Sean Baker’s film Anora won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival — the latest in the director’s acclaimed narratives about sex workers that include Tangerine, The Florida Project, and Red Rocket. But Anora might be his most inviting, accessible work yet.
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Anora director Sean Baker interview: write the ending first
Anora — or Ani, as she prefers — is a lap dancer at a gentlemen’s club who finds a way out of sex work after she meets the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch named Vanya. Ani (Mikey Madison) and Vanya (Mark Eidelstein) elope, and suddenly a life that used to involve pleasing drunk clients has turned into one of luxury: a mansion to live in, money to spend, and diamonds to wear. But the excesses prove to be fleeting when Ani realizes Vanya has not been entirely forthcoming.
I talked with Sean after Anora’s debut at the New York Film Festival to discuss how he finds his stories, the power of women in his filmography, and how to make a medium-budget film look like a big-budget film.
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity:
When did you know Anora was going to be the next film that you wanted to make?
There was this eureka moment, where we figured out the main plot. My team was working with a consultant who had more to do with the Russian American community than the sex work community. We were exploring this idea of this young woman who something happened to, something in which she was held as collateral by the Russian mafia because her deadbeat husband owed money. She started to realize, over the course of about 24 hours, that her husband was not the guy she thought she married because he didn’t come to the rescue. Suddenly, she started to gravitate toward the men, her captors, in sort of a Stockholm syndrome thing.
I was intrigued by that idea, but I didn’t want to tell a mafia film. I didn’t want to make a gangster movie, so I was trying to figure out, what else would put her in that situation? I was on Zoom with this consultant when I said, “How about if she just marries the son of a Russian oligarch?” And she laughed out loud when I said that, and I knew then that I struck something. It was that moment where we said, “We got it. That’s it. Now let’s just go and write this thing.”
A lot of the stories you’ve told are rooted in the power of women. What about those stories is important to you?
My films are often just reactions to what I’m not seeing enough of in film and TV or what I want to see more of. I’m not the first to have an empathetic approach to sex work — definitely, not the first — but I don’t see a lot of it, and it’s few and far between. Often, when I see sex workers depicted, they’re usually supporting characters or the caricatures, and it has become more and more conscious. It has become a conscious decision of mine with each film, more so really to tell a universal story with a fully fleshed out, three-dimensional character, who is a sex worker, in order to just sort of… I wouldn’t say normalize, but there it is, I guess. My subversive tactic here is to really get audiences to think of sex work in a different way, to help for those who do see it with that eye of stigma, to chip away at that.
Anora feels as much like a big-budget film to me as it does kind of this “Fuck you, watch me” kind of film. How did you pull that off?
I had a slightly bigger budget than The Florida Project. When you make these movies, in order to compete with anything that the studios are making or even the mini-studios are making, you have to put all that money on the screen. You have to make a $6 million film look like a $50 million film that Hollywood would produce. So we put it all on the screen, and we always shoot on location, and we have multiple locations. I think that that’s the big difference. A lot of indie films, I guess there’s this thing where it’s like, “Oh, you’re making a film under a certain budget? Make it a two-header, put them in an apartment, and they never leave the apartment.” You know what I mean? And so, I fight against that.
I also have ensemble casts. That’s very important to me, mostly for creative, because I just love to see an ensemble cast come together in a very chaotic, confrontational way, and to see all these different personalities at play, but also because it does add to production value, too. A big cast feels bigger.
The film opens at a club called Headquarters in Manhattan. What drew you to that location?
I wanted to explore this new wave of gentlemen’s clubs, which are basically lap dance clubs, because they’re so unique. It’s something new that I haven’t seen portrayed in film and TV yet. There’s a whole level of intimacy that comes with this different type of gentleman’s club. It also hearkens back to something I’ve always been intrigued by. In World War I, they had these things called a Dime a Dance, when soldiers would come into a city when they were on leave and they would pay a young woman to dance with them for a dime.
This is the 2020s version of a Dime a Dance, and I just find it fascinating, the way that there’s so much psychology involved. It’s totally different from just dancing on a pole on a stage. I mean, the interaction, the transactional thing that goes on, is so interesting. These young dancers, they’re either approaching a client or having a client approach them. Within seconds, they have to read that man and try to figure out, “Okay. How do I adjust my performance in order to get this person to spend money on me and perhaps take him to a private [place]?” It’s a real hustle, but it involves psychology. It involves the dancer to be exactly tuned to what that person is going through or thinking.
Let’s talk about the ending. Can you talk about how important it is for you to stick the landing on a film?
Well, endings for me are number one. They’re the most important thing. It’s what you’re leaving the audience with. It’s what they’re going to be talking about minutes later when they leave the theater, and I always have to come up with the ending before even putting one word on paper. I have the beginning, middle, and end, and I figure out that ending, first and foremost. In this case, it was very stressful because I was asking for a lot.
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Amazon’s new basic streamer is the $35 Fire TV Stick HD
Amazon has given its basic Fire TV Stick what seems to be a rebranding and has even shaved off a few dollars from its pricing. When you visit its old listing on the website, you’ll see a note that says “There’s a newer model of this product,” which links to the new Fire TV Stick HD. We call it a “rebranding,” since its specs seem pretty much identical to the company’s old basic streamer. It can stream in full HD resolution, comes with HDR support and ships with an Alexa-powered remote control. You can press the Alexa button on its remote to search for shows and launch apps with just a voice command.
The device can run the most popular streaming apps, like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Peacock, and its remote comes with special buttons for Netflix and Prime Video. Unlike the old version that set you back $40, though, the new Fire TV Stick HD has a base price of $35. That’s only $5 more than the version that ships with a “lite” remote that has few buttons for control. If you want a streamer that’s capable of handing 4K shows and movies, though, this isn’t the model to go for. Amazon has several options to choose from, namely the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Stick 4K Max with 16GB of storage and the Fire TV Cube that offers hands-free streaming with its built-in mic and speakers.
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Game studios are getting candid about funding problems | Kaser Focus
The games industry’s economic struggles are not exactly an unknown — by now, it’s been over a year since the layoffs, studio closures and game cancellations began in earnest. Somewhere in the midst of this, game companies have become somewhat more transparent about the goings-on behind the scenes. And recently, that’s taken the form of admitting when they’ve simply run out of money. Surgent Studios revealed today it’s put its staff on notice as it’s having trouble securing a publisher for its next game. This is after it’s already had a round of layoffs following the underperformance of Tales of Kenzera: ZAU.
Surgent is not the only studio that has gotten frank about its inability to secure stable funding. Earlier this month, Orphan Age developer Studio Black Flag revealed its deal with its publisher fell through, and the French government shut it down when its funding disappeared. It called itself “another casualty of the current downturn in the video game industry.” Similarly, Italic Pig, developers of Paleo Pines, said in a social media statement that it couldn’t find a production partner for its next game, and said the whole indie gaming scene was facing “a sudden drying up of publishing and investment opportunities.”
I feel that the first instance of a game company being so honest was last September, when Pieces Interactive delayed Alone in the Dark and flat-out admitted that it didn’t want to release the game in the already over-crowded month of October: “Horror games thrive on the eerie embrace of solitude, something that is impossible to achieve in a gaming month as busy as October.” But being honest about the reasons behind delays is one thing — being honest about money troubles is another level of sincerity.
In personal news, I’m ready to get properly spooky this season with the release of A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead, which reminds me of Alien: Isolation in the best way. I’m not sure I’m up for replaying Until Dawn again — keeping those shrieking brats alive for one playthrough was difficult enough — but if I need a palate cleanser, Piranha Games just dropped MechWarrior 5: Clans. And if nothing else, there’s always the new Mario Party title, Super Mario Party Jamboree.
What to play this week
What’s new:
- Super Mario Party Jamboree
- MechWarrior 5: Clans
- A Quiet Place: The Road Ahead
- Neva
- Just Dance 2025 Edition
- Unknown 9: Awakening
- Drove – Forsaken Kin
- New World: Aeternum
- Killing Time: Resurrected
- RetroRealms: Ash vs. Evil Dead
- RetroRealms: Halloween
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants Unleashed
- Arsene Lupin: Once a Thief
New on subscription services:
- South Park: The Fractured but Whole (Xbox Game Pass)
- Donut County (Xbox Game Pass)
- Dead Island 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Two Point Campus (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Gris (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Return to Monkey Island (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Firefighting Simulator The Squad (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Overpass 2 (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Tour de France 2023 (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PlayStation Plus Extra+Premium)
- The Last Clockwinder (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Dino Crisis (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Siren (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- R-Type Dimensions EX (PlayStation Plus Premium)
- Mystery Box: Hidden Secrets (Prime Gaming)
- Vlad Circus: Descend Into Madness (Prime Gaming)
- Through the Darkest of Times (Prime Gaming)
- Killing Floor 2 (Prime Gaming)
- Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol (Prime Gaming)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (GeForce Now)
- Artisan TD (GeForce Now)
- ASKA (GeForce Now)
- Dungeon Tycoon (GeForce Now)
- Spirit City: Lofi Sessions (GeForce Now)
- Star Trucker (GeForce Now)
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iFixit’s Meta Quest 3S teardown reveals a Quest 2 ‘hiding inside’
What if I told you the Meta Quest 3S is in some ways just a more powerful Quest 2 with color passthrough? “Yes, of course it is,” someone who’s read our coverage might say, but iFixit shows just how true that is in the teardown video it published today.
The first hint of that is the headset’s Fresnel lenses, which iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari writes in a blog post are “100% compatible” with those used by the Quest 2. The headset has the older headset’s IPD adjustment mechanism, as well; and it shares the same single LCD panel, rather than using one panel per eye, like the Meta Quest 3.
Legacy parts aside, iFixit found that the 3S uses two IR sensors for depth mapping instead of a single depth sensor. That “rare iterative improvement over the Quest 3” performed “exceptionally well in unlit spaces,” Mokhtari writes in the blog. And of course, it uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 SoC as the Quest 3, and works with Meta’s newer Touch Plus controllers, which are sold separately.
As iFixit notes, none of this should be considered a bad thing. The changes make the headset cheaper — the Quest 3S costs $299.99, while the Quest 3 is $499.99. It also means that if those reused parts break, it’s not hard to find replacements for them, since the Quest 2 has already been around for four years.
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Discord is firing back against MapleStory devs over copyright infringement and users are caught in the crossfire
Behind the scenes of one of the biggest social media platforms has been an epic struggle with a valuable payout — user data. But not just any user data mind you. This struggle allegedly involves Nexon Korea Corporation, a South Korean video game maker, trying to obtain the data of copyright infringers on the Discord platform.
Nexon Korea Corporation is behind well-known video games such as MapleStory, MapleStory2, Sudden Attack, The Kingdom of the Winds, Dungeon & Fighter, Grand Chase, Dave the Diver, and Elsword. And it seems that Nexon has had multiple criminal copyright infringement complaints against other Korean servers that players use to run Nexon’s games, including one such culprit who is currently on the run and wanted by Interpol.
Needless to say, Nexon has no qualms about using the US court system to pursue copyright infringement suspects as well, but after delivering two such subpoenas to Discord, the online service provider has apparently had enough and is fighting back in the name of users’ privacy and free speech rights.
Discord and privacy
Discord hasn’t had the best relationship with user privacy in the past. Back in 2023, it was forced to walk back changes to its privacy policy when it first introduced AI integration into its servers including Clyde, AutoMod AI, Conversation Summarizes, Avatar Remix, and more.
Originally it had removed language from a previous version of its policy, which then was added back to its current version as well as the following statement: “We may build features that help users engage with voice and video content, like create or send short recordings.”
Then it was found out in 2024 that four billion Discord chats, made by roughly 620 million users, logged into more than 14,000 servers had been harvested by a site called Spy.pet and set to be auctioned off to the highest bidders.
In a statement, Discord said that it would be investigating the matter to determine whether it violates its Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. However, considering there’s been no word since, we’re still not privy to the results of that investigation.
The battle for user data
Despite these privacy hiccups, Discord is now embroiled in a legal battle with Nexon Korea Corporation over the latter demanding the former continue to hand over data of users suspected of online copyright infringement.
According to a report from TorrentFreak, the Korean company obtained a DMCA subpoena requiring Discord to hand over such information and is now claiming that it refuses to cooperate with the US federal government court order.
Discord, however, asserts that it’s already complied with a previous order made back in October 2023. While Discord initially resisted, both parties reached an agreement to confidentially disclose basic subscriber information concerning a total of 64 Discord user IDs.
Then Nexon returned in May 2024 with a new subpoena requiring Discord to disclose the information of roughly two dozen alleged copyright infringers related to the MapleStory game. Discord once again complied and sent over that data on June 13.
In July, however, Discord decided to draw a line and sent Nexon a letter from its attorneys, with the Texas law firm Haltom & Doan:
“Now, you appear to be demanding additional information for yet more User IDs, which you allege infringe one of the same copyrights you have already asserted. You are attempting to renegotiate a deal that has already been struck and fulfilled. Your actions are improper. Discord is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the law, but acting as your copyright assertion partner is not one of them.”
It then made a list of twenty-two objections and reservations, with one being the desire to protect user privacy and their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The letter further urged Nexon to withdraw its demands and to cease sending any similar subpoenas moving forward.
Instead, Nexon filed a motion to compel at a Texas federal court just last week, asking the court to enter an order requiring Discord to produce the requested user data. Discord is expected to file a formal motion against the subpoena in response to this request.
What does this mean for users and online service providers?
There are several things this whole legal battle means and the broader impact of such battles on future DMCA subpoena cases like this one.
First, it’s a battle of how privy companies are to user data when it comes to copyright infringement allegations which, as stated above, boils down to whether such claims can be seen as a violation of privacy and First Amendment rights. The scope of such requests is especially important since it could greatly affect how much data is collected in the wake of such judgments, as well as what could constitute copyright infringement in the first place that would warrant a subpoena.
There’s also the impact that this could have on online service providers and their own compliance with such DMCA subpoena cases. This creates natural friction between providers and their users who may not feel secure using the online service after user data is disclosed under subpoena. Also, these online service providers being served DMCA subpoenas are forced to comply using their own time, money, and resources to do so, which cuts into those three aspects being used for the service itself.
As such, this is an incredibly complex issue and the results of this case have far-reaching consequences for what companies can demand of online service providers, how much or little will users actually be protected in these cases, and whether online service providers are required to comply with these demands.
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Dune 3 is coming sooner than its director originally planned
Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve‘s return to Arrakis is coming sooner than anyone — including him — thought. The filmmaker stated several months ago that he planned to take a bit of a break between Dune: Part Two and its intended sequel, Dune: Messiah. However, coming off the immense success of Dune: Part Two earlier this year, which received rave reviews from both critics and casual moviegoers alike and earned over $700 million at the box office, it sounds like Villeneuve has thrown his original vacation plans out the window.
Speaking with Deadline, the French Canadian filmmaker revealed that he is going to go “back behind the camera faster” than he thought he would and that his “break” from Frank Herbert’s Dune world is already over. “I’m in the writing zone right now,” he said, referencing the script for Dune: Messiah. Villeneuve did not confirm the specific timeline he now has in mind for the sequel, but he did note that he is likely going to make Messiah much faster than he originally planned.
“Let’s say that I thought that after Part Two that I will take a break, that I will go back in the woods and stay in the woods for a while to recover. But the woods weren’t really suiting me, and I would go back behind the camera faster than I think,” Villeneuve explained. “That’s all I can say.”
The director didn’t reveal during his conversation with Deadline when he intends to actually start filming Dune: Messiah. “These movies take a lot of time to be made, so it’s best not to say out loud when I might shoot,” he noted. He did, however, reportedly react to a potential 2026 start date with a “perplexed” expression. Whether that means he intends to shoot the film before 2026 or at some point in that year remains to be seen. Earlier this year, Warner Bros. did, notably, set a Dec. 18, 2026 release date for Villeneuve’s next “event film.” Assuming that project is indeed Dune: Messiah, Villeneuve would have to start shooting it much earlier than 2026 to meet that date.
The filmmaker did confirm that most of Dune: Part Two‘s core cast members will return in Dune: Messiah, including Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh. Anya Taylor-Joy will also appear in the sequel after making a brief cameo as an adult version of Paul Atreides’ sister Alia in Dune: Part Two. The director went on to remark that Dune: Messiah, which he says will “finish the Paul Atreides arc,” will be “completely different” from its two predecessors.
“The story takes place like 12 years after where we left the characters at the end of Part Two,” he teased. “Their journey, their story is different this time, and that’s why I always say that while it’s the same world it’s a new film with new circumstances.”
Dune: Messiah does not yet have an official release date. Both Dune: Part One and Part Two are available to stream now on Max.
Technology
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: One of the Best
The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is the latest ‘GT’ flagship smartwatch from the company, and I’ve had a chance to use it for review purposes. I’ve been using it for about three weeks before typing down my thoughts for all of you to see. Huawei’s ‘GT’ lineup of smartwatches is made for fitness-oriented people who appreciate great battery life. It can easily cater to the rest of you, though, as Huawei refined the design of its ‘GT’ lineup, so those watches do look quite classy at this point.
The watch we’re here to talk about is no exception to the rule. The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is a great-looking watch, and not many would disagree with that. I received a ‘Sports Edition’ of the watch, which is basically the variant with a rubber band. There’s also the ‘Classic Edition’ with a red and blue ring, and an all-titanium strap. Other than that, these two watches are the same. This is a 46mm variant of the watch, and there’s also a 41mm model, catered to women, first and foremost, due to its size. With that being said, let’s get down to business.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Hardware / Design
Much like its predecessor, this smartwatch is built to last. Huawei used aerospace-grade titanium alloy for the frame here. Ceramic is used at the bottom of the watch, and Huawei also used very durable glass protection on the front. The company says that it used “ultra-hard coatings and nano-flim waterproof finish”. This is supposed to improve water resistance and corrosion resistance too. The watch is not only IP68 and 5ATM rated, but comes with the IP69K certification this time too.
It’s made for wear and tear
Huawei is so confident in this watch’s build quality and resistance to scratches, that it released a promo video dedicated to it. I, of course, did not test how long will it last under torture tests, but I wasn’t all that careful while using it and did shower with it. I even took it swimming once. Not a scratch on the display or the watch itself. And yes, I did catch a door frame or two with it, for sure.
The 46mm Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro weighs 53 without the strap. Compared to regular smartwatches of a similar size, it’s not heavy at all, compared to the regular Huawei Watch GT 5, is it noticeably heavier. In the general sense, this watch is not heavy at all, just do note that if you get the titanium watch band, you’ll also add quite a bit of heft to it. It actually feels like a perfect weight for me personally. I honestly even forgot it’s on my hand soon after I put it on, but I’m used to wearing watches of a similar size, so… it’ll depend from user to user.
Titanium is prelevant when it comes to build materials
You’ll notice that Huawei stuck with that octagon frame shape, around the display. There are also titanium arms up and down, or lugs if you wish. Considering those lugs are not open up and and down, you can’t really use just about any watch band with this watch. Chances are you’ll be able to attach many of them, but they won’t look as nice as the ones Huawei sells, as those bands are made to fit perfectly with the design of these lugs. The octagonal design does look really nice in real life, I’m not going to lie, though I do prefer the design of the Watch GT 4 and GT 5 more, that’s just me, though.
The rotating crown has excellent haptic feedback
On the right side of the watch you’ll notice two buttons, and also its speaker and microphone. The top button doubles as a rotating crown, and the bottom one is customizable. Both are quite clicky, though the top one has a different feel and more travel, naturally. The top button is really nicely designed, and it’s a joy to use. It offers plenty of haptic feedback, and feels really durable too. Huawei has been doing a great job with those buttons for years, this is yet another welcomed refinement.
The watch band is very comfortable
There is nothing located on the left side of the watch. If we peek under it, you’ll find a heart rate sensor. Also, even though, based on renders, it seems like the bezel of the watch is higher than the display, Huawei did a really nice transition from one to the other, so that it feels very smooth when you glide your finger across it. They’re basically on the same height. Your finger won’t get stuck while you’re swiping around or anything of the sort. This watch offers truly great build, and I even liked the fluoroelastomer strap that comes with it. I like different materials in general, but this one is just so convenient for when the watch is exposed to water, and it’s just so comfortable to wear. It dries up in no time. The same goes for exercising.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Display
Huawei included a 1.43-inch AMOLED display on this smartwatch: It’s a round display with a resolution of 466 x 466. That panel is well-protected, and it does get bright enough, very much so. The automatic brightness setting worked perfectly for me, though you can always disable that and go with the manual slider. Either way, you can get it tuned so that it’s more than bright enough, even when you’re in direct sunlight. The display is also very vivid and has great viewing angles too. The touch response is also excellent here.
The display brightness goes up to 1,200 nits
The peak brightness of this panel, in case you’re wondering, is 1,200 nits. It’s not the brightest smartwatch screen I’ve ever seen, but it’s more than bright enough. Even in direct sunlight, I was able to see everything just fine on it. So, the brightness is also not something you should be worried about. There are a bunch of watch faces included here, and an option to get more, but that’s something we’ll leave for the ‘Software’ section.
Motion sensors work like a charm
The watch also powered on the display every time I needed it to do that. Whenever I swung and rotated my hand towards my face to actually check the time or what’s new, it fired up the display, without fail. That motion works great here, which is not surprising based on my past experiences with Huawei’s smartwatches. The display in itself is excellent. There’s really nothing to complain about. It’s bright, sharp, and offers good touch response. You don’t have to worry about it at all, it’s one of the better ones out there.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Performance
I feel like I’m always repeating myself when it comes to the general performance of Huawei smartwatches. I’ve been reviewing them for years, and the performance was almost always outstanding. Everything you do on this watch will feel snappy, whether it’s scrolling through messages, navigating through menus, or using some of its fitness features. I was unable to get the watch to stutter during daily use. Everything felt extremely smooth, and on top of that, Huawei also improved the animations.
The animations are snappy & fluid
To be quite honest, I never really paid too much attention to animations on previous smartwatches. On this one, I noticed them immediately. Not because they’re annoying or anything, but because they work really well. They are snappy and very smooth. It makes for a nice user experience. When you’re closing down the app drawer, for example, the apps fade away into the middle of the screen. Huawei is actually using various different animations, depending on what you’re doing.
I’ve used this smartwatch for two weeks, and in those two weeks, I was unable to get the watch to even stutter. I don’t know what chip is running it, nor how much RAM there is, but everything is running smoothly.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Battery
Huawei’s GT series smartwatch usually excels in the battery life department. The same is the case with this watch, actually. The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro offers great battery life. The company claims you can get up to 14 days of battery life, though that’s if you barely use the watch. The company quotes a 9-day battery life for “regular usage”, and 5-day battery life “with Always On Display enabled”. That’s all very nice, but what’s it actually like? Well, I’ve been using the watch for around two weeks before writing this review, and this is my experience…
This watch will easily last over a week for the vast majority of people
I’ve had to charge it twice in those two weeks, but do note that the watch did come with around 60% battery life out of the box, so I didn’t fully drain it twice. I did have all the possible tracking modes fired up, of course, while I also used it three times for the gym, received a ton of notifications, used the GPS function twice, and much more. The Always On Display was not on, though. I never leave it on the watches I use, as the vast majority of people don’t use it. I don’t see the point in it, to be quite honest, as the screen turns on every time I need it to, when I swing the watch towards me, without fail. So why would it be on when I’m not looking at it? That’s just my thinking on the matter.
In any case, with considerable usage, I’d say that Huawei’s estimate is about right, around 1 week’s worth of battery life. If you pick and choose what modes you’d like to turn on, however. Perhaps you don’t need sleep tracking, or continuous heart rate tracking. And perhaps you won’t be using the watch’s GPS function. If that ends up being the case, you can get like extra 3-4 days worth of use. This watch can really be pushed the distance in terms of battery life, it all depends on your usage.
It can be fully charged in about an hour
What about charging? Well, it will take you about an hour to fully charge this smartwatch. It charges via the included charging puck, wirelessly. It magnetizes itself to the charger when you bring it near, and that’s it. That charging speed is not earth-shattering, but it’s not slow either, based on everything we’ve seen. An hour’s worth of charging for over a week’s worth of battery life seems like a great balance.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Software
The Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro comes with Huawei’s proprietary OS out of the box, HarmonyOS. To be more specific, version 5.0 is running here, the latest one. Huawei did issue a number of subtle improvements here, such as the animations, but for the most part, it’s the experience you’re used to. The animations are fast and fluid, and this is the first time I’ve actually noticed them on Huawei’s watches. They were here before, but they’re so well executed here. The entire HarmonyOS experience has been great for me, as the OS is very responsive, there was not even a hint of lag or anything of the sort.
14 watch faces come out of the box, but many more are available
As per usual, you’re getting your watch face front and center. You can change that by long-pressing, or via the Huawei Health app. 14 watch faces come pre-installed, but you can easily get more via the aforementioned application. Tons of them are available, both free and paid ones. If you swipe from top down, you’ll see your quick toggles, while doing the opposite will show you your notifications. Separate widget screens are available if you swipe from right to left, while doing the opposite will show you the weather and a media control widget.
Tapping the rotating crown fires up the app drawer, which has the Apple Watch style with all the apps thrown on the screen at once, and from there you can use the rotating crown to zoom in or out. You can switch this for a regular row of all the apps on the watch if you want, though, no problem. The bottom button on the right is customizable. It’s set for workouts by default, but I always change that to the stopwatch, as that’s something I use a lot on the watch. There are plenty of options, though.
Notifications sync only one way, but that’s mostly a good thing
Now, regarding the notifications. They don’t offer two-way sync, which is actually something I prefer. For example, if you delete a notification from your phone, it will delete it from the watch too. If you do the same from the watch first, the notification will remain on your phone. That way you’ll never miss notifications that you need to respond to, even if you delete them from the watch. That’s the way I prefer to have it, as I never respond from my watch, so… there you go.
The notification cards look great, though there’s room for a slight improvement
Speaking of notifications, the notification cards are great, and they show plenty of information in terms of message lengths. Depending on the app, you can use predefined responses and even type your responses via a keyboard. Emojis are available too, of course. What Huawei still didn’t nail down is the app icons for all the apps. For some apps, such as Viber, the icon is not showing. It was showing on the previous version of HarmonyOS, so I’m not sure what happened there. It won’t show for all apps, is my point, which can be a bit annoying, but it’s not a huge problem. Notifications for all the apps I’ve set arrived instantly, I had absolutely no problems in that regard. You do have to follow Huawei’s instructions and remove Huawei Health from the battery saving list, and so on.
There are not many apps to choose from
If you’re looking to install third-party apps on the watch, well, you can, but there are not many to choose from. So if you need some specific app that you’re used to using on Wear OS, you won’t get that here. The vast majority of people likely won’t care, though, as all you need is included on the watch itself, realistically.
HarmonyOS 5.0 on the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is outstanding. It’s a refinement of the previous version, and it’s the best iteration I’ve used yet.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Health & Fitness
This smartwatch is packed with health and fitness features, as you’d expect. The improved ‘TruSense’ feature is back. It’s basically a hub for all fitness features that Huawei has to offer. Do note that this watch now offers 12 blood oxygen channels compared to 4 on its predecessor. It should be able to give you a blood oxygen reading in about 15 seconds, and in my case that proved to be accurate. You’re also getting a medical-grade ECG analysis here, stress level readings, the watch can measure your skin temperature, and so on. Another change that is worth highlighting, however, is the fact that Huawei is now using new glass darkening technology. That will stop the outside light from entering the sensors, which in return should mean more accurate readings. And yes, I did notice that.
Blood Oxygen readings are faster than ever
I was able to get blood oxygen readings in about 15 seconds, give or take. I’m not sure how accurate they are, but I compared it to the results from the Watch GT 4, and I’m getting different results. Skin temperature readings were also different in comparison, while the ECG analysis results were also faster than on the previous model. The sleep tracking also worked as intended, for the most part. I still haven’t found a watch that will manage to pick up when I wake up properly. Why? Because when I wake up, I take my phone off the charger and I scroll through news for about half an hour. My left hand, where the watch is located, is not in motion, and thus it never registers me as being awake. That’s the reason I almost always turn off sleep tracking after I test it. It’s the same thing on every watch I used.
You’re getting access to over 100 sports modes
What about the fitness aspect? Well, there are over 100 sports modes at your disposal. That ranges from indoor and outdoor running, to poo swimming, diving, and golf. Those are just some examples, of course, various different exercises are mentioned here. Do note that the free diving mode is exclusive to this watch. You can use the ‘Running Courses’ feature to draw up a plan for yourself, and even use the RouteDraw feature if you plan on going biking or running. The GPS picked up the signal very quickly, and it was more accurate than it was on the Watch GT 4. It worked really well there too, but at a specific location where it stumbled last time, it did not with this watch. All in all, it was a good experience during my gym workouts and bike rides.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro Review: Audio
There are not many of you who use your smartwatches to make calls. If you do plan on doing so, however, you can do it via the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro thanks to Bluetooth calling. There is a speaker located on the right side of the watch, and also a microphone is included. The sound output from that speaker is better than the vast majority of smartwatches I’ve had the pleasure of using. In terms of smartwatches, it’s really good, in the general sense, not so much. You do have to keep in mind this is a smartwatch speaker. It is more than good enough for making phone calls, though, plenty loud, actually.
The microphone on the watch is not all that bad
What about the input quality? Well, a couple of my friends I talked to via the watch said that I sounded “a bit odd”, but that’s about it. The issues did arise when I was in a noisy environment, but that is to be expected. So just stay away from busy roads and construction work, and you’ll be able to use this watch for phone calls just fine.
Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro: Should you buy it?
Whether or not the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro is the right watch for you, well, only you’d know that. However, I do hope that this review helped you with that decision. The main strengths of the watch are definitely its build, battery life, and a wide range of fitness and health features. It is a great all-around smartwatch, though, and as long as you don’t mind not having access to Google features and tons of third-party apps, this watch is worth considering. Its build quality is outstanding, and it does everything a smartwatch should really well. It is quite pricey, though, so… it’s up to you to see whether it’s worth it or not… for you.
You should buy the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro if you:
…like larger smartwatches
…appreciate premium build materials
…often bump your smartwatch against various surfaces
…are a sporty person
…don’t like to take off your smartwatch when showering & swimming
…need accurate GPS
…want the best Huawei has to offer
…require access to offline maps on a watch
…like to take phone calls directly to your watch
You shouldn’t buy the Huawei Watch GT 5 Pro if you:
…need specific apps installed directly on the watch
…want access to Google services
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