Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4 Review: Big, Budget & Beautiful

Worth When Reviewed

Unavailable within the US

Greatest Costs Right this moment: Redmi Watch 4

£89.99

Redmi’s remit isn’t to make smartwatches which are going to knock the Apple Watch or the Samsung Galaxy Watch off their perch. Xiaomi’s smartwatch is made for those that don’t wish to spend a number 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 wiser smartwatch than its predecessor.

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

Take a look at our chart of the greatest 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 obtainable in both obsidian black or silver gray case seems to be and that case is comprised of 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 may have brighter strap choices right here, and the way in which you take away straps from the case is very easy.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

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 undecided why Redmi opted in opposition to a extra conventional clasp setup. 

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

A 47.5mm case dimension means it does sit large 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, however it didn’t really feel like a chunky beast to put on, even on my skinny wrists.

It’s a fairly streamlined look usually, with a single, rotating watch crown-style button which you’ll be able to press to wake the display up, get into the app display and, return to the primary watch display and twist to scroll by means of the UI.

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

Display & Audio 

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

Packed into that 47.5mm case is a fairly sizeable, 1.97-inch AMOLED touchscreen that gives a 60Hz refresh price 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 vibrant and there’s no horrible large 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 regulate the show brightness, and toggle the properly responsive raise-to-wake gesture help. The always-on show help offers you the choice to schedule or use the good mode to both set when that always-on mode is in use, or let the watch determine for you when it’s enabled.

If you wish to make calls with the Redmi Watch 4, that’s an choice. You simply must ensure you’ve obtained your telephone 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 characteristic to have, although unsurprisingly you’ll discover much more polished calling help on extra premium smartwatches. 

Software program & Options 

• HyperOS
• Emergency contact mode
• Appropriate 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 fairly constant expertise throughout each smartphone platforms.

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

The watch software program runs comparatively easily and is simple to get round too, with good, large widgets and principal 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 by means of 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 regulate settings like notification help or how deciding how intently you wish to monitor blood oxygen ranges.

It additionally permits you to connect 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 aid because it’s not at all times a given at this worth.

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

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

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Redmi presents an emergency SOS mode characteristic to place the onboard microphone and speaker to added use, which has similarities to modes which have cropped up on different smartwatches and sports activities watches.

It permits you to triple-press the crown to ship an alert to emergency contacts if you happen to get into hassle. Like comparable modes on different watches, the shortage of LTE connectivity means you want to have the watch paired to your telephone to fireside out these alerts.

Health & Monitoring 

• OSupports over 150 sports activities modes
• Tracks coronary heart price and blood oxygen ranges
• Contains built-in GPS

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

There’s help for over 150 completely different sports activities modes (the identical because the Watch S3) and that covers working, biking, swimming, climbing, skipping and in addition has profiles for all the things from fight sports activities to crusing.

Like many smartwatches that supply an abundance of sports activities modes, it’s the core ones which are going to provide the richer metrics, whereas ones like Zumba are going to maintain metrics right down to coronary heart price and exercise length.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

For runners, there’s built-in GPS, and preloaded working exercises if you happen to don’t know what an interval exercise ought to appear to be, whereas it usefully contains some warm-up workouts to comply with earlier than you get shifting. That GPS efficiency carried out okay, however I discovered that different smartwatches round this worth can supply higher out of doors monitoring accuracy total. This actually isn’t going to provide 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 could actually monitor coaching load, in order that’s how a lot you’re exercising largely based mostly on coronary heart price. There’s additionally Vitality Scores, which appears to operate similarly to PAI Well being scores, which you’ll discover on Amazfit watches and can rating you based mostly on partaking in a specific amount of train every week.

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

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

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

In the event you’re extra occupied with having a smartwatch that may double up as a Fitbit, to deal with monitoring every day step counts and allotting sleep knowledge, then this watch can try this as nicely. There’s a devoted exercise monitoring widget with inactivity reminders to nudge you to maintain shifting. I discovered every day step counts typically in step with different health trackers I wore alongside the Watch 4.

When it’s time to trace sleep, it is going to assess sleep high quality, observe length and sleep phases, coronary heart price 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 in opposition to, although coronary heart price 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 very good battery efficiency, however how far it may go is dependent upon 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 by means of a day and may comfortably get by means of over per week between expenses. Typical use battery life is touted at 20 days, and in an effort to get that you just’re going to should 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 can push the battery to a month and doesn’t simply limit you to having the ability to verify in on the time. It can nonetheless maintain the accelerometer movement sensor in play so you may nonetheless observe your every day steps.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Whenever 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 nicely over an hour to go from 0-100%.

The standby efficiency is powerful right here, so if it’s disconnected out of your telephone, it holds that cost nicely 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 out there instantly from the Mi retailer or from retailers like Amazon UK.

Presently, Redmi Watches aren’t on sale within the US, if you happen to attempt to purchase them instantly from the US Mi.com web site.

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

Take a look at our listing of the most effective smartwatches to see options.

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Mike Sawh

Must you purchase the Xiaomi Redmi Watch 4?

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

In the end although, once you evaluate it to different smartwatches that sit in and across the Redmi Watch 4’s worth, I’m not satisfied you might be getting the most effective smartwatch expertise out there, particularly if you happen to 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 supply extra bang to 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 price sensor
• Blood oxygen sensor
• Bluetooth calls
• Sleep monitoring
• Stress monitoring