Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4 Review: Big, Budget & Beautiful

Greatest Costs At present: Redmi Watch 4

£89.99

Redmi’s remit isn’t to make smartwatches which might be going to knock the Apple Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch off their perch. Xiaomi’s smartwatch is made for those who don’t need to spend plenty of cash on a wearable, however nonetheless need a handsome one together with a easy software program expertise.

With the Watch 4, Xiaomi’s off-shoot is specializing in bettering issues on the design entrance, all whereas making it a better smartwatch than its predecessor.

Whereas Redmi seems to redefine expectations of what a funds smartwatch ought to appear like, it’s additionally about whether or not it’s accomplished sufficient elsewhere to make it value strapping on over different funds smartwatches.

Try our chart of the finest smartwatches to see prime rivals.

Design & Construct

• Is available in gray or black case colors
• Snug, but awkward strap
• 5ATM waterproofing

The Redmi Watch 4 is offered in both obsidian black or silver gray case seems and that case is produced from aluminium versus the plastic construct you’d beforehand affiliate with smartwatches on this worth bracket.

That’s matched up with an identical black or gray TPU strap, however fortunately you might have brighter strap choices right here, and the way in which you take away straps from the case is very easy.

Mike Sawh

It meant I may swap in a extra vibrant blue one, which helps to raise the general look of the Watch 4 however comes at an added expense. The strap clasp, nonetheless, is an unnecessarily fiddly one and I’m unsure why Redmi opted towards a extra conventional clasp setup. 

Mike Sawh

A 47.5mm case dimension means it does sit massive on the wrist, although at simply over 30g it’s not a heavy watch to put on in any respect. It measures 10.5mm thick, so it’s additionally not the slimmest smartwatch on the market both, but it surely didn’t really feel like a chunky beast to put on, even on my skinny wrists.

It’s a reasonably streamlined look generally, with a single, rotating watch crown-style button which you’ll press to wake the display up, get into the app display and, return to the primary watch display and twist to scroll via the UI.

Each the case and strap are match for swims because of a 5ATM water resistance score, which suggests it may be submerged in water as much as 50 metres depth.

Display screen & Audio 

• 1.97-inch AMOLED show
• Helps always-on mode
• Speaker included for Bluetooth calls

Packed into that 47.5mm case is a reasonably sizeable, 1.97-inch AMOLED touchscreen that gives a 60Hz refresh fee and as much as 600 nits most brightness. That does imply a step up in display dimension from the Redmi Watch 3.

The display high quality isn’t the most effective I’ve seen round this worth. It’s actually brilliant and there’s no horrible massive black bezel consuming into the bigger display property. Colors are only a contact washed out, particularly when in comparison with AMOLED shows on some rivals.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Within the devoted show settings on the watch, you may modify the show brightness, and toggle the properly responsive raise-to-wake gesture assist. The always-on show assist offers you the choice to schedule or use the sensible mode to both set when that always-on mode is in use, or let the watch resolve for you when it’s enabled.

If you wish to make calls with the Redmi Watch 4, that’s an possibility. You simply must be sure you’ve obtained your cellphone close by and it’s paired over Bluetooth.

There’s a nice-sized keypad to kind out numbers and the decision high quality is loud and clear sufficient to make it a helpful function to have, although unsurprisingly you’ll discover way more polished calling assist on extra premium smartwatches. 

Software program & Options 

• HyperOS
• Emergency contact mode
• Suitable with Android telephones and iOS

The Redmi Watch 4 runs on Xiaomi’s Hyper OS working system just like the Xiaomi Watch S3, which is appropriate with each Android and iOS, and goals to supply a reasonably constant expertise throughout each smartphone platforms.

I examined it primarily with an iPhone in addition to mixing up a while paired to an Android cellphone and components like pairing, syncing labored effectively typically.

The watch software program runs comparatively easily and is simple to get round too, with good, massive widgets and essential app display, whereas fast settings and notifications are only a swipe away from the primary watch face display.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Redmi doesn’t share processor or RAM data for the Watch 4, however I’d say swiping via screens whereas not spotlessly easy, additionally isn’t terribly laggy both.

The Mi Health companion smartphone app actually isn’t the prettiest wearable companion app round, although it does a ok job of presenting your well being and health stats together with supplying you with someplace to do issues like add and sync over new watch faces and modify settings like notification assist or how deciding how intently you need to monitor blood oxygen ranges.

It additionally means that you can hook up with third-party apps like Strava, Apple Well being and now Suunto to share your well being and health stats throughout different platforms. That’s a reduction because it’s not all the time a given at this worth.

Together with being someplace you may view your cellphone notifications, you can too management music taking part in in your paired smartphone, use a discover my cellphone mode to reunite you along with your cellphone, examine climate and calendar updates, create to-do lists and use the cellphone as a smartphone digicam shutter.

Options you received’t discover right here embrace an app storefront, contactless funds or a music participant. Although, given the worth, that’s hardly shocking.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Redmi provides an emergency SOS mode function to place the onboard microphone and speaker to added use, which is analogous to modes which have cropped up on different smartwatches and sports activities watches.

It means that you can triple-press the crown to ship an alert to emergency contacts for those who get into hassle. Like comparable modes on different watches, the shortage of LTE connectivity means you might want to have the watch paired to your cellphone to fireside out these alerts.

Health & Monitoring 

• OSupports over 150 sports activities modes
• Tracks coronary heart fee and blood oxygen ranges
• Consists of built-in GPS

Redmi needs the Watch 4 to be a smartwatch that may fulfil your well being and health monitoring wishes and it arguably provides extra on this division than it does staple smartwatch options.

There’s assist for over 150 totally different sports activities modes (the identical because the Watch S3) and that covers working, biking, swimming, mountaineering, skipping and in addition has profiles for every thing from fight sports activities to crusing.

Like many smartwatches that supply an abundance of sports activities modes, it’s the core ones which might be going to provide the richer metrics, whereas ones like Zumba are going to maintain metrics all the way down to coronary heart fee and exercise period.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

For runners, there’s built-in GPS, and preloaded working exercises for those who don’t know what an interval exercise ought to appear like, whereas it usefully contains some warm-up workouts to observe earlier than you get shifting. That GPS efficiency carried out okay, however I discovered that different smartwatches round this worth can provide higher outside monitoring accuracy general. This actually isn’t going to offer you sports activities watch-level efficiency. 

Redmi additionally contains a number of the coaching insights you’d affiliate with correct sports activities watches such because the Garmin Forerunner 165. It might probably monitor coaching load, in order that’s how a lot you’re exercising largely primarily based on coronary heart fee. There’s additionally Vitality Scores, which appears to operate in a similar way to PAI Well being scores, which you’ll discover on Amazfit watches and can rating you primarily based on participating in a certain quantity of train every week.

These insights are massively reliant on the optical coronary heart fee sensor on the case again having the ability to monitor your coronary heart precisely. That sensor can moreover additionally monitor blood oxygen ranges.

My expertise when repeatedly monitoring coronary heart fee or utilizing it throughout train wasn’t nice. Common and most coronary heart fee readings have been greater generally in comparison with a coronary heart fee monitor chest strap in addition to extra dependable coronary heart fee monitoring smartwatches and sports activities watches.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

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In the event you’re extra all in favour of having a smartwatch that may double up as a Fitbit, to concentrate on monitoring every day step counts and dispensing sleep knowledge, then this watch can do this as effectively. There’s a devoted exercise monitoring widget with inactivity reminders to nudge you to maintain shifting. I discovered every day step counts typically in keeping with different health trackers I wore alongside the Watch 4.

When it’s time to trace sleep, it can assess sleep high quality, monitor period and sleep phases, coronary heart fee and even seize afternoon naps. It’ll additionally assign you a sleep animal, which you’ll get when you’ve logged seven straight nights of sleep. The info accuracy for components like size of sleep and sleep phases felt dependable in comparison with different sleep trackers I examined it towards, although coronary heart fee monitoring as soon as once more felt very inaccurate.

Battery Life & Charging

• 470mAh battery
• Optimistic battery guarantees
• No quick charging mode

The Redmi Watch 4 places in a superb battery efficiency, however how far it will probably go is determined by what options are in play on a every day and nightly foundation.

There’s a comparatively sizeable 470mAh capability battery beneath that aluminium case that may effortlessly make it via a day and may comfortably get via over every week between costs. Typical use battery life is touted at 20 days, and with a view to get that you simply’re going to must forgo having the show in always-on mode and disable the extra superior steady well being monitoring.

There’s a lengthy battery mode included too, which is able to push the battery to a month and doesn’t simply limit you to having the ability to examine in on the time. It should nonetheless maintain the accelerometer movement sensor in play so you may nonetheless monitor your every day steps.

Mike Sawh

While you do must cost, it’s time to seize that proprietary charging cable to energy it up. There’s no quick charging mode right here, so it takes effectively over an hour to go from 0-100%.

The standby efficiency is powerful right here, so if it’s disconnected out of your cellphone, it holds that cost effectively till you’re able to strap it again on.

Worth & Availability

The Redmi Watch 4 launched globally in January 2024, after initially launch in China in November 2023. Within the UK, you may choose it up for £89.99 and that’s the identical worth for each the black and gray variations.

It’s accessible immediately from the Mi store or from retailers like Amazon UK.

At the moment, Redmi Watches aren’t on sale within the US, for those who attempt to purchase them immediately from the US Mi.com web site.

That sub-£100 worth does put the Watch 4 up towards smartwatches just like the Amazfit Bip 5, the CMF Watch Professional and the Huawei Watch Match Particular Version.

Try our record of the most effective smartwatches to see options.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Do you have to purchase the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4?

The Redmi Watch 4 takes Redmi’s smartwatches in the precise path, particularly when it comes to making this funds possibility appear and feel much less funds on each the {hardware} and software program entrance.

Finally although, while you examine it to different smartwatches that sit in and across the Redmi Watch 4’s worth, I’m not satisfied you’re getting the most effective smartwatch expertise accessible, particularly for those who care extra about these staple smartwatch options.

This nonetheless very a lot sits within the primary smartwatch class that gives some fascinating extras on the health entrance, however comparable watches from the likes of Huawei and Honor provide extra bang in your buck.

Specs

• 1.97-inch, AMOLED always-on show
• 5ATM water resistance score 
• Constructed-in speaker
• Constructed-in GPS
• 470mAh capability battery
• As much as 20 days battery life
• Coronary heart fee sensor
• Blood oxygen sensor
• Bluetooth calls
• Sleep monitoring
• Stress monitoring