We were very fortunate to review Xiaomi smartwatches on our website, particularly Xiaomi Smart Bands like the Smart Band 9 Active, Smart Band 9, Smart Band 7, and more. We sincerely thank Xiaomi Philippines for their trust and support in allowing us to experience their new smartwatches.
Again, Xiaomi Philippines reached out for another review, but this time, we are so excited to check out one of its flagship smartwatches, the new Xiaomi Watch S4, which was recently launched at the MWC in Barcelona, Spain, and just debuted locally today.
The new Xiaomi Watch S4 is a mid-to-high end affordable smartwatch that’s ideal for fitness enthusiasts with its health tracking and multiple sports mode features. It is also great for tech-savvy young professionals who wants a sleek watch design with an AMOLED display, Bluetooth calling, and long battery life for convenience and keeps them connected throughout their busy day.
So, let’s go through what the Xiaomi Watch S4 has to offer, from its design and features to our thoughts on the new device, which we will share in this article.
Unboxing
The packaging box of the Xiaomi Watch S4 is made of thick premium cardboard paper with an all-black matte finish. The top cover has a printed image of the Xiaomi Watch S4 with a glossy UV lamination, while the Xiaomi logo and model name are embossed in a silver rainbow foil finish.
The sides of the top cover shows the key features and certification marks, while the bottom part contains additional product specifications and company information.
Removing the top cover will immediately reveal the Xiaomi Watch S4 placed in its own cardboard tray, with the included accessories stored just underneath it.
Inside the box, you’ll get the following items:
- Xiaomi Watch S4 unit
- Magnetic charging dock
- User manual
There is no screen protector on the display, but you can purchase one online or from resellers at malls for added protection from scratches.
Design and Build
For the new Xiaomi Watch S4, There are three color options – Silver, Black and we had the Rainbow color variant for the review. The Rainbow color features a vibrant and multicolored accents matching from the bezels and the strap offering a unique and eye-catching aesthetic for those who want a standout look.
The adjustable watch strap is made of fluororubber and nylon. Fluororubber, a type of synthetic rubber, it is a great choice due to its durability and comfort. An ideal material for active individuals because of its waterproof and sweat-proof properties. The length of the strap ranges from approximately 135mm to 210mm and a good fit for a wide range of wrist sizes.
Aside from the adjustable strap, the Xiaomi Watch S4 has a unique feature with its interchangeable bezels that let users customize its look. You can easily remove the bezel by turning it counterclockwise until it loosens, then lifting it off the watch face. The watch also sends an alert and vibrates slightly to let you know when the bezel has been removed.
If you’re the type of person who loves to customize, you can choose from five available Xiaomi Watch S4 Bezel and Strap Kit designs – Blue-Gray, Pine Green, Midnight Carbon, Festive Orange, and Liquid Silver to match your preferred style.
Xiaomi Watch S4 Bezel and Strap Kit
Each bezel, when snapped onto the watch, comes with its own unique watch face design. Try out the other available bezels and see the different styles you can get
The case body of the Xiaomi Watch S4 is made from aluminum alloy and measures 47.3 x 47.3 x 12.0mm. It has a nice comfortable weight of approximately 44.5 grams which is just a sparse grams more than the previous model. It is coated with a high-gloss PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) finish for that smooth and premium stainless steel-like texture.
One major change is the switch from two flat buttons on the Watch S3 to a fully functional rotating crown with a single button on the new model. The crown gives the Xiaomi Watch S4 a sophisticated look, resembling a traditional luxury timepiece and just shying away from the typical smartwatch design.
The bottom side of the Xiaomi Watch S4 holds the essential sensors for health monitoring and below it are the charging contacts for easy connection to the magnetic charger. On the left side you have the speaker grille while the microphone is place on the right side edge of the back plate.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 has a 5ATM water resistance rating to withstand water pressure up to 50 meters deep. You have no problem wearing the watch with everyday activities like handwashing, rain, and even swimming in a pool. Xiaomi is debuting a water ejection feature on the device to helps remove excess water from the speaker after exposure to water.
In general, I really like the overall design of the watch as it looks durable and elegant. With the available bezel and strap kit, you can customize the Watch S4 to resemble either a military, racing, or luxury watch, depending on your style.
Navigation
With the rotating crown, it makes scrolling through the Xiaomi Watch S4 menus, stats, and apps feels much smoother. Clicking the crown will open the app drawer or exit an app/menu.
When you click the single button it accesses the watch settings and provides shortcuts for the flashlight, water ejection, raise to wake, silent mode, battery saver, find my phone, and DND mode.
On the display, you can still navigate as usual by swiping from the home page. Swipe down for the notification panel, swipe up for widgets/app drawer, swipe left to switch watch faces, and swipe right to exit an app or menu.
Display and Watch Face
The Xiaomi Watch S4’s display shares almost the same specs as its previous model.
We like of it still remains bright and the vibrant colors coming out from the large 1.43-inch AMOLED screen with a 466 x 466 resolution and 326 PPI pixel density which ensures a clear image quality despite the watch’s small screen size.
It maintains the same 60Hz refresh rate, providing a responsive touch experience and smoother animations. Scrolling through apps and navigating menus feels fast and seamless that enhances the overall usability of the watch more enjoyable.
The improved peak brightness makes the display enough to see under direct sunlight
A major upgrade in the Xiaomi Watch S4 is boasting a higher peak brightness, increasing from 600 nits on the Watch S3 to a maximum of 1500 to 2200 nits. This improvement ensures that the time and other information remain visible even under bright sunlight, while indoors, the display is perfectly great to look at.
The watch also features a Sunlight Mode, which automatically boosts brightness when its sunny outdoors. Enabling the Always-On Display (AOD) mode keeps the time faintly visible for quick glances without needing to wake the screen.
And just like any other smartwatch, you can change the watch face on the Xiaomi Watch S4 from over 200 available designs, which can be accessed through the Mi Fitness app. You can choose from four types of watch faces, each categorized to suit for different needs – Utility for essential information; Formal for a sleek and professional look; Custom for personalized designs, and Workout for fitness-focused data.
I’m fond of the custom watch face feature as I can place a photo of my family or pet and edit the style or color of the time. There’s also a power consumption level info in the Mi Fitness app about the watch face you’re using or installing which helps users if it will consume more battery due to its design or style.
Software and Connectivity
The Xiaomi Watch S4 ships in with the latest HyperOS 2.0 with an upgraded version of Xiaomi’s smartwatch OS. Just like its previous model, it is intuitive, lightweight and efficient that’s designed to deliver fluid performance for every user while extending battery life.
The device is compatible with smartphones running Android 8.0 or later and iOS 14.0 or later.
It supports a new feature called Quick Gestures, which lets you flip through presentation pages on your Xiaomi tablet with a simple fist-clench gesture. There are also more gesture controls available, such as snapping your fingers, rotating or shaking your wrist that you can assign to reject calls, ignore calls/notifications, take a photo, open the weather app, or set to none.
You can have access and manage your devices using the watch with Xiaomi Smart Hub allowing users to link their Xiaomi devices from their phone, tablet, and earbuds for more control. Additionally, the smart watch can function as a control hub for Xiaomi Home devices, providing quick and convenient access to smart home features.
As an added note, when using the Xiaomi Smart Hub, the device needs to be in the latest version of Xiaomi HyperOS 2 and running the latest version of the Mi Fitness app and version 10.4 or above of the Xiaomi Home app.
In terms of connectivity, the smartwatch has a slight upgrade on its Bluetooth with the latest 5.3 version instead of Bluetooth 5.2. For location tracking, it uses a Satellite Positioning System powered by dual-band GNSS, supporting BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and QZSS for accurate outdoor workout tracking.
The smartwatch retains its NFC feature for quick contactless and cashless payments (Mastercard and Visa) by simply tapping it on a payment terminal. However, NFC payments are not yet widely accepted in most establishments in our country, but it’s still a useful feature to have.
Health Monitoring
If you want to monitor your overall well-being, the Xiaomi Watch S4 offers several health-tracking features. It includes seven health monitoring apps such as Breathing Exercise, Vitality Score, Stress, SpO2, Heart Rate, and Sleep.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 is equipped with motion and optical sensors that can track your heart rate, sleep, and stress levels while also helping you relax with breathing exercises. These features let you know if you’re in good training shape or need extra rest.
The heart rate sensor has been slightly improved, with Xiaomi claiming a monitoring accuracy of 98%, just an itsy upgrade from the 97.95% accuracy of its predecessor.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 features a Checkup app, it’s a one-tap health insights tool that generates a quick health assessment report in about 60 seconds. This provides a quick overview of key health metrics, including SpO2, heart rate, stress, and sleep offering a convenient snapshot of essential health data when you need it asap.
I would recommend users to stay still and be sure that the watch is securely fastened to your wrist, as I had to repeat the process several times before getting all the results.
One of the most useful health monitoring apps for me is the Sleep app. When you wear the watch to bed, it tracks your sleep duration, sleep stages (including REM), and average heart rate, then gives you a sleep score, all of which you can view in the Mi Fitness app for more insights.
A fun and cute feature of Sleep mode is that after wearing the watch to bed for seven nights (if it’s not a hassle for you), it assigns you a sleep animal between a Shark, Bear, Penguin, Koala, Owl, or Sheep.
Workout and Fitness Monitoring
One of the key functions of the smartwatch is to serve as your fitness companion as it tracks and provides some additional insights or progress of your workout or exercise. It’s an ideal device for fitness enthusiasts who will appreciate its extensive range of workout and fitness modes, offering over 150 sports modes. You can find a wide range of sports and exercise activities you need to track which includes walking, outdoor sports, training sessions, ball games, and even board or card games.
For better outdoor workout tracking, the Xiaomi Watch S4 has dual-frequency GNSS to give accurate location data on the watch for workout activities such as walking, running and cycling. It helps map routes and measure distances correctly. Plus, it includes real-time running posture recognition to analyze your form and help you run better. It’s a great feature built on the watch which is rare to see from other smart watch in the market at this price point.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 can be integrated with popular workout apps like Strava and Suunto, providing more flexibility in managing fitness data. This feature allows users to seamlessly synchronize and analyze their workout information or performance across different platforms.
What impressed me about the Watch S4 is the additional insights you can view through the Mi Fitness app after your workout. After doing a walking exercise, I opened the app and was astounded to see the accurate location of my walk, displayed like a Google Map. It also showed details such as the number of steps, heart rate, pace, cadence, stride, altitude, and more.
Additionally, you can download or share your workout or choose an exercise card template with different designs for a more personalized experience.
Other Useful Features
The Xiaomi Watch S4 includes several convenient smart features that are quite useful. Here are some of my favorites that I have been using during the review.
With a built-in microphone and speaker, the watch allows Bluetooth Calling that lets you talk to a caller instantly without using your smartphone. The experience is quite fun as if it almost feels like talking as a secret agent, especially when passersby glance over at me. But on a serious note, the speaker is loud enough to hear conversations clearly. When I asked the person on the other end about the voice quality, they said it was very clear with minimal background noise.
There’s a recorder for saving important conversations or quickly noting down ideas that just come to mind instantly, which you can review later.
Receiving notification alerts on the watch is quite useful for incoming calls, texts, social media updates, and calendar reminders. You can simply go thru them at your watch which also helps save some battery on your phone.
Other notable functions equipped on the Watch S4 is a Camera Shutter, Flashlight, Music Control, Find Phone, and Alarm.
Battery Life
The battery capacity of the Xiaomi Watch S4 remains the same at 486mAh which uses a 2-pin magnetic dock with a USB-A cable. There is no power adapter included, so you may need to use your phone’s very own power brick. According to the brand, the watch can last up to 15 days, and a quick 5-minute charge can power it for up to 2 days.
Charging the Watch S4 with a 4% battery remaining, the first 15 minutes brought it up to 36% and after another 15 minutes, it reached 57%. It took us around 1 hour and 9 minutes to charge the watch from 0 to 100%.
Charging Log (4% Battery Remaining)
- 12:25 – 12:40 : 36% 15 minutes
- 12:40 – 12:55 : 57% 15 minutes
- 12:55 – 01:20 : 89% 25 minutes
- 01:20 – 01:30 : 99% 10 minutes
- 01:30 – 01:34 : 100% 04 minutes
- Total: 1 hour and 9 minutes
So far, the battery life of the Xiaomi Watch S4 is pretty good.
When we first opened the box for our unboxing video, the watch already had a 59% charge. We continued recording the necessary footage and photos. We also wore the watch to events to test its performance, and after four days of medium usage, the battery left us around 26%.
With 26% battery remaining, we enabled the AOD feature and took a late afternoon walk for almost an hour to experience the workout mode. After checking our stats at home, we continued testing some features while writing our review, and then went to bed. The next day, when we checked the watch again, the battery had an 8% remaining, lasting around 19 hours in total time.
Even without a full charge on our unit, we feel that the Xiaomi Watch S4 can last around seven days or almost a week with medium usage. With heavy usage, the battery would likely or probably last you around five days.
I hope that they would someday include a wireless charging feature on the smart watch.
What We Like
- Build Quality
- Interchangeable Bezels and Straps
- AMOLED Display
- Higher Peak Brightness (2200 nits Max)
- Customizable Face Watch
- Notification Panel
- Rotating Crown
- Battery Life
- Quick Gesture Controls
- Variety Of Health Monitoring Apps
- 150 Sports Mode
- 5ATM Waterproof
- Bluetooth Calling
- Dual-Band GNSS
- Xiaomi Smart Band
- Price
What We Want
- Wireless Charging
- Quick Gesture For Other Android Phones
- Support For Third Party Watch Faces
- Sleep Apnea Detection
- Customizable Always-On Display
Conclusion
The new Xiaomi Watch S4 combines style, functionality, and durability with its improvements proves to be a well-rounded smartwatch.
We love its overall premium design along with the new rotating-clicky crown with customizable bezels, and high-quality straps allowing for a more personalized look. And with its 5ATM water resistance for added durability and water ejection feature, it is built to withstand everyday activities and even swimming sessions.
The display is bright, sharp, and vivid that ensures clear visibility even outdoors. The black bezel around the screen is slim enough not to interfere or take up too much screen space as you still can view the time and appreciate the watch face designs.
The latest HyperOS 2.0 provides a smooth and user-friendly experience. While the integration with Xiaomi’s ecosystem with the Smart Hub adds extra convenience, while the Bluetooth calling, NFC support, Camera Shutter and more adds practicality.
As for the health and fitness monitoring feature, it may be similar to other smartwatches on the market, but it includes an impressive set of additional features that set it apart.
First is the inclusion of dual-frequency GNSS for precise outdoor tracking and real-time running posture recognition. The Checkup app provides quick health insights, while the improved Mi Fitness app offers additional insights into your health and workout activities.
The battery life is pretty good as it t can last until the weekend with medium usage and you have enough time to charge it before using it again for work. Charging is also fast with the 2-pin magnetic dock. It would be a cool addition if the Watch S4 had a wireless charging feature.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 is elegant, customizable, and smart that delivers impressive features at a budget-friendly price for a flagship smartwatch.
Pricing and Availability
The Xiaomi Watch S4 is priced at PHP 7,799 for colors Black and Silver while the Rainbow color is priced at PHP 8,299.
You can purchase in all Xiaomi Authorized Offline stores nationwide, authorized resellers, and official online e-commerce partners on Shopee and Lazada.
Home Credit users can also avail of the 0% installment promo.
Full Specifications – Xiaomi Watch S4
- Colorways: Silver, Rainbow, Black
- Dimensions: 47.3 x 47.3 x 12.0mm (exclude the strap and protrusions)
- Weight: approx. 44.5g (without inbox strap)
- Strap: Black (Fluororubber): Adjustable strap length: 140-210mm approx. • Silver (fluororubber): Adjustable strap length: 140-210mm approx. • Rainbow (fluororubber strap+nylon): Adjustable strap length: 135–210mm approx. • Leather: approx. 135mm ~ 205mm
- Frame: Aluminum Alloy Frame
- Outbox Bezel and Strap Kit Options: Festive Orange, Pine Green, Liquid Silver, Dual-tone Ceramic (Blue-Gray), Midnight Carbon
- Durability: 5ATM Water Resistance
- Display Size: 1.43-inch AMOLED
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Resolution: 466 x 466 pixel
- Pixel Density: PPI 326
- Brightness: HBM 1500 nits, Max 2200 nits
- Wireless Connectivity:
- Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, Bluetooth Calling
- Operating System: Xiaomi HyperOS 2
- Compatibility: Supports smartphones with Android 8.0++, or iOS 14.0++
- Microphone: 2 Mics
- Speaker: Supported
- Battery: 486 mAh
- Charging Port: 2-Pin Magnetic Charging Dock
- Usage Time: Up to 15 days
- Sensors: Accelerometer sensor, Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Electronic Compass, Barometer, Heart rate (with Blood Oxygen Sensor), Hall sensor
- Satellite Positioning System: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, QZSS,GNSS
- Contents: Xiaomi Watch S4 Unit, Magnetic charging cable, User Manual (including warranty notice)
