Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm Review: Elegance Incarnate
The new 41mm version of the Xiaomi Watch S4 comes with some new tricks on board, along with a stylish new look.
Smartphone innovation might be stale, but when it comes to wearables, and more specifically smartwatches, going the fashion route is always an option. Xiaomi has decided to explore that with the new 41mm Watch S4.
The company launched the Watch S4 series earlier this year, and now a new size and style enters the scene. The 41 mm version comes with some improvements under the hood as well; it's not just a pretty face.
There's a new, in-house developed T1 chipset inside the 41mm Xiaomi Watch S4, which should help with efficiency and battery life. This smaller and classier watch also features a temperature sensor and better sleep tracking algorithms, but we will put all this to the test.
Of course, the smaller size brings with it a smaller screen and smaller battery as well, and the interchangeable bezels from the bigger Watch S4 are also gone. With that out of the way, let's dive in.
The company launched the Watch S4 series earlier this year, and now a new size and style enters the scene. The 41 mm version comes with some improvements under the hood as well; it's not just a pretty face.
Of course, the smaller size brings with it a smaller screen and smaller battery as well, and the interchangeable bezels from the bigger Watch S4 are also gone. With that out of the way, let's dive in.
What’s new:
- 1.32-inch OLED screen (1,500 nits peak brightness)
- Lab-grown diamond etched in the crown
- In-house developed T1 chipset
- New temperature sensor
- Upgraded health monitoring
- HyperOS 3
- Emergency SOS, siren, share location
- Up to 8 days battery life (light usage)
Table of Contents:
Xiaomi Watch S4 Specs, Models and Prices
The 41mm version of the Watch S4 comes in one Bluetooth version only, with no LTE on board. There's a slight variation in style from color to color, but we'll touch upon that in the Design section. The pricing also varies depending on whether you want that lab-grown diamond or not.
The black version of the Watch S4 41mm starts from £129.99, the white one goes for £149.99, and the Sunset Gold will set you back £189.99 (lab-grown or not, diamonds are expensive).
| Specs | Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm |
|---|---|
| Models (Size, Weight, Prices) | 41mm, Bluetooth only 41.2mm × 41.2mm × 9.5mm 32 grams (without the strap) |
| Processor, RAM, Storage | Xiaomi T1 chip |
| Display | 1.32-inch OLED 60Hz 466×466 pixels (352PPI) 1,500 nits peak brightness |
| Software | HyperOS 3 |
| Battery and Charging | 320 mAh battery 4-day regular usage Magnetic charger, 50% in 30 mins |
| Sensors | HR, blood oxygen, altimeter, temperature sensor GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou, QZSS |
| New features | Upgraded health monitoring with sleep improvement plan Skin temperature tracking for enhanced female cycle prediction Built-in security assistance for personal safety 150+ sports modes with sports vlog |
Looking at the specs above, we can see that the 41mm version comes packed up with more or less the same features as its bigger sibling, and the display is equally bright, albeit smaller. The performance of the new T1 chip is rather good, in day-to-day uses the watch UI feels smooth and responsive.
Xiaomi Watch S4 Design, Sizes and Bands
Twinkle, twinkle little diamond
The design of the Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm is the main reason this model exists in the first place. It's a looker! Very stylish, understated, and classy. The case is made out of polished stainless steel, and the crown features a very elaborate chamfered pattern.
We got the Sunset Gold version, so the little diamond inside the crown adds even more glimmer to the overall impression. With a thickness of 9.5 mm and a weight of just 32 grams, the Xiaomi Watch S4 feels very comfortable on the wrist.
It's worth mentioning that this compact form factor might not suit everyone, especially people with larger hands. It's almost sacrilege to attach gender to pretty much anything these days, but this model might appeal more to the women audience.
The display is great on this one, very bright and quite crisp with around 352 pixels per inch density. Just like the bigger Watch S4, this one can go up to 1,500 nits under direct sunlight, and it remains perfectly legible.
It's worth mentioning that this compact form factor might not suit everyone, especially people with larger hands. It's almost sacrilege to attach gender to pretty much anything these days, but this model might appeal more to the women audience.
The display is great on this one, very bright and quite crisp with around 352 pixels per inch density. Just like the bigger Watch S4, this one can go up to 1,500 nits under direct sunlight, and it remains perfectly legible.
In terms of bands, the watch comes with different styles depending on the color. The Sunset Gold version features a metal Milanese-style band, the Black and the Mint Green versions come equipped with fluoroelastomer bands, and the White color option features a leather band.
The lug mechanism is a standard 22mm quick release, but the way it's made, we suspect that third-party bands, or regular 22mm bands not made for this watch specifically, won't look as good as the original ones.
The lug mechanism is a standard 22mm quick release, but the way it's made, we suspect that third-party bands, or regular 22mm bands not made for this watch specifically, won't look as good as the original ones.
Another thing to consider is how regularly you are going to use this watch for workouts and sport activities, as the Milanese band isn't the most comfortable thing on a 10K run. The magnetic clasp mechanism, though, is very stable and secure, and the adjustment is quite easy, thumbs up for that.
Xiaomi Watch S4 Software & Features
GPS woes
Just like its bigger sibling, the 41mm version of the Xiaomi Watch S4 relies on the Mi Fitness app to connect to your phone. It works with Android and iPhone devices, and can be found both on the App Store and also in the Google Play Store.
There's NFC on board, and it can be used for payments through Xiaomi Pay, albeit it might not work in your region. The operating system is Xiaomi's HyperOS 3.0, it looks good and works very smoothly.
The pairing process is straightforward; you can scan a QR code with your phone or manually scan for the watch inside the app. Once paired, you get your usual smart features—you can use the watch to make calls (acting as a Bluetooth headset for your phone), receive notifications, and control music on your phone.
There's NFC on board, and it can be used for payments through Xiaomi Pay, albeit it might not work in your region. The operating system is Xiaomi's HyperOS 3.0, it looks good and works very smoothly.
Workout features
The Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm can track over 150 fitness activities, including 17 water sports, 11 outdoor activities, along with dance routines, combat sports, ball sports, winter activities, and more.
The auto-tracking feature gets the most popular ones rather quickly, but if you're up to something, so to speak, you better start the workout manually. We used the watch to track a 5K run in a densely populated area in the city, and the GPS tracking wasn't great. The lock took some time, and we lost some running distance as a result, and the signal wasn't that good either.
The auto-tracking feature gets the most popular ones rather quickly, but if you're up to something, so to speak, you better start the workout manually. We used the watch to track a 5K run in a densely populated area in the city, and the GPS tracking wasn't great. The lock took some time, and we lost some running distance as a result, and the signal wasn't that good either.
In terms of workout data, there's a fair share of it. You get your heart rate, stride, pace, the altitude, and of course the VO2Max index and running ability assessment. The Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm isn't a "running watch" per se but will get the job done.
Sleep tracking
Sleep tracking is your usual affair with different stages—light sleep, deep sleep, REM sleep, and wake-ups. In the morning you get a sleep score out of 100 (100 being the best possible night's sleep) and some guidance on what to improve.
If you wear the watch to bed persistently, you will get a sleep animal, just a little mascot that reflects your sleep habits. Overall, sleep tracking, especially on smartwatches, isn't the most accurate thing out there but can give you a rough idea of your sleep duration and quality.
Health features
In terms of probing your health, the Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm can't go as deep as some other smartwatches on the market, but it covers the basics. There's no ECG, body composition, hypertension measurements, or fancy antioxidant indexes.
What's on board is heart rate tracking, stress assessment, blood oxygen levels, and the new menstrual tracking feature, supported by the temperature sensor. You can aggregate these readings with one single Health Check and it takes about a minute.
So, in terms of health analysis, the Xiaomi Watch S4 can't go as deep as some other smartwatches on the market, but it covers all the basics and does so in a very intuitive and easy-to-understand way.
Xiaomi Watch S4 Battery and Charging
Decent
Being a small and compact version of the regular Watch S4 comes with some disadvantages, and one such disadvantage is the smaller 320 mAh battery inside. Xiaomi cites up to 8 days of light usage and 4 days if you fiddle with the watch more often.
These numbers normally don't include the Always On feature, so we weren't all that surprised to get around 2.5-3 days on a single charge with Always On and regular GPS tracking of about an hour every day.
This is still quite good and much better than your usual Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch, but very far from what Huawei smartwatches offer. There's no wireless charging, which is a pain; the 2-pin magnetic charger is a bit clumsy, and you need it to charge the watch—no Qi support on this one.
This is still quite good and much better than your usual Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch, but very far from what Huawei smartwatches offer. There's no wireless charging, which is a pain; the 2-pin magnetic charger is a bit clumsy, and you need it to charge the watch—no Qi support on this one.
Xiaomi Watch S4 Voice Calls and Haptics
You can make and answer calls on the Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm but you will need Bluetooth connection to do so, as the watch doesn't have cellular connectivity. The mic and loudspeaker are both decent, we didn't have any problems with being heard during a call or hearing the other side.
Haptics are a bit on the weaker side, but you won't miss a call, or an alarm, as the watch is on your hand, after all.
Should you buy it?
The smartwatch scene is quite crowded as it is, so launching a separate size for an already six-month-old series might look illogical and strange. However, the Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm offers something unique no other model from the series has—style.
It's your chance to look stylish and get smartwatch features as a bonus. The core ones are there, and most people don't need more anyway. There's also a bright and crisp display on board, health and fitness tracking, a decent battery life, and attractive pricing as well.
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