Technologies

Huawei Watch 5 Tested: Easy Heart Scanning, but Not for Americans

The watch’s X-Tap sensor makes it simple to get an overview of your health. But it won’t be available in the US.

The Huawei Watch 5 packs a variety of health tracking tools into a sleek, elegant body. It’s a solid all-round smartwatch and while it doesn’t run Google’s Wear OS, Huawei’s smart watch software is intuitive and it runs just as well on Android or iOS. Its stand-out feature is its all-in-one X-Tap sensor that makes it quick and easy to perform multiple health scans in one go — including heart rate, ECG and respiratory health — to get an easy-to-understand overview of your metrics.

I tested the watch in the 42mm stainless steel variant, which in the UK retails at £400, although a more premium 46mm model made of titanium will be available, costing £500. Due to ongoing restrictions from the US government, the Huawei Watch 5 will not be officially for sale in the US, but for reference, that £400 UK price converts to $531.

I’ve been using the watch for a few days now and I’ve got some early impressions

An elegant design

Some people see smartwatches as purely functional items, like a phone, camera or laptop where aesthetics don’t really matter. Personally, I think that anything you wear like jewellery first and foremost needs to look good. Otherwise why ruin an outfit with an ugly-looking gadget on your wrist?

The Watch 5 is among the nicer looking smartwatches I’ve tested, with an elegant stainless steel body that looks great in the soft gold color of my review model. The top of the metal is brushed while the sides are contrasted nicely in a polished finish. The 42mm model will be better for those of you with slimmer wrists, but if you’ve got thicker-set arms then the larger model is for you.

The composite rubber and fabric strap is fairly comfortable though it doesn’t quite have the same luxurious appeal as the watch itself. I actually managed to sleep in it in order to use the sleep tracking functions. I normally hate wearing a watch to bed but the Watch 5 went mostly unnoticed throughout the night. The display is bright and vibrant, and I found it easy enough to read under bright sunlight. You’ll find the digital crown on the side, along with a second button used for navigation or bringing up quick-access apps.

But there’s also a very visible sensor in between the button and crown, which brings me on to…

Easy health tracking

The Watch 5 tracks a variety of health metrics from heart rate, skin temperature, blood oxygen levels and more but it does much of it through the new easy access sensor on the side. Huawei calls it the X-Tap sensor and it essentially makes it easier to press your fingertip against and get a variety of readings.

By using the sensor, the watch can track nine different health metrics in 60 seconds (some require guiding you through, like performing an ECG) to give you what it calls the «health glance.» It’s essentially a brief summary of how healthy you are at that point, and I definitely found the side sensor comfortable to use.

You can activate the screen and then press and hold your fingertip to the sensor to activate the health glance scanning function. It’s certainly a quicker way of working than going into the watch’s apps to find the right one and I can definitely imagine it making it easier to build into your routine throughout the day if you’re keen on regular tracking.

It’s got some new tricks as part of its scanning, too, including HRV (heart rate variability) tracking, which analyses your heart rhythms over time and which Huawei claims is a first on a smartwatch. It also analyzes your respiratory health by having you cough three times into the microphone. Both the respiratory health and HRV tracking are performed as part of the Health Glance operation.

Beyond health, the watch can track movement analytics for a huge variety of sports and activities from running and cycling to belly dancing and, er, esports. Good to know if you really want to track your heart rate as you’re getting demolished in Fortnite.

Other watch features include GPS tracking, eSIM functionality to make calls without a phone, gesture control (tapping your thumb and index finger to answer a call, for example — yes, like the Apple Watch does) and sleep tracking, along with «contextual recommendations to help users understand and improve their lifestyle.» I’m hoping that won’t include passive aggressive comments about why I shouldn’t order a second beer.

Huawei Watch 5: Should you buy it?

Huawei’s smartwatches have always been great bits of kit, and the company’s titanium Watch 5 Ultimate is still one of my absolute favorite models to wear. The Watch 5 is a much more elegant option, and I’m certainly a fan of its curving form and even the soft gold color. It’s easy to use, with up to five days battery life that seems solid. It’s easy to scan your health metrics, which will be genuinely helpful if you need to take multiple readings throughout a day.

It’s a solid overall smartwatch and while it doesn’t run Wear OS, it doesn’t feel like it’s lacking in any way because of it. If you’re keen for something a bit different to the Apple Watches you see on everyone’s wrists, it’s certainly worth considering. Just as long as you’re not in the US.

Technologies

Ray-Ban Meta Glasses Get Smarter for Low Vision Users. Here’s How

Meta shared multiple announcements for Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

If you haven’t heard, AI now has eyes, and Meta has announced some enhancements for its Ray-Ban Meta glasses. You can now customize Meta AI to give detailed responses based on what’s in the surrounding environment for your smart glasses, Meta said in a blog post for Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

Artificial intelligence is opening a whole new world for accessibility, with new features coming out in droves. Tech giants like Google, Apple and Meta are putting forth a ton of effort to create a world where people with disabilities, such as low or no vision, can more easily interact with the world around them.

While Live AI for the Meta glasses has been around, the additional enhancements for low vision users will undoubtedly be welcomed.

Below are some of the other highlights from Meta’s accessibility-focused blog post. For more, check out the glimpse of brain accessibility features headed to Apple devices.

‘Call a volunteer’ feature expanding to 18 countries

While not an AI-focused feature, the Meta and Be My Eyes feature, Call a Volunteer, will soon be expanding to all 18 countries that Meta AI is currently available in. Launched in November 2024 in The US, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia, the expansion of Call a Volunteer will be a very handy (and hands-free) feature for low vision users.

Once set up, a Meta glasses user can simply ask AI to «Be My Eyes.» From there, you’ll be connected to one of over 8 million volunteers that will be able to view the live camera stream from your glasses and provide real-time assistance for whatever you need help with. The feature will be available to all supported countries later this month.

Meta additional research and accessibility features

Meta also detailed some of its existing features and research taking place in its effort to expand accessibility for its products, especially in the extended reality space.

Features like live captions and live speech are currently available on devices like the Quest, Meta Horizon and Horizon Worlds.
Also shown was a WhatsApp chatbot from Sign-Speaks that uses its API and Meta’s Llama AI models. The chatbot allows live translation of American Sign Language to text and vice versa to create easier communication between deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

For more, don’t miss the handful of new accessibility features announced by Apple.

Technologies

Driverless Car Maker Waymo Recalls More Than 1,200 Vehicles: Here’s The Problem That Caused It

Waymo, known for its robotaxis, is recalling hundreds of cars after announcing plans to test manually driven vehicles in 2025.

Technologies

I Left My Heart Container in Nintendo’s San Francisco Store

Nintendo’s First West Coast Store is a Warp Pipe to Whimsy and Delightful Gamer Decor.

I’m in a group of adults slowly descending a staircase in a brightly lit white store, small gasps of joy escaping our mouths as walls of smiling squid toys come into view. Our tour guide is wrapping up his tour, and as he rattles off his last fact, he eyes the crowd. «Think you guys are ready to shop?» My reply echoes the words of former Nintendo Chief Operating Officer Reggie Fils-Aimé when he tested the Wii Board at E3 2007: My body is ready.

Japanese gaming giant Nintendo opened its first-ever West Coast store in San Francisco on Thursday — the second in the US after its New York City storefront. While it stocks lots of company merch featuring the company’s most iconic characters like Mario, Peach, Link, Zelda and way too many Pokemon, its website alludes to future events like those held at its other stores.

A few days earlier, CNET was treated to a first-hand look at all the new goodies and gadgets awaiting fans in San Francisco.

Inside the store

Set at the intersection of Geary and Powell in San Francisco’s Union Square neighborhood, the first thing you notice is the parade of Nintendo characters lining the store’s windows, with Mario leading the congregation to the main doors. Upon entering the store, you’re greeted by the clean, white aesthetic that the Nintendo brand is known for.

«We want [Nintendo San Francisco] to be much more than just a store,» said Nintendo Senior Regional General Manager PJ Sadler, a manager of the NYC Nintendo store who led the tour of the new location. «We want it to be an immersive experience, we want to immerse you in our characters, with our world.»

In that spirit, a Nintendo store associate told me several Pikmin figurines were hidden throughout the store for guests to find. (I counted five; they told me there were still a few more.)

There are the requisite store exclusives, the items you can find only at the San Francisco location that set it apart from its NYC counterpart — namely, the SF-branded water bottles, T-shirts, and hoodies that say «Nintendo San Francisco.» I found those designs a little lackluster and rather sterile; I was hoping to see a little more San Francisco flair. New York City once had a collection in kanji, for example. But at least you can also find the Nintendo character parade motif adorning other San Francisco souvenirs, including exclusive minifigures and bags. Sadler noted that any products with a red Nintendo square logo indicate they can be bought only in the Nintendo US locations, either in San Francisco or New York (there were no unique marks for SF exclusives).

Also on the ground floor was a section dedicated to actual gaming equipment, including an area where customers can put together their own Nintendo Switch OLED with their choice of colored Joy-Cons and docks. (Nintendo representatives were very coy about what, if anything, would be happening at the store for the upcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5.) Among the other controllers and accessories was a shelf of Nintendo Alarmo clocks, the company’s big surprise hardware launch of 2024, waiting to be taken home.

Downstairs is where they had the «big guns,» so to speak, or at least the Master Swords. Similar to Nintendo’s New York store, there are dedicated areas for Splatoon and Legend of Zelda, as well as Pikmin, Kirby, and Pokemon. There was also a giant projector screen for watching shoppers play games, alongside a giant wall of Amiibo with harder-to-find figures such as Sora from Super Smash Bros and Kingdom Hearts.

A sales associate kindly walked me through a kiosk where visitors can check in daily for Nintendo Platinum Points, which can be used for My Nintendo Rewards in the Nintendo eShop. «I just moved into a new place, so I’ve been stocking up on Animal Crossing coasters,» the associate confided.

Cozy merch forever

Though it’s been a while since I’ve been to the New York store, reconnaissance from friends and TikTok confirmed that a big theme for NY is Pokemon, featuring an almost life-size Pokemon Center where herds of Pikachu frolic on the shelves.

While Pokemon has a presence in the San Francisco counterpart (I almost walked away with a Psyduck backpack), there seems to be a greater dedication to more twee, cozy series such as Animal Crossing and Pikmin, as well as adorably subtle game decor in general.

The Animal Crossing corner featured a slew of home goods, such as an adorable cottage-core coffee grinder branded with «The Roost,» the in-game cafe headed by character Brewster the Pigeon, with a matching cup and saucer set. Other kitchen goods like an apron, glass jar set and oven mitt elicited a few squeals from me and another sales associate, who kindly pointed out the equally kawaii Animal Crossing stationery with stickers, sticky notes, notepads and character-themed pens.

Downstairs in the Legend of Zelda section, I was taken with the Zelda Fairy collection, particularly a large faux leather tote purse and fairy-themed wallets with iridescent flourishes. Lovely golden Heart Container-shaped accessories, of which not nearly enough found their way into my shopping bag, framed the scene.

Down the line, rows of enamel Kirby keychains and plush Waddle-Dees eyed me hopefully from their perches while a tower of Pikmin blind boxes and flower bud vases (successfully) tempted me from over my shoulder.

Price-wise, I was pleasantly surprised that most items weren’t egregiously expensive and more similar to pricing you’d find at a theme park. I’d expected the aforementioned coffee grinder to be somewhere around $70, but it was priced at $40. Similarly, many of the more intricately designed wallets and bags were at the $35 price or under. Pikmin blind boxes were $10. But there were still outliers — a sleek Team Rocket anorak was marked at $120, for example.

Why San Francisco? Why now?

Before 2025, Nintendo had four official stores around the world: three in Japan (Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka) and one in the US (New York). Now, San Francisco marks its fifth retail location selling merch directly to fans.

The San Francisco store’s opening comes at a pivotal time for the city’s downtown economy. Retail vacancies in San Francisco have hit record highs since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a number of flagship stores shutting down, including the Westfield San Francisco Centre and Macy’s, the former epicenter of the city’s Union Square shopping area.

When Nintendo announced the official opening plans for the store in May 2024, then-Mayor London Breed posted on X, «We’re excited for San Francisco’s future and look forward to welcoming this iconic brand to our City.»

Supervisor Danny Sauter, who represents San Francisco’s District 3, which includes Union Square, told KQED in March, «The narrative on San Francisco is starting to shift…[p]eople are willing to take a chance on San Francisco again, and it’s remarkable how that was not the case six months ago.»

Whatever the city’s reputation, fan response has been immense, with «Warp Pipe Pass» shopping visit reservations for opening week sold out in minutes, continuing on into the Memorial Day weekend. Locals have been peeking into the windows and taking pictures as soon as the signage went up. Reddit user CaterpillarFederal43 posted a picture in the San Francisco subreddit in April 2025 with his dogs in costume, noting he visits every day for a chance to use StreetPass (a peer-to-peer feature on the Nintendo 3DS) with fellow fans.

End credits

San Francisco has a legacy of gaming culture, from the former Walk of Game to the annual Game Developers Conference held in Moscone Center. Now it has a retail location and event space for one of the biggest gaming companies in the world to welcome fans.

Whether you’re a Nintendo superfan with an Isabelle-patterned sweater vest or a tourist looking for a «gamer-y» souvenir for a relative, the San Francisco Nintendo store looks like a perfect place to spend all your rupees and bells. Just watch out for mischievous Pikmin along the way.