The New WHOOP Age Feature Offers to Help Slow Your Pace of Aging
The new WHOOP 5.0 and MG launch come with advanced health trackers to check your pace of aging so you can slow it down. Biohackers and anti-aging fanatics rejoice. WHOOP just announced two new cutting-edge wearables to remind everyone that the brand was still around and making a name for itself in the smart tech […]
The new WHOOP 5.0 and MG launch come with advanced health trackers to check your pace of aging so you can slow it down. Biohackers and anti-aging fanatics rejoice.
WHOOP just announced two new cutting-edge wearables to remind everyone that the brand was still around and making a name for itself in the smart tech market. The new health wearable lineup includes the WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG, and they have a long list of features to offer. We could talk about the on-demand ECG capability or the 14-day battery life, but we think the WHOOP Age feature is going to be the center of our discussion today.
With sleeker and faster hardware than ever before, WHOOP’s health wearables have taken fitness tracking one step further this time, enabling a more zoomed-in view of user health without having to rely on bulky hardware. With the ability to identify the markers of aging so users can work on reversing it, the WHOOP devices are worth consideration, even if the screenless style is not for you.
Unfortunately, purchasing the device is not enough to enjoy the specs—there’s a three-tier membership fee that has to be acknowledged before you can get in on the benefits. Is the WHOOP fitness tracker worth it?
Exploring the WHOOP Age Feature In an Era That’s Terrified of Aging
It’s possible that you haven’t heard of WHOOP before, but the niche brand has been around since 2012, designing products for athletes and fitness enthusiasts who want more than just a step counter or activity tracker on their wrists.
The WHOOP 5.0 and WHOOP MG are two of the latest products in the company’s product catalog and they have been redesigned not just to appeal to a more modern and fashionable aesthetic but to also track health on a very minute level for those who really want to upgrade their quality of life.
WHOOP Age Feature—What Do We Know About It?
It’s only 2025 so no, putting WHOOP’s new wearables on your wrist won’t automatically make you look or feel younger, but the device does promise to tell you what you can do to age backward.
The Healthspan and WHOOP Age features provide insight into your long-term health and quantify your physiological age so you know where things stand with your body. The Healthspan feature uses nine different metrics to calculate your WHOOP Age and Pace of Aging, which will give you enough insight into how you can aid your body in staying younger for longer.
As much as this reminds us of the silly ways we could track our physical age on Wii Sports by planning a few games, this WHOOP Age tool actually takes your biology into consideration, so it will certainly offer a better estimate of your physiological age and what affects it most.
WHOOP MG and 5.0 Features—What Else Does the Fitness Tracker Do?
The WHOOP 5.0 and MG launch didn’t solely focus on the age and healthspan metric and offers some benefits for those who want to focus on the here and now. The FDA-cleared ECG feature can allow for a screening on-demand wherever you are, and the blood pressure insights can be very telling of just how you handle your stress. These factors are critical in addressing longevity.
From an in-depth look at your sleep performance to exploring muscular strain during strength training the WHOOP 5.0 and MG launch dives straight to the point—knowing the numbers can tell you what to fix. The WHOOP health wearables are also a great investment for women who want hormonal insights beyond cycle tracking, as their personalized insights and in-depth assessment can be very useful in building a healthy lifestyle.
WHOOP’s wearables are also impressive when it comes to battery life, offering over 14 days of continuous use between charges. The devices can also be charged while wearing them, meaning you never have to lose out on critical data. Whoop’s Advanced Labs is not available at launch but there is a waitlist you can join for future insights and services.
The WHOOP health wearables are convenient to use and just as convenient to charge.
WHOOP’s Age Feature Leads the Anti-aging Revolution
As a society, we’re more obsessed with aging than ever before, doing everything in our power to keep the wrinkles away and the arthritis at bay. A significant portion of the conversation around aging tends to center around the appearance of age—dressing to look young, botox to look frozen in time, and other treatments to ensure the facade of youth never fades.
These surface-level treatments might be the conversation starters, but those who want to address age in terms of living for longer in the peak of health, need to make lifestyle changes that address the internal indicators of age. Bryan Johnson, the infamous face of the anti-aging agenda, goes to great lengths to stay youthful and virile, and despite many of the gimmicks, he does get some elements like the importance of diet and exercise right.
Chasing anti-aging by half-measures rarely leads to any substantial results. Instead, using data from tools like the WHOOP Age feature to gauge just how well your body is holding up, is critical to understanding how you can slow down aging in a way that actually benefits you physically. Want more days of going on hikes and playing with the grandkids? Well, you’ll have to understand what your body needs to make it happen.
Anti-aging Services Come at a Price—Understanding WHOOP’s Subscription Options
To make the most of the WHOOP Age feature, you might wonder which band you should invest in, the WHOOP 5.0 or the WHOOP MG. The first thing you need to know is that the band you receive depends on which subscription tier you purchase. Each tier offers different features to the user, and depending on the yearly plan you invest in, your watch will also change.
The three WHOOP subscription options are as follows:
WHOOP One: $199 per year for all the basic fitness insights
WHOOP Peak: $239 per year for more advanced health, fitness, and longevity insights
WHOOP Life: $359 per year for the most powerful version of WHOOP, with medical-grade data
If you invest in either the One or Peak subscription option, you’ll receive the WHOOP 5.0 device. The Peak plan will unlock more features and insights for those who want a detailed look at their health. Those who invest in the Life subscription tier will receive the WHOOP MG or the “medical-grade” device with the ECG monitoring service. If you want to try the WHOOP Age feature, you have to invest in the Peak or Life memberships as the One subscription will not give you access to the advanced metrics.
Promoted by Cristiano Ronaldo, the WHOOP series of devices are trusted by top athletes.
Should You Invest in the WHOOP Fitness Tracker?
If you are an existing WHOOP user, there are some interesting upgrade deals that you can look into by extending your subscription and regifting your existing WHOOP 4.0 to someone else. Those who have already used and found the device beneficial can continue to make the most of the WHOOP MG specs and features to understand their health better
From track star Sha’Carri Richardson to footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, many big names have been spotted flaunting previous versions of the device. The WHOOP line is primarily designed for athletes, and unlike smartwatches with screens or smart rings with a more discreet presence, the WHOOP 5.0 is not a multipurpose device.
The amount of data it puts out can end up being useless to the average user. Many alternatives like a Garmin, Apple, or a Fitbit smartwatch might be more useful if you aren’t planning on making lifestyle changes to meet the advice of your device.
If you’re interested in using the WHOOP health wearables to turn your life around and build a better future for yourself with its Healthspan and Age feature, then it is easily worth buying, if the subscription tiers fall within your budget. The biohacking grind is not for the weak so if you’re committed to embracing longevity and an alternate lifestyle, give the new WHOOP fitness trackers a go.
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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.
RELATED STORY | Why does the government interfere with big company mergers?
“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.
RELATED STORY | Trump tariffs aimed at reviving US jobs, but experts warn of complex challenges
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.
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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.
