Finally the JiaYu S3 has arrived with us and already we have a hands on video and first impressions for you all to take a look at! Enjoy!
The JiaYu S3 came a little later than promised but it is here and below are my first impressions of the phone.
JiaYu S3 hands on and first impressions
The JiaYu S3 is a phone that many of us have been excited about. The specs include a 5.5-inch 1080 display, either 2 or 3GB RAM, LTE and a 64bit Mediatek MT6752 processor. If that wasn’t enough JiaYu have also gone back to the drawing board in terms of design and manufacture giving us this all new JiaYu phone.
First impressions are JiaYu have taken a good long look at Oppo and tried to replicate parts of what Oppo are doing themselves. It is evident in the design of the phone (not dissimilar to the Find 7) and even the ROM which looks like a port of ColourOS.
Gizchina News of the week
It is interesting to get my hands on the JiaYu S3 as this is the first flagship JiaYu that I have tried that isn’t flaunting a full stainless steel body. The S3 has a plastic body which I assume is faster to make, but it is evident that JiaYu haven’t mastered the art of a good plastic phone. Even compared to the Ulefone Be Pro if feels as if something is lacking which just manages to take away the ‘Wow’ factor the phone deserves.
Still it is a sturdy phone, lightweight and comfy to hold and the specification is killer. Hopefully camera quality, performance and that feature packed ColorOS ROM will help to bring everything together.
Video: JiaYu S3 hands on and first impressions
JiaYu S3 Specifications
[table id=185 /]
The JiaYu S3 arrived later than expected at the office so that’s all for now. Tomorrow I’ll post up some much better photos along with benchmarks to see what this MT6752 octacore processor is capable of!
Plz test the GPS. JiaYu says is the best , and compare it to other phones.
Against the Ulefone Be Pro if you please.
plz test of camera asap !
Finally! I can’t wait for more videos and tests Andi, keep it up!
Encore, encore 🙂
Hi Andi.
kindly review
1.Camera
2.GPS
3.Battery
thanks
Hi Andi.
kindly review
1.Camera
2.GPS
3.Battery
4.speaker
thanks
LTE rly bands B3 B7 B20? Check pls, thx.
also please check if 3G WCDMA 850MHZ is enabled
Is it possible to change between FDD/TDD frequency bands? Or are they different versions of the s3?
Usually, all available bands are active by default. You should use engineering menu to disable the ones you don’t need. Doing that you’ll obtain a bit more responsive data connection and a bit less battery drain
Appeared firmware for S3 WCDMA
(mt6752_h560_s3w_jyt_cc_kk_lte_5m-cs_mul_tphone).
Probably there are different versions of phones.
The flimsy back cover is not a con in my opinion. I had some sturdy back cover on a phone and it was harder to take off and eventually broke this probably won’t.
In addition i think it probably helps the phone to be thinner, when attached to the phone you won’t probably feel that its that thin.
Do you think the instruction manual will be as good as that of the Ulefone Be Pro’s ?
And what do you think about ECOO Aurora ? I think it might be a great competitor for 2GB version of jiayu.
Camera test at 17min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxrRfZAOozM
Please Andi, compare it with Meizu M1 Note!
I have mentioned it already in the other post, but I will post it here also (other people might be interested).
“Also test the call quality of the phone and the speakers. Some Chinese users have complaints about these matters.
For example, in a noisy environment, a Chinese user have said that is very difficult to hear each other voices.”
Absolutely we need to make quality calls – agreed.
Andi it is looking like meizu are the ones with the killer phone in this segment. It seems to be best quality and best value for money .
AndI you stated the body was made of plastic but it says alloy on your table.
Can’t wait for more!!
FINALLY , IT’S ALLLLIIIVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!!!,
Do you have any plan to review Tcl memeda 3n and compare it with Jiayu s3?
You mean this one:
http://www.merimobiles.com/tcl-m2m-meme-da-3n-5-5inch-fhd-mt6752-octacore-1-7ghz-16gb-lte-nfc_p/meri10727.htm
Yes
I’ve never heard of it before you mentioned it.
It has the same soc, storage, camera module but bigger battery. Also memda is thinner. Display also looks better. I hope that gizchina will review memeda 3n(tcl m2m).
Probably they want to sell it just in China … maybe it will have just Chinese LTE.
Plz test the GPS. JiaYu says is the best , and compare it to other phones.
Against the Ulefone Be Pro if you please.
plz test of camera asap !
Finally! I can’t wait for more videos and tests Andi, keep it up!
Encore, encore 🙂
Hi Andi.
kindly review
1.Camera
2.GPS
3.Battery
thanks
Hi Andi.
kindly review
1.Camera
2.GPS
3.Battery
4.speaker
thanks
LTE rly bands B3 B7 B20? Check pls, thx.
also please check if 3G WCDMA 850MHZ is enabled
Is it possible to change between FDD/TDD frequency bands? Or are they different versions of the s3?
Usually, all available bands are active by default. You should use engineering menu to disable the ones you don’t need. Doing that you’ll obtain a bit more responsive data connection and a bit less battery drain
Appeared firmware for S3 WCDMA
(mt6752_h560_s3w_jyt_cc_kk_lte_5m-cs_mul_tphone).
Probably there are different versions of phones.
The flimsy back cover is not a con in my opinion. I had some sturdy back cover on a phone and it was harder to take off and eventually broke this probably won’t.
In addition i think it probably helps the phone to be thinner, when attached to the phone you won’t probably feel that its that thin.
Do you think the instruction manual will be as good as that of the Ulefone Be Pro’s ?
And what do you think about ECOO Aurora ? I think it might be a great competitor for 2GB version of jiayu.
Please Andi, compare it with Meizu M1 Note!
I have mentioned it already in the other post, but I will post it here also (other people might be interested).
“Also test the call quality of the phone and the speakers. Some Chinese users have complaints about these matters.
For example, in a noisy environment, a Chinese user have said that is very difficult to hear each other voices.”
Absolutely we need to make quality calls – agreed.
Either that screen looks bad or you have some kind of white balance problem with the camera you shot it with. Since the battery’s green look off too I think it’s the latter.
Andi it is looking like meizu are the ones with the killer phone in this segment. It seems to be best quality and best value for money .
AndI you stated the body was made of plastic but it says alloy on your table.
Can’t wait for more!!
FINALLY , IT’S ALLLLIIIVVVVEEEEEEE!!!!!!,
Do you have any plan to review Tcl memeda 3n and compare it with Jiayu s3?
You mean this one:
http://www.merimobiles.com/tcl-m2m-meme-da-3n-5-5inch-fhd-mt6752-octacore-1-7ghz-16gb-lte-nfc_p/meri10727.htm
Yes
I’ve never heard of it before you mentioned it.
It has the same soc, storage, camera module but bigger battery. Also memda is thinner. Display also looks better. I hope that gizchina will review memeda 3n(tcl m2m).
Probably they want to sell it just in China … maybe it will have just Chinese LTE.
well, iocean M6752 is now selling at $199.9 with 3GB ram. Jiayu S3 is kinda over priced imo.
Not terribly, especially given that it has 40% more battery. This iocean would hardly make the day.
BTW you can find S3 3gb at $210-$220 pre-sale all over the place. I would gladly give $10-$20 if it meant 40% more battery (battery is one of the primary reasons that make a phone good or bad).
Are you waiting for the 3GB Jiayu S3 Steff ?
Not for me (I already have a phone with which I’m happy), but I will buy it for a friend of mine. So yes I’m waiting for it, I think it’s the best bang for buck phone maybe in the whole wide world right now…
I’m considering it or maybe Meuizu M1 Note, not sure which ?
Only problem with the Meizu is less ram (to me given how ram heavy android is, the more ram the merrier, it allows for smoother experience) and possibly the non removable battery (if you’re into this kind of thing). Apart from those it’s an excellent choice as well, possibly with a better build quality too (but that remains to be seen). Still I’d opt for S3 because as I said I love to have as much ram as possible (it allows me to lock/keep the launcher in memory, keep frequently used apps always loaded, etc).
Thanks for that, makes sense.
plus for S3: better rear camera, removable battery, NFC (only advanced version), 3GB (only advanced version), gorilla glass 3 OGS display
What exactly does NFC allow for ?
1. contactless payments
2. fast handshake with BT headset (Sony SBH50), camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40), smart tv (LG LA7400), …
3. quick file sharing (from google gallery, while you’re watching a picture, just take another NFC smartphone very close)
4. Save small amount of data, like your own VCF card to quickly share with your customers/suppliers
5. (my favourite) launch macros, using app like Trigger or Llama
Sounds good, thanks.
That was just a partial list. In Milan for example you can use it to store your metro ticket, you go inside the tube just moving the smartphone over the check area. In the future you could use to open doors as a key, switch lights, control medical intruments…
Ah nice, never been to Milan have been to many other parts though including Sardinia and Sicily 🙂
They don’t need metro, over there life is slower … 😉
Very true.
Either that screen looks bad or you have some kind of white balance problem with the camera you shot it with. Since the battery’s green look off too I think it’s the latter.
I agree with you Andi; it lacks the wow factor. The style is so old and very common.
Which phone will you buy then ?
Andi you said in the video there was OTA Updates. So will Lollipop be delivered OTA ?
well, iocean M6752 is now selling at $199.9 with 3GB ram. Jiayu S3 is kinda over priced imo.
Not terribly, especially given that it has 40% more battery. This iocean would hardly make the day.
BTW you can find S3 3gb at $210-$220 pre-sale all over the place. I would gladly give $10-$20 if it meant 40% more battery (battery is one of the primary reasons that make a phone good or bad).
Are you waiting for the 3GB Jiayu S3 Steff ?
Not for me (I already have a phone with which I’m happy), but I will buy it for a friend of mine. So yes I’m waiting for it, I think it’s the best bang for buck phone maybe in the whole wide world right now…
I’m considering it or maybe Meuizu M1 Note, not sure which ?
Only problem with the Meizu is less ram (to me given how ram heavy android is, the more ram the merrier, it allows for smoother experience) and possibly the non removable battery (if you’re into this kind of thing). Apart from those it’s an excellent choice as well, possibly with a better build quality too (but that remains to be seen). Still I’d opt for S3 because as I said I love to have as much ram as possible (it allows me to lock/keep the launcher in memory, keep frequently used apps always loaded, etc).
plus for S3: better rear camera, removable battery, NFC (only advanced version), 3GB (only advanced version), gorilla glass 3 OGS display
Thanks for that, makes sense.
What exactly does NFC allow for ?
1. contactless payments
2. fast handshake with BT headset (Sony SBH50), camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40), smart tv (LG LA7400), …
3. quick file sharing (from google gallery, while you’re watching a picture, just take another NFC smartphone very close)
4. Save small amount of data, like your own VCF card to quickly share with your customers/suppliers
5. (my favourite) launch macros, using app like Trigger or Llama
Sounds good, thanks.
That was just a partial list. In Milan for example you can use it to store your metro ticket, you go inside the tube just moving the smartphone over the check area. In the future you could use to open doors as a key, switch lights, control medical intruments…
Ah nice, never been to Milan have been to many other parts though including Sardinia and Sicily 🙂
They don’t need metro, over there life is slower … 😉
Very true.
I agree with you Andi; it lacks the wow factor. The style is so old and very common.
Which phone will you buy then ?
Andi you said in the video there was OTA Updates. So will Lollipop be delivered OTA ?
JiaYu is no longer in the top tier of Chinese phone manufacturers in my book. Before even knowing the quality of the plastics, I always felt that the S3’s design (and apparently also their new skin) is…derivative. I applaud companies like UMi and IUNI for making phones that have a distinctive look.
Which phone would you choose then to buy within the next month or two ?
I’m ingrigued by the Elephone P7000 (see https://www.gizchina.com/2014/12/22/elephone-p7000-specifications/ ), but since I’m not sure about their manufacturing prowess I’m going to wait and see what the build quality is like once it gets in people’s hands.
P7000 will be 2+ times more expensive, I think that S3 and P7000 target different buyers …
It’s listed at $200 here: http://www.elephone.cc/elephone-p7000.html — I don’t think the S3 will launch at $100 😉
P7000
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Herald-Original-Elephone-P7000-MT6752-64bit-Octa-Core-4G-LTE-Cellphone-3GB-Ram-16GB-Rom-5/32267395237.html
S3
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-JIAYU-S3-FDD-LTE-4G-WCDMA-Android-4-4-MT6752-Octa-Core-1-7Ghz-2GB/32251122929.html
P7000 = S3 + metal body + fingerprint scanner
I think S3 will be $100+ cheaper 🙂
The P7000 is way overpriced on AliExpress (the list price is $199.99). I wouldn’t get it for over $200.
P7000 is better speced phone so I just wonder will I be able to buy it from europe for $200 ‘cos I would 🙂
Damn, now I see P7000 doesn’t support LTE band 20 (800Mhz)
If you need LTE 800 MHz, then you should consider the Doogee Turbo Mini F1 as it apparently supports FDD-LTE bands 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz (source: https://www.gizchina.com/2015/01/31/doogee-turbo-mini-f1-cheap-offers-global-network-support/ ).
Doogee turbo have MT6732 and is 4.5″ + 1GB Ram, 4.5″ is to small for me. Elephone will be released in april 🙁 according to http://www.elephone.hk/newproduct.html I don’t know if I’ll wait for another 2 months for P7000, I’m interested in fingerprint scanner and how it works, in my country LTE is 800/1800/2600 so if I choose a phone without 800 support, fingerprint scanner should be great. Hope to see P7000 vs S3 video review here on gizchina 🙂
Andi says the body is plastic, and I trust what he says, however checking SPE Mall they still have the body listed as metal in the spec list. It is a shame if it is indeed plastic body.
JiaYu is no longer in the top tier of Chinese phone manufacturers in my book. Before even knowing the quality of the plastics, I always felt that the S3’s design (and apparently also their new skin) is…derivative. I applaud companies like UMi and IUNI for making phones that have a distinctive look.
Which phone would you choose then to buy within the next month or two ?
I’m ingrigued by the Elephone P7000 (see http://www.gizchina.com/2014/12/22/elephone-p7000-specifications/ ), but since I’m not sure about their manufacturing prowess I’m going to wait and see what the build quality is like once it gets in people’s hands.
P7000 will be 2+ times more expensive, I think that S3 and P7000 target different buyers …
It’s listed at $200 here: http://www.elephone.cc/elephone-p7000.html — I don’t think the S3 will launch at $100 😉
P7000
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Herald-Original-Elephone-P7000-MT6752-64bit-Octa-Core-4G-LTE-Cellphone-3GB-Ram-16GB-Rom-5/32267395237.html
S3
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Original-JIAYU-S3-FDD-LTE-4G-WCDMA-Android-4-4-MT6752-Octa-Core-1-7Ghz-2GB/32251122929.html
P7000 = S3 + metal body + fingerprint scanner
I think S3 will be $100+ cheaper 🙂
The P7000 is way overpriced on AliExpress (the list price is $199.99). I wouldn’t get it for over $200.
P7000 is better speced phone so I just wonder will I be able to buy it from europe for $200 ‘cos I would 🙂
Damn, now I see P7000 doesn’t support LTE band 20 (800Mhz)
If you need LTE 800 MHz, then you should consider the Doogee Turbo Mini F1 as it apparently supports FDD-LTE bands 800/1800/2100/2600 MHz (source: http://www.gizchina.com/2015/01/31/doogee-turbo-mini-f1-cheap-offers-global-network-support/ ).
Doogee turbo have MT6732 and is 4.5″ + 1GB Ram, 4.5″ is to small for me. Elephone will be released in april 🙁 according to http://www.elephone.hk/newproduct.html I don’t know if I’ll wait for another 2 months for P7000, I’m interested in fingerprint scanner and how it works, in my country LTE is 800/1800/2600 so if I choose a phone without 800 support, fingerprint scanner should be great. Hope to see P7000 vs S3 video review here on gizchina 🙂
Andi says the body is plastic, and I trust what he says, however checking SPE Mall they still have the body listed as metal in the spec list. It is a shame if it is indeed plastic body.
When is review ready? I hope before Chinese new year :))
Bought a zopo zp920 for my wife, Really impressed with it, design, camera quality etc., and it can be bought for a lot cheaper than 299$ as stated here.
When is review ready? I hope before Chinese new year :))
Bought a zopo zp920 for my wife, Really impressed with it, design, camera quality etc., and it can be bought for a lot cheaper than 299$ as stated here.