Ever since i first wrote about the JiaYu G3 I’ve wanted to get my hands on one of these great looking phones to see if it was actually worth all the hype, well that day has finally come and today my JiaYu G3 review phone arrived! Keep reading for the hands on video!
The JiaYu G3 in the photos and video isn’t mine to keep unfortunately, but I would like to give the great guy’s over at Uredeal a big thanks for lending me this black G3 to review. If you want to pick up a JiaYu G3 then I recommend heading over to the Uredeal store here.
JiaYu G3 Specification
You should all know the JiaYu G3 specification by now, but if not let me give you a quick run through of the great features it has to offer.
Gizchina News of the week
The JiaYu G3 has a 4.5 inch IPS display with Gorilla glass scratch resistant treatment and HD resolution of 1280 x 720. A dual-core MT6577 CPU clocked at 1Ghz along with 1GB RAM run the show, and Android ICS 4.0 comes installed as standard.
Both front and rear cameras are pretty impressive with the front being a 2 mega-pixel unit and the rear an 8 mega-pixel shooter which sits along side a rather powerful LED flash.
The body of the G3 sports an alloy front with plastic chassis and rear which measures in a rather stout 10.8mm within which an absolutely huge 2750mAh battery sits.
Other great features include dual-sim standby, Micro SD card reader, Gyroscope, GPS, Wifi and Bluetooth!
JiaYu G3 Unboxing and hands on video!
JiaYu G3 hands on photos
I’ll make another hand on video with the JiaYu G3 once I have loaded some benchmark apps and games on to it.
I look forward to the next review. In about a month I should get the same phone. 🙂
Too bad the MTK6589 phones are coming out soon. I think a G3S with a MTK6589 is PERFECT!
BTW I have been seeing on the usual resellers that the Jiayu G2S is packing a MTK6577T. Any idea on differences from the normal 6577, or is it some sort of typo error?
I’ve also bought on uredeal. I have my Jiayu G3 about one week. This is great phone.
I’m really surprised it feels great, it’s fast and the screen is amazing!
I’m thinking of buying one as well. Is it really fast? I’m worried that the PowerVR 531 might not be enough for that 720p screen… Plus it doesn’t have Jelly Bean yet…
hello Andi!
we were so much waiting for the G3 review by you.
You said the Jiayu feels better made than umi x1..
I am really sceptical about the feel of G3 and x1. It has to do both with the dimension (they may look a bit huge in a girl’s hand) and the materials and build quality. So, i would really like to hear some extras and your opinion on these, in the following review.
Thank you again!
Ok no problem (do I have girl’s hands?) 😉
haha… no, you don’t have girl’s hands, but I have.
I am just worried about the feeling of G3 in my hands, and if this feeling is importantly different for umi x1.
So sad to read “3G: WCDMA 2100MHZ” only … Wonder how all that pre-ordered this phone react to that.
Really? 2100 only? I choose this phone because I read it supports 900MHz (here in Poland we have free internet working on 900MHz). Where did you find this information?
Look at the specs on the uredeal-page… And i have seen this on other sites with specs as well..
Hi Andi!
Thanks for video! Please could you test GPS? X1 has problems with GPS and I´m wondering how it is with the G3.
Thank you!!
yes, the GPS it’s important to me too. I use OSM Maps or Navitel.
Hi Andi,
Can upload the Video for Rooting Jy-G3.
That would be great.
Do you mean this one?
Video how to root jiayu g3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVAQJnW10g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Please, test the battery and external speaker. Thk
Thanks Andi for the video. It would be interesting to see the comparison between g3 and x1 in terms of battery life. As we have already seen the mediocre battery life of Nexus 4 with the amazing hardware specs
If the 2750mAh is real, then its a no-show, as the X1 is 1750mAh. Everything else is literally identical.
Battery Capacity is not the only factor which determines battery life of the phone. For example, both Nexus 4 and Optimus G has the same specification including battery, but there a big difference between the battery life.
I believe the 1000mAh difference in unbranded batteries is not a big difference in the actual usage of the phone. Waiting for Andi’s detailed review to see how big the difference actually is.
Hi Andi
Nice to see a review of the same model phone as I ordered from UreDeal on 11/09/2012. It looks cool and the good news is that my phone has been shipped today only had to wait 2 months and 9 days. Now all I have to do is to wait the normal shipping time hopefully around 10-15 days.
Did you cancel your order or are you also still waiting? Would it be possible to do Umi X1 vs Jiayu G3 comparison of main features like camera picture quality, GPS time to fist fix, battery life etc. Keep on with the good work
PS do you know if Jiayu intend to support Jelly Bean on this phone
Hi Andi!
Gorilla glass is really in the G3?
I’m awaiting your review!
But it won’t be that exclusive, many of us (non-chinese) already have this phone for like 1-3 weeks now. I got it a week ago, and postage took ~18 days.
It was well worth the wait!
I look forward to the next review. In about a month I should get the same phone. 🙂
Too bad the MTK6589 phones are coming out soon. I think a G3S with a MTK6589 is PERFECT!
BTW I have been seeing on the usual resellers that the Jiayu G2S is packing a MTK6577T. Any idea on differences from the normal 6577, or is it some sort of typo error?
I’ve also bought on uredeal. I have my Jiayu G3 about one week. This is great phone.
I’m really surprised it feels great, it’s fast and the screen is amazing!
I’m thinking of buying one as well. Is it really fast? I’m worried that the PowerVR 531 might not be enough for that 720p screen… Plus it doesn’t have Jelly Bean yet…
hello Andi!
we were so much waiting for the G3 review by you.
You said the Jiayu feels better made than umi x1..
I am really sceptical about the feel of G3 and x1. It has to do both with the dimension (they may look a bit huge in a girl’s hand) and the materials and build quality. So, i would really like to hear some extras and your opinion on these, in the following review.
Thank you again!
Ok no problem (do I have girl’s hands?) 😉
haha… no, you don’t have girl’s hands, but I have.
I am just worried about the feeling of G3 in my hands, and if this feeling is importantly different for umi x1.
So sad to read “3G: WCDMA 2100MHZ” only … Wonder how all that pre-ordered this phone react to that.
Really? 2100 only? I choose this phone because I read it supports 900MHz (here in Poland we have free internet working on 900MHz). Where did you find this information?
Look at the specs on the uredeal-page… And i have seen this on other sites with specs as well..
Hi Andi!
Thanks for video! Please could you test GPS? X1 has problems with GPS and I´m wondering how it is with the G3.
Thank you!!
yes, the GPS it’s important to me too. I use OSM Maps or Navitel.
Hi Andi,
Can upload the Video for Rooting Jy-G3.
That would be great.
Do you mean this one?
Video how to root jiayu g3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVAQJnW10g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Please, test the battery and external speaker. Thk
Thanks Andi for the video. It would be interesting to see the comparison between g3 and x1 in terms of battery life. As we have already seen the mediocre battery life of Nexus 4 with the amazing hardware specs
If the 2750mAh is real, then its a no-show, as the X1 is 1750mAh. Everything else is literally identical.
Battery Capacity is not the only factor which determines battery life of the phone. For example, both Nexus 4 and Optimus G has the same specification including battery, but there a big difference between the battery life.
I believe the 1000mAh difference in unbranded batteries is not a big difference in the actual usage of the phone. Waiting for Andi’s detailed review to see how big the difference actually is.
Hi Andi
Nice to see a review of the same model phone as I ordered from UreDeal on 11/09/2012. It looks cool and the good news is that my phone has been shipped today only had to wait 2 months and 9 days. Now all I have to do is to wait the normal shipping time hopefully around 10-15 days.
Did you cancel your order or are you also still waiting? Would it be possible to do Umi X1 vs Jiayu G3 comparison of main features like camera picture quality, GPS time to fist fix, battery life etc. Keep on with the good work
PS do you know if Jiayu intend to support Jelly Bean on this phone
Hi Andi!
Gorilla glass is really in the G3?
I’m awaiting your review!
But it won’t be that exclusive, many of us (non-chinese) already have this phone for like 1-3 weeks now. I got it a week ago, and postage took ~18 days.
It was well worth the wait!
i’m so excited about this phone. hope someone in the Philippines sells this amazing phone. looking forward to your next hands on review 🙂
pare, i ordered this amazing phone too.waiting for it to reach my doorsteps.Im also from the Philippines.
bro, where did u order?
Nice Vid Andi! I wish they get this in my country and sell it locally like they did to Ainol.
Great work Andi, eagerly waiting for the full review, also can you mention the Jiayu G3’s SAR value
What is the thickness of this phone?
2cm? 🙁
Do anyone with Jiayu G3 have experienced with strange humming sound when plug 3rd party stereo headset ? I found this problem with my JIAYU G2 and JIAYU G2+ (MTK6577)
Hum….$210? I think I’ll pass…I’m saving money to buy Newman N2.
Yes same here. Until some store has it for below $200, prices seem a bit high because of shortages now I think.
Newman N2 should be fully stocked and available in December so I’m still weighing my options based on prices for both.
anyone that has already received their jiayu g3 can mention the SAR value of the phone, mobile radiation is a concern for me
i’m so excited about this phone. hope someone in the Philippines sells this amazing phone. looking forward to your next hands on review 🙂
pare, i ordered this amazing phone too.waiting for it to reach my doorsteps.Im also from the Philippines.
bro, where did u order?
Nice Vid Andi! I wish they get this in my country and sell it locally like they did to Ainol.
Do you recommend any store or vendor Aliexpress?
Great work Andi, eagerly waiting for the full review, also can you mention the Jiayu G3’s SAR value
What is the thickness of this phone?
2cm? 🙁
Do anyone with Jiayu G3 have experienced with strange humming sound when plug 3rd party stereo headset ? I found this problem with my JIAYU G2 and JIAYU G2+ (MTK6577)
Hum….$210? I think I’ll pass…I’m saving money to buy Newman N2.
Yes same here. Until some store has it for below $200, prices seem a bit high because of shortages now I think.
Newman N2 should be fully stocked and available in December so I’m still weighing my options based on prices for both.
anyone that has already received their jiayu g3 can mention the SAR value of the phone, mobile radiation is a concern for me
Do you recommend any store or vendor Aliexpress?
Get your review here:
http://tweakers.net/productreview/67560/jiayu-g3-zwart.html
Use google translate.
Cheers for that 🙂
Get your review here:
http://tweakers.net/productreview/67560/jiayu-g3-zwart.html
Use google translate.
Cheers for that 🙂
Does this phone work with Verizon Wireless in the USA? Are these knockoff phones really any good?
Its not a knockoff phone, but yes they are very good depending what phone it is. If there is a lot of information and reviews, its probably a good trustworthy phone.
But I read somewhere that none of these chinese made phones will work in the USA on Verizon Wireless; is that not true?
Good Night
I am from Portugal. I waited two months for the mobile phone, it arrived yesterday and was worth the wait is an amazing mobile phone. better than I was expecting. fantastic build quality. my next phones will come from china. and believe this brand in the future will be strong in the world market
What is the SAR level for Jiayu G3?
Does this phone work with Verizon Wireless in the USA? Are these knockoff phones really any good?
Its not a knockoff phone, but yes they are very good depending what phone it is. If there is a lot of information and reviews, its probably a good trustworthy phone.
But I read somewhere that none of these chinese made phones will work in the USA on Verizon Wireless; is that not true?
Good Night
I am from Portugal. I waited two months for the mobile phone, it arrived yesterday and was worth the wait is an amazing mobile phone. better than I was expecting. fantastic build quality. my next phones will come from china. and believe this brand in the future will be strong in the world market
What is the SAR level for Jiayu G3?
How does the screen compare to the Umi X1? In a lot of the youtube videos I’ve seen of the G3 the screen appears noticably brighter and more colourful compare to other phones like the HDC S3 and Newman N1. I like the styling of the X1 much better than the G3 and as specs are so similar it may come down to the screen.
How does the screen compare to the Umi X1? In a lot of the youtube videos I’ve seen of the G3 the screen appears noticably brighter and more colourful compare to other phones like the HDC S3 and Newman N1. I like the styling of the X1 much better than the G3 and as specs are so similar it may come down to the screen.
Christmas has come early I only had to wait from September 11th until today but finally my Jiayu G3 has arrived. So far the screen is great camera seems good but not fully tested. I will try using GPS and other features later today
How do you find the thickness? In all of the videos I have seen it looks quite chunky. Haven’t seen any side by side comparisons with other phones.
Hi Ed
It is a bit of a chunky monkey but the battery seems to keep on going. It does not look as elegant as a S3 or the Umi X1.
Tried rooting the thing and found that the TecHideki guide not so good if you have Windows 7. I could not get the MT65xx pre-loader driver to install, tried on 2 PC’s. But there is a simpler way. View this Utube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVAQJnW10g. It refers to an xda-developer thread by Bin4ry
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1886460
this worked without a problem and has less chance of bricking the phone as it is not loaded through a firmware install.
The GPS took an age to fix, tried gps status app no good, tried waiting for google maps to get location, failed. Then tried installing and using Z – Device Test by ZAUSAN Innovación Tecnológica fixed after about 2 minutes tested today took 86 seconds to first fix. This may not seem good but on my previous phone using Android 2.3.4 it took over 10 minutes to get a first fix.
Overall very impressed with the phone the screen is very clear and bright, mp3 player sounds great, main camera good, front camera quality is OK and the gps actually works. Tried antutu test and got overall score of 5721 but I do not know whether that is good or bad.
Christmas has come early I only had to wait from September 11th until today but finally my Jiayu G3 has arrived. So far the screen is great camera seems good but not fully tested. I will try using GPS and other features later today
How do you find the thickness? In all of the videos I have seen it looks quite chunky. Haven’t seen any side by side comparisons with other phones.
Hi Ed
It is a bit of a chunky monkey but the battery seems to keep on going. It does not look as elegant as a S3 or the Umi X1.
Tried rooting the thing and found that the TecHideki guide not so good if you have Windows 7. I could not get the MT65xx pre-loader driver to install, tried on 2 PC’s. But there is a simpler way. View this Utube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVAQJnW10g. It refers to an xda-developer thread by Bin4ry
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1886460
this worked without a problem and has less chance of bricking the phone as it is not loaded through a firmware install.
The GPS took an age to fix, tried gps status app no good, tried waiting for google maps to get location, failed. Then tried installing and using Z – Device Test by ZAUSAN Innovación Tecnológica fixed after about 2 minutes tested today took 86 seconds to first fix. This may not seem good but on my previous phone using Android 2.3.4 it took over 10 minutes to get a first fix.
Overall very impressed with the phone the screen is very clear and bright, mp3 player sounds great, main camera good, front camera quality is OK and the gps actually works. Tried antutu test and got overall score of 5721 but I do not know whether that is good or bad.
I got my Jiayu G3 about ten days ago. I was very much impressed by everything – build quality, battery life and especially the beautiful bright display….. UNTIL 2 days ago the screen started flashing random coloured lines and is now totally useless. Still trying to get the seller to respond to my questions. EVERYONE SHOULD BE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PHONE AND ITS MERCHANTS!
I got my Jiayu G3 about ten days ago. I was very much impressed by everything – build quality, battery life and especially the beautiful bright display….. UNTIL 2 days ago the screen started flashing random coloured lines and is now totally useless. Still trying to get the seller to respond to my questions. EVERYONE SHOULD BE A LITTLE SKEPTICAL WHEN IT COMES TO THIS PHONE AND ITS MERCHANTS!
Do i need to do anything to this phone to make it work in the UK?
Do i need to do anything to this phone to make it work in the UK?
Hi, I hope someone can help with the following issue. I have purchased Jiayu G3 and since it has standard 3.5 mm headset jack I decided not to purchase original headset. I have tried several types of headsets/headphones (from blackberry, nokia, samsung, etc.) and most of them work (in a sense that I can hear music playing) but I cannot get the media control button(s) to work (play/pause/skip/volume +/-).
I then decided to purchase Philips SHE7005A headset which works specifically with Android devices and has a special app (Philips Headset) to customize medial control button (can be programmed to do different actions for each click). However the headset does not seem to work with N821. The volume is very low and the media button does not work. I have also tried on Amoi N821 and the volume is fine but there is no way to use the one click button even with the Philips Headset App installed.
My only guess is that the connector/wires/etc. are specifically designed on Jiayu / Amoi and hence not all headphones work. It is also common on other devices as for instance Nokia headphones don’t work on Samsung, etc.
My question is – does anyone know of a headset that works well on Jiayu G3 and/or Amoi N820/N821 and has media control button(s) for play/pause/skip and change volume?
I was thinking about buying a-Jays One+ or Klipsch but I do not wish to waste money if they don’t work. I have checked with Etotalk (where I purchased the phone) and they say that even the original headset does not support media control 🙁
I am now very frustrated since I wanted the phone to be a multimedia device especially a music player and I need media controls when cycling, running, etc.
Sorry for the long post and many thanks in advance for any helpful advice!
There is no reason for it to not work. Android phones do not use 3 button control. They use 1 button control. 1 click to play/pause, 2 clicks to next, n 3 clicks 2 prev. no inline volume control, use phone volume rocker. Except some proprietary Sony ericsson mobiles, almost all android phones behave this way. I have tried multiple samsung/htc phones with multiple earphones and there are no problems with any of them.
Anyways, just to test if this is a Jiayu problem, use a single button control earphone, install the Klipsch headset control app and set it up. Philips app may be using some proprietary shit….I can vouch for Kipsch app.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I have tried installing Klipsch app and tested with Philips, Blackberry, HTC and no-name headset and unfortunatelly still does not work. I obviously did not test with Klipsch headset but I am now quite confident this is a Jiayu G3 hardware issue.
The single button function does not respond to any action. Also tested on Amoi N821 and nothing. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has a similar issue?
I have the same problem, headset button answers calls but does not control music with any app, I use ttpod. Did you find any solution?
Unfortunately no. I have tried every possible headset, ROM, media player, etc. but nothing seems to work. I did read some articles on the original Jiayu forum that seem to suggest a hardware issue and a possible workaround that requires re-wireing the headset but did not try. It is quite frustrating that such simple feature does not work whilst everything else works perfectly fine (including GPS, etc.). You can obviously use BT but I prefer wired headset. I purchased BYZ-S500 headset that you can use to control volume (because it has a volume slide button) but still cannot play/pause/skip. Note that my gf has Amoi N821 and controls also don’t work so my guess is that it’s a MTK 6577 issue. I wonder if it has been resolved on Jiayu G4 model. There is a review on this site but I did not manage to find the answer.
Hi, I hope someone can help with the following issue. I have purchased Jiayu G3 and since it has standard 3.5 mm headset jack I decided not to purchase original headset. I have tried several types of headsets/headphones (from blackberry, nokia, samsung, etc.) and most of them work (in a sense that I can hear music playing) but I cannot get the media control button(s) to work (play/pause/skip/volume +/-).
I then decided to purchase Philips SHE7005A headset which works specifically with Android devices and has a special app (Philips Headset) to customize medial control button (can be programmed to do different actions for each click). However the headset does not seem to work with N821. The volume is very low and the media button does not work. I have also tried on Amoi N821 and the volume is fine but there is no way to use the one click button even with the Philips Headset App installed.
My only guess is that the connector/wires/etc. are specifically designed on Jiayu / Amoi and hence not all headphones work. It is also common on other devices as for instance Nokia headphones don’t work on Samsung, etc.
My question is – does anyone know of a headset that works well on Jiayu G3 and/or Amoi N820/N821 and has media control button(s) for play/pause/skip and change volume?
I was thinking about buying a-Jays One+ or Klipsch but I do not wish to waste money if they don’t work. I have checked with Etotalk (where I purchased the phone) and they say that even the original headset does not support media control 🙁
I am now very frustrated since I wanted the phone to be a multimedia device especially a music player and I need media controls when cycling, running, etc.
Sorry for the long post and many thanks in advance for any helpful advice!
There is no reason for it to not work. Android phones do not use 3 button control. They use 1 button control. 1 click to play/pause, 2 clicks to next, n 3 clicks 2 prev. no inline volume control, use phone volume rocker. Except some proprietary Sony ericsson mobiles, almost all android phones behave this way. I have tried multiple samsung/htc phones with multiple earphones and there are no problems with any of them.
Anyways, just to test if this is a Jiayu problem, use a single button control earphone, install the Klipsch headset control app and set it up. Philips app may be using some proprietary shit….I can vouch for Kipsch app.
Hi, thanks for your reply. I have tried installing Klipsch app and tested with Philips, Blackberry, HTC and no-name headset and unfortunatelly still does not work. I obviously did not test with Klipsch headset but I am now quite confident this is a Jiayu G3 hardware issue.
The single button function does not respond to any action. Also tested on Amoi N821 and nothing. It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has a similar issue?
I have the same problem, headset button answers calls but does not control music with any app, I use ttpod. Did you find any solution?
Unfortunately no. I have tried every possible headset, ROM, media player, etc. but nothing seems to work. I did read some articles on the original Jiayu forum that seem to suggest a hardware issue and a possible workaround that requires re-wireing the headset but did not try. It is quite frustrating that such simple feature does not work whilst everything else works perfectly fine (including GPS, etc.). You can obviously use BT but I prefer wired headset. I purchased BYZ-S500 headset that you can use to control volume (because it has a volume slide button) but still cannot play/pause/skip. Note that my gf has Amoi N821 and controls also don’t work so my guess is that it’s a MTK 6577 issue. I wonder if it has been resolved on Jiayu G4 model. There is a review on this site but I did not manage to find the answer.
“I’ll make another hand on video with the JiaYu G3 once I have loaded some benchmark apps and games on to it.”
Any news on this?
Had to send the JiaYu back to those who lent it to me 🙁 doesn’t look like I’ll get a chance now…..
“I’ll make another hand on video with the JiaYu G3 once I have loaded some benchmark apps and games on to it.”
Any news on this?
Had to send the JiaYu back to those who lent it to me 🙁 doesn’t look like I’ll get a chance now…..
Why is nobody answering the questions about the SAR value. Andi pls talk about that
There is no info on this
Why is nobody answering the questions about the SAR value. Andi pls talk about that
There is no info on this
And thus a legend was born……
And thus a legend was born……