Xiaomi Watch S4 (41mm) Review: Where Style Meets Function
The 41mm Xiaomi Watch S4 is a chic smartwatch that will undoubtedly earn the attention of many, mine included. Now, yes – this is the smaller variant of the standard Watch S4, and by that sentiment, it is arguably more feminine. But no judgments here if a man wants to cop this one; it is undeniably very stylish.
Which leads us to the first pro of our Xiaomi Watch S4 (41mm) review…
Pros
Sophisticated Design
The 41mm Watch S4 comes in a variety of straps which, in my opinion, all look very good. The black and mint green colors are made from fluororubber, which will bode better for sports, while the white leather strap will elevate any outfit you throw on.
But the review unit we got was the Sunset Gold with a Milanese strap, and it is stunning. This, for me, earns the most style points out of all the choices. Both the case and the strap are draped in the same shade of gold that exudes elegance and uniformity, suitable for a black-tie event or a high-tea outing. Moreover, the woven mesh on the Milanese strap is finely crafted and, to my relief, doesn’t feel abrasive on the skin even after long hours of wear.
A neat plus point is that the watch is easy to put on. It clips together simply via two magnets, which, to my surprise, don’t budge a millimeter even under vigorous movement.
If style is all you’re looking for, the Sunset Gold is an easy no-brainer.
User-Friendly Functionality
Coming from a completely different smartwatch OS, the Watch S4 did take some getting used to. Most smartwatches usually lead you to either a widget or settings page when you swipe in all four directions – which can admittedly be confusing.
On the Watch S4, Xiaomi has simplified the interface: swiping down pulls down the notification panel, and swiping upwards brings up the widget pages. You can customize your widget selection to your preference. I personally keep it simple with music, sports modes, heart rate, and activity rings all within a swipe, but you can have up to 8 widget pages if you like.
From the home page, swiping right is a dead end, while swiping left shows your selection of downloaded watch faces.
The Watch S4 does have a crown for precise scrolling but doubles as a power button and to bring up the tiles for all available apps on the watch. There’s also a second button beneath the crown to access the quick settings menu.
These are all easy to navigate, and at least for me, the streamlined interface does effectively cut through the clutter and make getting to what I want easier.
Reliable Health Tracking
Health tracking on the Watch S4 is fairly comprehensive and standard. It’s not as well-equipped as those that have ECG tracking or sleep apnea detection – but that’s to be expected, as you usually need to fork out upwards of RM3,000 for those.
The Watch S4 covers the fundamental tracking you’d expect on any smartwatch in this price range. That is, you’ll have heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen readings, and sleep tracking. There’s also skin temperature measurement, which could come in handy to preempt oncoming fevers.
Something I found quite neat was the Checkup feature. By collating data from your heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels, along with certain sleep metrics, the watch provides a quick summary of your physical condition. This is by no means a method for medical diagnosis, but it does at least provide a way to gauge wellness.
While there’s nothing too outstanding, the Watch S4 covers the basics and doesn’t put a foot wrong in that regard.
Impressive Battery Endurance
Packed inside the 41mm Watch S4 is a 340mAh battery, and while it’s not as large as the 486mAh capacity on the standard Watch S4, the 41mm sibling still provides impressive battery endurance.
With AOD, raise-to-wake, and a reasonably graphic-heavy watch face with animations – I comfortably got up to five days of use. The Milanese band isn’t quite suited for sports or workouts, so it sat out during those sessions. I do expect the battery to deplete quicker if you activate sports modes in your routine, more so if it utilizes the built-in dual-band GPS – which is to be expected.
Nevertheless, if you have this exact Sunset Gold model and your primary usage is only for its basic features and style, I’m convinced you can stretch the endurance to a week with a static watch face and AOD turned off.
Cons
No Emoji or Reply Message Support Yet
The year is 2025 and Xiaomi smartwatches still can’t display emojis for some reason. Instead, all you get in its place are empty boxes, and the only way to find out what it is is to view the message on your phone.
It’s not a major flaw, but it is a little irksome and becomes an annoyance, especially when you’re chatting with a heavy emoji user.
Another peeve I have is that you can’t reply to messages directly from the watch – only view them. The screen isn’t large enough for a pop-up keyboard anyway, but selectable pre-written messages would go a long way and come in handy.
Even so, there are plus points when it comes to notifications. One of them is that you can view your WhatsApp messages in full without having the message cut off. Also, the haptics are decent and will certainly grab your attention.
Xiaomi Watch S4 41mm: Should you buy?
The Xiaomi Watch S4 (41mm) starts at RM699 for the variant with fluororubber straps, RM799 for the white leather variant, and RM999 for the Sunset Gold model. Strap variety aside, the Watch S4 is a feature-rich smartwatch positioned at an accessible price point – a theme Xiaomi has mastered over the years.
But combine that with the gold Milanese strap, and elegance is elevated to new heights. I adore the look of the Watch S4, even if the 41mm sizing isn’t quite to my liking. And at those prices, this goes to the top of the list for the best value-for-money smartwatches we’ve reviewed this year.
PriceShop Rating
Best Giler!
✅ Sophisticated design with beautiful Milanese straps
✅ Simplified user interface
✅ Standard health tracking
✅ Impressive battery endurance
❌ Can’t see emojis or reply messages through the watch
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