Design & Build
Two case size options
Available in steel or titanium
New side-mounted sensor
The Watch 5 comes in two case size options. There’s your pick of 42- or 46mm sizes and the option of stainless steel or a lighter, yet still very tough, titanium finish.
That means, unlike its predecessor, there’s now a significantly smaller model that sits more in line with the sizing applied to Huawei’s cheaper Watch GT 5. That’s good news if you found the previous watch a bit too hefty.
Huawei uses spherical sapphire glass, giving the display a curvier look and elevating the already likeable design
Mike Sawh
That’s matched up with a strap that’s thankfully easily removable with a simple button press. I had the 46mm, grey-purple titanium case paired with a similarly coloured composite strap, which has a leather effect to give off the impression it’s more formal than it appears.
I’d say the larger version doesn’t exactly scream unisex and is a design not far removed from the Watch 4 Pro.
Down the right side of the watch case lies a rotating crown with a flatter physical button a bit further down. Sandwiched in between that lies Huawei’s new sensor technology (more on that later), which is made up of an ECG electrode, pressure and PPG sensors.
At the rear is the other PPG sensor and is where you’ll drop the proprietary charging disc cradle onto when you need to power it up again.
Mike Sawh
The Watch 5 is waterproof up to 50 metres depth, making it safe for swims and showers and also meets the EN13319 standard to make it suitable for free diving up to 30 metres.
In the pool, it disables the screen to prevent accidentally activating it and offers good screen visibility underwater.
Screen & Audio
Now curvier LTPO display
Built-in speaker and microphone
eSIM support
The Watch 5 packs a bright, high-quality touchscreen display with a smaller bezel, giving you more screen to play with.
It also uses version 2.0 of the LTPO display technology Huawei started to add to its smartwatches in recent years and means the display can provide smoother visuals and can even have a positive influence on battery performance by automatically adjusting the refresh rate.
Mike Sawh
Huawei uses spherical sapphire glass, giving the display a curvier look and elevating the already likeable design, though it introduces some glare when outside.
When you want to swipe and tap, it’s pleasingly responsive and another sign that Huawei is putting a pretty impressive display technology on your wrist.
You get a microphone and speaker that, along with eSIM support, meaning you can ditch your phone when you want to handle calls or stream music via Huawei’s own music app.
I’d say the speaker setup certainly prioritises volume over giving you supreme sound quality, but it does a good enough job to make using its voice and audio-enabled features worthwhile.
Software & Features
Latest version of HarmonyOS
Now supports gesture controls
AppGallery and Petal mapping offered
It’s no major surprise to discover that the Watch 5 runs on the latest version of Huawei’s HarmonyOS operating system and continues to be compatible with iPhones and Android phones.
iPhone users will once again miss out on some features, like the music player.
The user interface is clean and fills that curvy screen nicely
Mike Sawh
On the watch, the experience is strong. The user interface is clean and fills that curvy screen nicely. The notification support works well and is well optimised and it’s always useful that you have the choice of how apps are presented on the main app screen too.
For the music player, audio needs to be synced over from the Huawei Health app and is easily done if you’ve got some files on your phone to send over – if it’s not an iPhone.
Other basic smartwatch staples are covered, like letting you view your calendar, weather forecasts and there’s a good array of watch faces to pick from. Huawei Wallet offers a place for your transport passes and uses the built-in NFC and Bluetooth.
You have access to Huawei’s AppGallery app store directly from the watch, though a browse shows this still can’t rival the Apple App Store or Google Play Store in terms of offering big-name apps.
Mike Sawh
Huawei also offers a couple of useful gesture controls letting you slide and double tap your fingers to use for the music playback, handling calls or switching off alarms. It doesn’t take too long to master them and adds another potentially useful method of control when you can’t get to that touchscreen.
Off the watch, it feels like Huawei’s companion app has got busier somehow and seems to have picked up a lot more bloatware, which makes getting to the places you actually care about a bit overwhelming with the amount that’s crammed onto the screen.
Sometimes, less is more.
Fitness & Tracking
New X-Tap sensor technology
Over 100 sport modes
Offers full colour maps
For the Watch 5 it’s clear where Huawei has sought to make huge strides and that’s through increasing its health tracking powers.
This is led by its new multi-sensing X-Tap technology
Mike Sawh
This is led by its new multi-sensing X-Tap technology, which is made up of a pressure, ECG electrode and PPG sensor that aims to boost signal quality for capturing biometric data by reducing the type of interference that can be caused from monitoring from the rear sensor where hair and different skin tones can impact on accurate readings.
What that means in feature terms is that you can use that sensor for ECG readings, on-the-spot SpO2 readings, monitor for arterial stiffness and boost Huawei’s Health Glances feature.
It gives you an increased 9 indicators to better notify you if something doesn’t seem quite right. It should be said, though, that not all of these health metrics are regulatory-approved, like the arterial stiffness detection.
Mike Sawh
One thing you need to deal with is having to agree to the individual terms for each feature to start using them, which could be solved by doing this once from the app. The placement of the sensor is an interesting one, especially if you choose to wear something alongside the watch, which can make using it a bit more awkward.
I’ve been taking measurements of blood oxygen, heart rate and metrics like skin temperature during my testing and the results look good on the whole when compared to other smartwatches and a pulse oximeter.
My main concern is that with the increase in health tracking, the communication and presentation of that data on and off the watch needs to be great and while it is in places, it can also often feel overwhelming to take everything in.
I’ve always found Huawei’s sports tracking to be solid on the whole and it’s no different with the Watch 5.
Mike Sawh
All of the good fitness and sports tracking stuff remains from the Watch 4, including over 100 sports profiles, including running, cycling, swimming (pool and open water) and there is a free diving profile as well as a triathlon mode.
You get Huawei’s latest dual-band GPS to boost outdoor tracking accuracy and the ability to view offline maps. There are training insights on hand, like letting you glance at your current training load, see VO2 Max estimates, recommended recovery time and having your running ability scored as well.
I’ve always found Huawei’s sports tracking to be solid on the whole and it’s no different with the Watch 5.
GPS performance matched up well against a Garmin and Apple Watch, while heart rate data for most activities wasn’t wildly off until upping the intensity tended to see it struggle to keep up with the sudden spikes and drops in heart rate compared to a Polar heart rate monitor chest strap.
Sleep tracking is data-rich and well presented both in the app and on the watch. You’ll be able to see sleep scores, sleep stages and enable monitoring breathing during sleep, with access to music in the app to help you drift off.
The data felt largely in line with rival sleep trackers I tested it against, with the odd tendency to overestimate overall sleep duration, though that might be a welcome placebo.
Battery Life & Charging
Up to 4.5 days (46mm)
Ultra-long battery life mode available
New dual battery mode
The 46mm version of the Huawei Watch 5 I tested is capable of running up to 4.5 days or 3 days if you opt for the 42mm due to its smaller battery.
There’s also a battery saver mode that disables Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity along with some other core features to push battery to anywhere from 7-11 days depending on what size model you get.
It’s a mode that’s not as limiting as it might sound and does help to keep you tracking activity and health metrics for long enough to make it a mode worth enabling over grabbing the charger.
I started out using it without the screen set to always-on mode and managed to get four days before I was prompted to move to the battery saver mode. You can set the watch to automatically change battery modes when it drops below 15%.
Mike Sawh
When I enabled the always-on display mode, daily battery drop was around 30% a day, which works out to 3 days. It never felt like the battery was dropping in a really dramatic fashion, unless using the always-on display mode.
If you can live without that, the battery performance is more than respectable. Especially compared to most other smartwatches at this price.
When it does get low, there’s a fast charging mode that gets you from 0-100% in 90 minutes. You have to deal with a proprietary charging cradle as is often the case, but at least it’s a good quality one that does secure firmly to the Watch 5’s caseback.
Price & Availability
The Huawei Watch 5 officially goes on sale today (15 May) and prices start at £399, rising to £599.
Like the previous instalment, this is a smartwatch that’s going to be a tricky one to get hold of in the US, where Huawei is still at loggerheads with the US government.
The cheapest Watch 5 model sticks to the same launch price as the Huawei Watch 4. How much you pay depends on the size and finish you opt for.
There are four versions of the 42mm Watch 5, all with a stainless steel construction. The 46mm Watch 5 is also available in four looks, with three offered in titanium and one in stainless steel. Basically, going bigger and titanium sees you paying out the big bucks.
If you take that base price, it puts it in the same cost category as smartwatches like the Apple Watch Series 10 ($399/£399) and the Google Pixel Watch 3 ($349/£399).
See our list of the best smartwatches to see our top picks.
Should you buy the Huawei Watch 5?
The Huawei Watch 5 is a smartwatch that’s never felt more like a health watch.
As Huawei makes big breakthroughs with health monitoring, as showcased on the Huawei Watch D2, its other smartwatches like this one seek to benefit from the more concerted push to let you tap more into your health metrics.
The problem is that it feels like the shift has seen Huawei overlook some areas that help to make a great smartwatch – nailing the staples like payments, music features and app support – along with some other software quirks that still exist from previous watches.
The Huawei Watch 5 is a good all-rounder and offers improvements in various areas. As a complete package, though, Huawei has taken its flagship down a path that will make it great for some and not so appealing for others.
