So the JiaYu G3 has become the must have phone for a lot of people due to the low price and excellent specification, but with JiaYu not yet having a network licences even those of us with preorders could be waiting a while for our G3’s to arrive! So how about a JiaYu G3 alternative?
The UMi X1 offers the same great specification as the JiaYu G3 but in a slimmer Xiaomi M1 inspired body! In fact if you wanted to some up the UMi X1’s design I would have to say it looks like a Xiaomi M1s Ninja!
But it’s the hardware we care about with these low cost Chinese super phones, so what does the UMi X1 have to offer? Well if you know the spec of the JiaYu G3 you already know the UMi X1’s specification, if you don’t it looks a little like this.
A dual-core MediaTek MTK MT6577 CPU, 1GB RAM 4GB ROM, 8 mega-pixel rear camera, 2 mega-pixel front camera, and dual-sim support all stuffed in to a rather good-looking 8.5mm thin body!
As most G3 customers are concerned with screen size and resolution I can put you’re mind at ease and report that the UMi X1 offers the same numbers as the JiaYu G3, meaning you get a 4.5 inch display with a retina like resolution of 1280 x 720!
Gizchina News of the week
So what we have here is basically a JiaYu G3 but packed in to a much much thinner, and some would argue, more stylish body, so are there any disadvantages to buying the UMi X1 over the G3? We’ll yes there is at least one!
As the body of the UMi X1 is so thin it is physically impossible for it to have a huge 2750 mAh battery like the G3, and instead has a much smaller 1750 mAh battery, which isn’t going to last as well through the day!
However what the UMi X1 lacks in battery life it makes up in low price and is actually priced a little cheaper than the G3 in China at 888 Yuan ($139) and as this phone hasn’t seen as much excitement on the web as the G3, many online resellers are advertising the X1 much cheaper than the comparable UMi phone!
So if you want to be a little different and grab a bargain while still getting JiaYu G3 levels of performance take a look at the UMi X1!
You can visit the official UMi X1 site here.
is it in stock ?
When UMI X1 will be releasing? From where I can buy it at lowest price?
The lack of battery isn’t a problem for me…
Looking at the spec, like andy said it’s the same thing.
So it’s really a mater of how much you use a phone.
I barely use mine so this sound perfect for me.
yep ill get this one, battery doesnt matter as long as replaceable, i used to bring 2-3 spares battery everyday
I think this one will be a good deal, in specific case. Firstly of course the usage, the more intense you use the phone with heavy use like browsing, etc. You will find the battery capacity is lacking, especially considering dual-sim phone is more power hungry. Secondly, the popularity, although it isn’t really a “promise”, but popular android phone tends to have tons, and I really mean TONS of ROMS you can tinker all the time and guarantees a partially updated OS every time due to a lot of people working on their own ROM and firmware. Yes they need to have the unlocked boot loader, but popular phone like Jiayu supposed to release one.
The bright side is, if you don’t have a hobby tinkering android phone like me, and you don’t care that much on updating the OS, with low usage on data, I think this phone might be a good deal. Just my 2 cents 🙂
For now there doesn’t seem to be a reliable source of information on this phone’s 3G WCDMA support, with different suppliers listing differnet fequencies.
The phone is made by a company called Vinus who also make Android tablets. Their website seems to be down at the moment.
Also, more than likely the screen on this does not have gorillas glass which is a big minus point.
However, I’ve already purchased my new phone, so this phone isn’t an option for me.
Does this also have a Gorilla Glass Screen.
Is the LCD an IPS panel ?
in their website http://m.shuame.com/index.php/specifications
the glass is japan agc.
i think is asahi glass, this glass as strong as gorrila glass
I’d rather have more battery life than having it slimmer. At this point the phones are already slim enough.
There is one other difference other than battery size/thickness of phone.
And that is the location of the BACK button. On the UMI it is on the left of the Home button. On the Jiayu G3 it is on the right. There is no consistency on Android phones. The obvious place is on the left.
Left side is always back and right side is always forward. Just like the pages on a book. I like both phones though. Buy I will wait for MT6588 chip in 2013.
CHEAPER?
When it originally launched in China it was available for a special price of 888 Yuan, the G3 is 899 🙂
Hi Andy,
I am from India. How can I order online.
Thanks.