Not only did Xiaomi announce the next-gen Smart Band 9 during CEO Lei Jun’s annual speech, but it also pulled back the curtain on the Watch S4 Sport and a collaboration with Suunto.
It’s an intriguing twist from the Chinese brand – before now, we’ve never seen it try and deliver something for the outdoor watch market, but the S4 Sport does so at a relative snip at 1,999 CNY (around £200/$275) compared to established players like Garmin and Polar.
All the high-end materials you would expect are present, too. The body is titanium right down to the rotating crown, while Xiaomi also noted how the display and rear of the case feature a sapphire crystal glass covering.
There are no obvious gaps in the features, either.
It’s dive-rated to 40m, has dual-frequency GNSS for precise location, offline mapping and route navigation with backtracking, eSIM support for making calls, SOS and severe weather alerts, and specific workout profiles for trail running, climbing, mountaineering, and skiing.
Xiaomi’s HyperOS is still running the show, and its own existing algorithms for metrics such as VO2 max will still be used, with the partnership with Suunto instead appearing to help with one-off insights like lactate threshold.
Like with all Xiaomi products that arrive in China first, there’s no telling when – or even if – the Watch S4 Sport will make it across to the UK, Europe, and beyond.
But we’re keen to try this one out; it’s a different direction from Xiaomi and a resurgent Suunto guiding its efforts, at least on paper, would appear very positive. Stay tuned for more over the coming weeks and months, as we’ll be diving into the full specs and features as they’re revealed.
