JiaYu S3 hands on and first impressions

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.

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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.

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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

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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!

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About the author
Andi

- Simon
  January 27, 2015
tom
January 27, 2015
plz test of camera asap !
Marco Lancaster
January 27, 2015
- Simon
  January 27, 2015
- coop
  January 27, 2015
  also please check if 3G WCDMA 850MHZ is enabled
- bobbels
  January 28, 2015
  Is it possible to change between FDD/TDD frequency bands? Or are they different versions of the s3?
  - Demetrio
    January 28, 2015
    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
  - On_NeedRom
    January 29, 2015
    Appeared firmware for S3 WCDMA
    (mt6752_h560_s3w_jyt_cc_kk_lte_5m-cs_mul_tphone).
    Probably there are different versions of phones.

RobertNL
January 27, 2015
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.
Simon
January 27, 2015
Do you think the instruction manual will be as good as that of the Ulefone Be Pro’s ?

RoS
January 27, 2015
And what do you think about ECOO Aurora ? I think it might be a great competitor for 2GB version of jiayu.
Lion
January 27, 2015
Camera test at 17min https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxrRfZAOozM
edroid
January 27, 2015
Please Andi, compare it with Meizu M1 Note!

Jason45
January 27, 2015
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.”
- Simon
  January 28, 2015
saor
January 27, 2015
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 .
Mesterio
January 27, 2015
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!!!!!!,
Paap
January 27, 2015
Do you have any plan to review Tcl memeda 3n and compare it with Jiayu s3?
- Simon
  January 28, 2015
  - - - Paap
        January 30, 2015
        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).
        Demetrio
        January 30, 2015
        Probably they want to sell it just in China … maybe it will have just Chinese LTE.
Spyros
January 27, 2015
- Guest
  January 27, 2015
tom
January 27, 2015
plz test of camera asap !
Marco Lancaster
January 27, 2015
- Guest
  January 27, 2015
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  also please check if 3G WCDMA 850MHZ is enabled
- bobbels
  January 28, 2015
  Is it possible to change between FDD/TDD frequency bands? Or are they different versions of the s3?
- Demetrio
  January 28, 2015
  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
- Guest
  January 29, 2015
  Appeared firmware for S3 WCDMA
  (mt6752_h560_s3w_jyt_cc_kk_lte_5m-cs_mul_tphone).
  Probably there are different versions of phones.

RobertNL
January 27, 2015
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.
Guest
January 27, 2015
Do you think the instruction manual will be as good as that of the Ulefone Be Pro’s ?

Guest
January 27, 2015
And what do you think about ECOO Aurora ? I think it might be a great competitor for 2GB version of jiayu.
edroid
January 27, 2015
Please Andi, compare it with Meizu M1 Note!

Jason45
January 27, 2015
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.”
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
desponent
January 27, 2015
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.
saor
January 27, 2015
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 .

Mesterio
January 27, 2015
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!!!!!!,
Guest
January 27, 2015
Do you have any plan to review Tcl memeda 3n and compare it with Jiayu s3?
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
- I’ve never heard of it before you mentioned it.
- Guest
  January 30, 2015
  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).
- Demetrio
  January 30, 2015
  Probably they want to sell it just in China … maybe it will have just Chinese LTE.

TheCrazyLanny
January 28, 2015
well, iocean M6752 is now selling at $199.9 with 3GB ram. Jiayu S3 is kinda over priced imo.
- Stef
  January 28, 2015
  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).
  - Simon
    January 28, 2015
    - Stef
      January 28, 2015
      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…
      - Simon
        January 28, 2015
        Stef
        January 28, 2015
        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).
        
        Simon
        January 28, 2015
        Thanks for that, makes sense.
        Demetrio
        January 28, 2015
        plus for S3: better rear camera, removable battery, NFC (only advanced version), 3GB (only advanced version), gorilla glass 3 OGS display
        Simon
        January 28, 2015
        What exactly does NFC allow for ?
        
        Demetrio
        January 28, 2015
        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
        Simon
        January 28, 2015
        Demetrio
        January 28, 2015
        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…
        
        Simon
        January 28, 2015
        Ah nice, never been to Milan have been to many other parts though including Sardinia and Sicily 🙂
        Demetrio
        January 28, 2015
        They don’t need metro, over there life is slower … 😉
        Simon
        January 28, 2015
desponent
January 28, 2015
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.

ksafan0
January 28, 2015
I agree with you Andi; it lacks the wow factor. The style is so old and very common.
- Simon
  January 28, 2015
Simon
January 28, 2015
Andi you said in the video there was OTA Updates. So will Lollipop be delivered OTA ?
TheCrazyLanny
January 28, 2015
well, iocean M6752 is now selling at $199.9 with 3GB ram. Jiayu S3 is kinda over priced imo.
- Stef
  January 28, 2015
  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).
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  Are you waiting for the 3GB Jiayu S3 Steff ?
- Stef
  January 28, 2015
  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…
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  I’m considering it or maybe Meuizu M1 Note, not sure which ?
- Stef
  January 28, 2015
  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).
- Demetrio
  January 28, 2015
  plus for S3: better rear camera, removable battery, NFC (only advanced version), 3GB (only advanced version), gorilla glass 3 OGS display
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  Thanks for that, makes sense.
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  What exactly does NFC allow for ?
- Demetrio
  January 28, 2015
  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
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  Sounds good, thanks.
- Demetrio
  January 28, 2015
  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…
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  Ah nice, never been to Milan have been to many other parts though including Sardinia and Sicily 🙂
- Demetrio
  January 28, 2015
  They don’t need metro, over there life is slower … 😉
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
ksafan0
January 28, 2015
I agree with you Andi; it lacks the wow factor. The style is so old and very common.
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
Guest
January 28, 2015
Andi you said in the video there was OTA Updates. So will Lollipop be delivered OTA ?
10basetom
January 28, 2015
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.
- Simon
  January 28, 2015
  - - - January 30, 2015
        The P7000 is way overpriced on AliExpress (the list price is $199.99). I wouldn’t get it for over $200.
        stan
        January 31, 2015
        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)
        February 1, 2015
        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/ ).
        stan
        February 1, 2015
        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 🙂

billybloggs
January 28, 2015
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.
10basetom
January 28, 2015
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.
- Guest
  January 28, 2015
  Which phone would you choose then to buy within the next month or two ?
- 10basetom
  January 29, 2015
  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.
- Guest
  January 29, 2015
  P7000 will be 2+ times more expensive, I think that S3 and P7000 target different buyers …
- 10basetom
  January 30, 2015
  It’s listed at $200 here: http://www.elephone.cc/elephone-p7000.html — I don’t think the S3 will launch at $100 😉
- Guest
  January 30, 2015

JiaYu S3 hands on and first impressions

Gizchina News of the week

Video: JiaYu S3 hands on and first impressions

JiaYu S3 Specifications

Andi

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