Xiaomi officially unveiled the Xiaomi Watch S4 and Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro at its October launch event in China, upgrading two of its best smartwatches with handy new features.
The Watch S4 sticks to the interchangeable bezel design introduced on the Xiaomi Watch S3 and now adds more bezel and case color options to choose from. You now have the choice of black, silver or black rainbow models and also offers an eSIM model to give the Watch S4 additional standalone connectivity.
The devices were announced alongside the Xiaomi 15 series phones, Xiaomi Pad 7 tablets and HyperOS 2 operating system.
Besides the additional colors, Xiaomi is also introducing a rotating crown to provide another way to scroll through screens and messages. The crown is attached to an aluminum case with the option of stainless steel or a two-tone ceramic bezel to further enhance the look of the S4.
Front and center is a 1.43-inch AMOLED display with a promised peak brightness of 1,500 nits, which is a dramatic jump from the 600 nits offered on the Watch S3.
Xiaomi also includes what it calls a “wet screen protector,” designed to prevent accidentally waking up the screen when you’re caught in the rain or sweaty.
Xiaomi
The wearable runs on Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2 operating system, which enables features like new gesture controls to activate Xiaomi smart home devices, will allow you to control smart home automation scenes and also adjust features like temperature, music playback and seat heating in a Xiaomi car.
The eSIM version lets you take calls and stream music without your phone, and benefits from dual microphones to drown out background noise like wind. New intercom and walkie-talkie modes have even been added.
You have access to over 150 sport modes, with dual frequency GPS to improve outdoor tracking accuracy. A dedicated ski mode and running lessons are among the other notable features.
There is an optical sensor to track heart rate and blood oxygen levels, with a promised 98.2% accuracy level for heart rate tracking.
Battery life is estimated at 15 days or 5 days with heavy use. This drops to 7 days for the e-Sim version or 3 days in case of intensive use.
Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro
The Watch S4 was joined by the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro, which is actually the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 with a larger screen.
Available in four different colors, the Band 9 Pro packs a 1.74-inch AMOLED display, which is actually the same size as that of the Band 8 Pro.
This screen offers a maximum brightness of 1,200 nits and is surrounded by an aluminum casing with the possibility of changing the straps for something less sporty.
Xiaomi
In terms of features, it offers built-in GPS, which is one of the biggest differences between the Band 9 and the Band 9 Pro.
There are over 150 sports modes to choose from, an optical heart rate sensor that promises 98% tracking accuracy, and improvements in sleep tracking accuracy over the previous Band Pro.
It also runs HyperOS 2, with built-in NFC to replace transit cards, and offers access to third-party apps like the Watch S4. Battery life is rated at 21 days, which drops to 10 days with the screen set to always-on mode.
It looks like the longer battery life, increased screen brightness, a few more looks, and promised fitness and health tracking improvements will be the Smart Band 8’s biggest wins Pro.
Price and release dates
The Xiaomi Watch S4 is now on sale in China with a starting price of 999 Chinese Yuan, which equates to around £108. The Smart Band 9 Pro is unsurprisingly a cheaper buy and is on sale for 399 Chinese yuan, which equates to £43.
There’s no news yet on a wider release and it’s likely that prices will end up being slightly higher than the conversions above when they land further out.
It’s highly likely that some of the announced features, like smart home integration and e-SIM support, won’t make the cut for global releases when they’re officially announced, but we look forward to know if they will be.
