Watch S4 Sport is Xiaomi’s take on the rugged watch concept
Xiaomi has made official the Watch S4 Sport at the 2024 Lei Jun annual speech earlier today. The device was announced alongside the Xiaomi Smart Band 9.
The rather chunky looking timepiece is the first dedicated outdoors sports watch from the Chinese tech giant. Watch S4 Sport boasts a circular OLED display encased in a titanium frame, with sapphire crystal protection for both the front and back. The device features a fully functional crown complemented by up and down buttons, offering intuitive control.
On-board is a substantial 586mAh battery. And the device supports 10W charging and prioritizes power efficiency.
Running on the pre-installed HyperOS, the Watch S4 Sport incorporates eSIM technology for standalone use, as well as NFC and comprehensive GNSS capabilities. At its core lies the UNISOC W117 chip, a 22nm processor designed to handle demanding tasks.
This is a timepiece that is built for the outdoors. What’s interesting is that Suunto algorithms provide software support such as the lactate threshold test. The watch also packs comprehensive navigational features. This includes offline mapping, route navigation and backtracking.
To underscore their collaboration, Xiaomi and Suunto have released a promotional video highlighting their partnership on the Watch S4 Sport. You can see it below.
Black and orange strap options are available and the pricing starts at around $200. At the moment the watch is only available in China. No word yet when international availability will begin.
Building on the S3’s Legacy
The Xiaomi Watch S3, released less than a year ago, set a high bar for its successor. In my hands-on review, I note its stylish design, interchangeable bezels, and extensive watch face options. The S3 strikes balance between fashion and function. It offers reliable GPS tracking, accurate heart rate monitoring, and detailed performance metrics at a competitive price point.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
While the Watch S3 is clearly a solid device, there’s room for enhancement in the S4 model. Some features users might hope to see include skin temperature tracking, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) monitoring, compatibility with external heart rate straps, and enhanced smartwatch capabilities. While the S3 has a lot going for it, I did mark these things as negatives in my review.
The Xiaomi Watch S4 has the potential to build upon the strengths of its predecessor while addressing some of its limitations. The Sport variant seems to be the answer to Apple’s Watch Ultra and the newly released Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra.
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