The $25 Redmi Band 4 is here but the upgrades are modest

The Redmi Band 4 has arrived in China, and Xiaomi hasn’t changed a huge amount this time around. There’s a slightly nicer design, a longer maximum battery life claim and the same familiar screen, all for around $25.

The Band 4 sits at the very bottom of Xiaomi’s fitness tracker range. It’s aimed at people who want the basics, without spending much money or worrying about charging their wearable every few days. There’s nothing particularly ambitious here, but at this price there doesn’t really need to be.

A familiar screen with a slightly nicer finish

At first glance, you’d be hard-pressed to tell the Redmi Band 4 apart from the Band 3. The screen is exactly the same, a 1.47-inch TFT LCD with a 172 x 320 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate and 450 nits of brightness. So nothing new to report there.

Xiaomi has made a few tweaks to the design, though. There’s now a metallic-looking frame around the edges and slightly curved 2.5D glass over the screen. The strap also has a new textured finish, along with an updated fastening that’s supposed to keep the band more securely on your wrist.

You can get it in black or silver. It’s also put on a tiny bit of weight, going from 16.5 grams to 18 grams without the strap. Not that you’re likely to notice an extra 1.5 grams on your wrist.

Battery life looks better on paper

Xiaomi says the Redmi Band 4 can keep going for up to 21 days on a single charge. That sounds pretty good, especially considering the Band 3 was rated for 18 days. But there’s a bit of a catch.

The 21-day figure is for lighter use, with some of the health tracking features dialled down. Keep those running regularly, including overnight, and Xiaomi says you can expect around eight days instead. That’s probably a more realistic number for most people.

And here’s where the comparison gets a little tricky. The Band 3 was rated for 18 days with typical use and nine days with heavier use. So Xiaomi isn’t really comparing like with like here. Both bands also have the same 300mAh battery, which means we shouldn’t assume the new model will last much longer in everyday use.

As for health tracking, there’s not much new to talk about. You still get continuous heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen measurements, stress and sleep tracking, plus women’s health features. There are also 50 sports modes, covering everything from running and cycling to table tennis. And with 5ATM water resistance, you can take it swimming.

The usual smartwatch extras are here too. You can check notifications, set alarms, look at the weather, control music and choose from more than 100 watch faces. In China, there’s also support for QR-code payments through WeChat and Alipay.

One thing we haven’t seen confirmed is NFC. QR-code payments don’t need it, so don’t take the presence of WeChat and Alipay as a sign that you’ll be able to tap your wrist to pay at a checkout. For now, that’s still an open question.

When can you get it?

Redmi Band 4 has just gone on sale in China for 169 yuan, which is roughly $25. That’s a small increase over the 159 yuan launch price of Band 3.

No international release date for now. Xiaomi has brought earlier Redmi bands outside China, including the Redmi Smart Band 2, so a wider release is expected.

Looking back at the original Redmi Band from 2020, which launched for just $14, the range has certainly come a long way. We actually reviewed the Redmi Smart Band Pro back in 2021 and came away reasonably impressed with what Xiaomi was offering for the money. It wasn’t perfect, particularly when it came to syncing, but it was a solid budget fitness tracker at the time.

For someone buying their first fitness tracker, Redmi Band 4 looks like a reasonable option at this price. Existing Band 3 owners, on the other hand, probably won’t find enough here to justify upgrading.