IUNI U3 Review – high resolution and power at a great price


iuni u3 review

The IUNI U3 isn’t a phone we expect to see many of outside of China, at least for the time being, and that’s a shame. Still here is our review of the flagship 2K phone, which costs only $320 on the Chinese mainland.

Before we begin I need to clear up a few details. The phone we have is a preproduction model and does not seem to support WCDMA networks. As you may have noticed we are spending some time in Europe this year, and so far I have been unable to get the U3 to accept 3G with my SIM. I believe this is down to the phone being a sample, as official specs to mention WCDMA and FDD LTE support. This has caused a problem though in that I have not been able to test the phone as a phone…. Another issue is that IUNI OS, being designed for the Chinese market, has no Google Play support (an installer will be on the way through 3rd party sources though), so I haven’t been a little limited in what I can do.

iuni u3 review

Still there is still plenty to look at, and I plan on revisiting the review once these details are sorted. In the meantime lets take a look at what we can for now.

Who are IUNI?

Before we get in to the nitty gritty of the review lets take a look at IUNI the company. IUNI have actually been around for just under 2 years, but we only started to hear about them early this year when they started to talk about the IUNI U2, their first every smartphone.

At the time of the U2 launch many people compared IUNI to OnePlus, and in fact the two companies are very similar. Just as OnePlus is a spin off from Oppo, IUNI are a new internet brand created with the help of Gionee, however there are some differences.

IUNI

IUNI design all of their own hardware and their own ROM, so they are more similar to Xiaomi in that repeat. OnePlus on the other hand are a marketing company, don’t have their own ROM yet and sell a product made for them by Oppo.

As it stands IUNI don’t have an international audience, but they have expressed their interest in launching abroad and have recently launched an English language ROM, while sources have hinted to us at which company they hope to enter first (its a big one).

So now we know a little about the company, lets take a look at their current flagship.

IUNI U3 Review – Design

Compare the IUNI U3 with the previous IUNI U2 and we have 2 very different phones. Where as the IUNI U2 was a compact device with full ally body, the U3 is larger, and has a plastic body. Some might see the move in materials as a downgrade, but seeing the two phones next to each other the IUNI U3 does look more modern.

The first thing that struck me about the U3 was the overall palm friendly size. For a phone with a 5.5 inch display the U3 is actually pretty small. In fact its about the same size as the Meizu MX4 which as a smaller panel! The table below gives the dimensions of the IUNI U3 compared to similar phones.

[table id=157 /]

As you can see above the U3 is quite competitive on the size front, and even with it’s rather thick overall depth it still manages to feel very comfortable to hold due to the very rounded rear panel. If there was one complaint to make though it is the fact that the phone is rather heavy at 176g, at a lot of that weight is in the top of the phone. Even with the compact size this has led to a few near fatal trips to the floor when the phones balance tips it out of my grip for a second!

With a one-piece aircraft grade magnesium body and plastic shell it does make you wonder what is adding to the weight of the phone. Well the large 3000mAh battery will be part of it, but as that is located lower down in the chassis I am not sure what is making the phone top-heavy.

iuni u3 review

I have to say, I really do like the look of the phone. From the front it is mostly screen, 77% of the face is the 2K panel apparently. The bezels either side of the phone are thin and the upper and lower sections are about as narrow as they can possibly be.

From the display the bezels connect to the alloy frame, only a couple of mm are showing, before the large plastic shell wraps around the back. The phone is rather chunky in the middle, but thankfully the rear has a nice wide arc making it appear and feel thinner.

iuni u3 review

The plastic used is really top quality, and the finish is really nice. It is cold to the touch and has a similar feel to the baby skin coating on the 16GB OnePlus One. The rear is home to the 13 mega-pixel main camera, single LED sim, large speaker grill and IUNI logo.

iuni u3 review

Like many of the phones we have tested recently the rear panel is removable and this time it makes a little more sense. First of all IUNI will be offering optional rear panels for the U3 giving you the choice of style, but the main reason for getting inside is to get at the dual SIM slots. Being a flagship phone with Dual SIM is quite unique still and is part of the reason so many people are looking to this phone. You can also see the large 3000mAh none-removable battery inside too. No, there isn’t a micro SD card slot.

The only controls on the outside of the phone are the power and volume buttons on the right hand side. All other controls are handled by an onscreen navigation bar.

iuni u3 review

Overall I really like the look of the IUNI U3. The shape and design are basic but they have been thought out so well that we are getting a huge screen in a tiny package! Sure it is thick, but you don’t notice this so much thanks to the pillow-like shape for the rear, however the weight is something that gets you as soon as you pick it up.

IUNI U3 Review – Screen

So dual-sim is part of the charm of the U3, but it isn’t the only feature this Chinese smartphone has to boast! The display on the U3 is a 5.5-inch panel, on par in size to the OnePlus One and Oppo Find 7, but the Sharp LTPS here is a second generation panel with 2K resolution!

iuni u3 review

What this means is that along with the extraordinary resolution of 2560 x 1440, and wonderful pixel density of 538ppi, the screen has a few more features up its sleeve.

iuni u3 review

Negative display brightness is one feature of the screen which allows brightness and contrast to increase by %15 and boosts colour saturation to 70%. So it’s a nice bright screen, but it is also more energy efficient! Up to %15 better on batteries apparently!

The new panel also has a self refresh RAM memory which allows the display to do its thing and let the processor handle other operations, helping to improve efficiency and performance of the phone.

iuni u3 review

In use the screen is superb, it really does offer amazing viewing and is a true joy to use, the fact that the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 panel has a 2.5D arc to it also helps you enjoy the screen more too. Instead of being flat the panel on the IUNI has a slight curve to the edges, and has a layer of Canon Optron AF across it, now this might not sound like much but it feels great and when you first get the phone you can’t help touching and stroking your fingers across it. Every played a game on a phone only to find that the surface offer to much grip and friction for slight movements? Not with the IUNI U3 you won’t.

Gizchina News of the week


IUNI U3 Review – Performance

Specifications of the IUNI U3 are amazing! Not just for a phone costing just $320, but for any phone on the market today. On top of the large battery and, stunning 2K display, the U3 boasts a Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor running at a cool 2.3Ghz,, with 3GB LPDDR3 RAM and 32 GB of internal memory.

You will recognise these specs as they are similar to the Xioami Mi3 which also costs $320, and the OnePlus One, however neither of those phones has a 2K panel.

When running benchmarks the 2K display does take it toll on the overall results, but as we are all aware by now, benchmarks don’t really mean anything in the real world. As you would expect from a flagship phone of this year there is no slow down, no lag and gaming performance is top-notch on the U3. It also helps that IUNI OS appears to be well optimised and isn’t full of junk or bloat.

Read Also:  Vivo X90 series with Dimensity 9200 SoC appears on Geekbench

Undergoing all these benchmarks, through daily usage (well without data) and gaming, the U3 only became warm, never hot.

Unfortunately I was unable to perform as many benchmarks as I really wanted, as the phone hasn’t got the Google Play store, still I did get a few apps from 3rd party stores and ran them. Results are below.

IUNI U3 benchmark results

  • Antutu: 37,320 (2K display does eat in to it)
  • Vellamo metal: 1,171
  • Vellamo HTML5: 1,923
  • Quadrant: 19,938
  • Ice Storm Unlimited: 15,042
  • Ice Storm Extreme: Maxed out

IUNI U3 Review – Camera

The rear camera on the IUNI U3 is a 13 mega-pixel Sony model with F2.0 Aperture and OIS optical image stabilisation. This is a good base for any camera which you hope to take good photos with. The camera works through IUNI’s own camera application and uses Arcsoft Algorithm Engine to professionally tune images.

So the camera hardware is up to scratch, but how is it in actual use? Well we have had great results from phones with similar set ups i the past and the U3 is also capable of getting some really nice photos, however the camera app is a little too basic with hardly any options of features.

iuni u3 review

You may have read our Meizu MX4 review last week, well after going from that feature rich, and wonderfully simple to use, camera app, the camera on the IUNI is lacking in features.

Compared to camera apps from Meizu and Vivo the IUNI is seriously lacking behind, we only have HDR, Night mode, Panorama, filters, brightness and we can choose to either use the auto focus or focus where we like and choose an optional light source. What we don’t have are settings to change the size of the images, the exposure, or any number of manual features that otter phones have been offering for a long time.

iuni u3 review

On the one hand this does make the camera nice and simple to use, but on the other hand I have felt I have needed the options as I haven’t been 100% happy with the photos the phone manages or the slow focus. If you need to catch a good photo at a moments notice the U3 isn’t the device for you, not unless future updates improve things.

It is also a bit of a shame to see the phone has just the single LED flash. Although bright and does help quite well for low-light photos, it would have been nice to see a dual tone dual LED flash on the phone.

Were also seeing a similar lack of features in the video department too. Where as most flagship phones now come with 720p slow-motion video or 4K video options there are no such settings in IUNI OS, at least not yet.

IMG_20140907_175533

The Front camera on the U3 is an interesting piece of kit and is in fact a 4 mega-pixel ultra-pixel unit with F2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 2.0 microns. The same features that are available are here too, but panorama is replaced with that all important beauty mode.

IUNI U3 photo samples

 

IUNI U3 Review – Connectivity

Officially specifications list the IUNI U3 as having TDD-LTE bands 38/39/40/41, FDD-LTE, 3 and 7, TD-SCDMA 34, 39, WCDMA, 1,2,5 and GSM 2, 3, 5, 8. Whether any of that works I have no idea as the phone we have seems to only support TD networks. Dual sim supports GSM in one tray and data through the other.

iuni u3 review

I was able to test WIFI, and like the Xiaomi Mi4 and Meizu MX4 the U3 has 2.5G/5Ghz dual band WIFI which runs well through my Xiaomi router. GPS wasn’t really tested as I had not data to navigate with, but lock on time was on par with every other Snapdragon 801 phone we have tried this year.

Bluetooth works too and there is even an FM radio, a feature still very much in demand in some markets but something I have never felt the urge to use.

IUNI U3 Review – Battery

Another piece of the puzzle I couldn’t really test was the battery. Being stuck on WIFI only and no access to 3G and LTE means you get amazing battery life from the LG sourced 3000mAh battery, even with the 2K display turned on full, but that’s not how we use phones is it?

So battery life is going to have to wait until we get working data either by hacking this phone or receiving a device that works on other networks.

IUNI U3 Review – IUNI OS

Meizu have Flyme, Xiaomi MIUI, OPPO ColorOS and IUNI have their own IUNI OS. Based on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, the version of the ROM I am testing is the new dual language option that features English and Chinese.

Translations are fine with no odd English anywhere, but the IUNI app store is still only in Chinese, and all the apps on there only have the Chinese names too. Hopefully the international version of the phone will have Google Play so this won’t be an issue, if not there is still some work needed.

If you read the remarks above about the camera app then you will already have a good idea about the ROM as a whole. IUNI OS is as simple and basic as a ROM can get. It is a beautiful looking rom with wonderfully smooth transitions and animations, and I love the fact there is a new lock screen image overtime I wake up the screen (with the power button there are no quick wake options), but there is a lot that isn’t there.

The basic nature of the ROM does mean that is very clean. Everything works well and it is all candy to the eyes. Allowing the IUNI developers to focus on getting the basics correct was worth it, but the lack of features is a little underwhelming.

Again though the ROM is very new so we are still only seeing it in its infancy. We can expect some great things in the future, and if they keep applying the polish and shine as they have done so far IUNI have the potential to have one of the best looking Chinese ROMS so far!

IUNI OS also handles all the navigation with a simple back, home and menu arrangement onscreen. In certain apps the icons will reduce to just dots on the screen to give you more onscreen space, although I hardly felt the controls took much away as they are really neat and narrow.

If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen the task manager, brightness control and a few useful toggles are displayed on a really pleasing transparent background, swipe down at way it disappears.

IUNI U3 Video Review

IUNI U3 Review – Conclusion

It’s not an easy task starting a smartphone company especially in China where we see some many phone makers come and go year by year. IUNI have done some really remarkable things in the past 10 months. They have launched two phones, released their OS on 11 Chinese phones (including the Mi3 and OnePlus One) and have just release the English version of their ROM.

Its a shame we were unable to fully test every feature on the IUNI U3, but we will get hold of a model with network support for where we are, and also by then we can hopefully get Google Play on the phone too (an installer was available for the U2 so it shouldn’t be long to wait). We will certainly be revisiting IUNI and their products, and with rumours that they could launch a 3rd phone later this year you are sure to hear some more news from them.

 

As for the phone and if you should buy it. If you are in China and can get this phone for the retail price of 1999 Yuan then yes you should give it a try if you want massive specs on a budget. It is an amazing device with huge potential, a lovely screen and big battery.

If you are not in China I would keep a close eye on IUNI as I believe when they finally do launch their products around the world, pricing could be almost as low as Chinese retail prices! But until then you might need to look elsewhere.

Thanks to the folks at IUNI for allowing us to have this IUNI U3 ahead of release. For more information you can visit the IUNI websites.

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112 Comments

  1. Justme
    September 22, 2014

    Very disapointed with my u2
    It never start since i bought it and i can t contact iuni by any mean, so i think this company is not ready for international market.

    • balcobomber25
      September 23, 2014

      To be fair to them they never marketed the U2 as being an international phone, it was meant for China and nothing else.

  2. Simon Hrovatin
    September 22, 2014

    i want a video review please 🙂

  3. Simon Hrovatin
    September 22, 2014

    When can we expect to see a review of xiaomi mi4? Please include a comparison with meizu mx4 in the review.

  4. Matthew Wright
    September 22, 2014

    YES ANDI FINALLY. This is the review that matters most to me, I will enjoy reading your review.
    Which I will do now.
    Thank you.
    Also, what is the slot at the top of the phone, rumors are Micro sd card slot ?

    • September 22, 2014

      Its a phone with great potential, but for now I would only suggest you buy it if you live in China.

      • Matthew Wright
        September 22, 2014

        You just throw a curve ball in to buying the u3.
        I really like the design/specs of this phone, Also the UI looks great at its infant stage’s, the lack of features I hope/believe will come with updates, which will make it at least the same as feature rich miui/flyme with time.

        One of the main reasons I want this over the MX4 is that I’m hoping that the u3 having a Snapdragon CPU will mean that its more open to development, than over the MTK from which I know are normally closed sources. Which means the Snapdragon should have more options for different software miui/CM etc.
        Provided that kernel sources are released and the bootloaders are half open.

        iuni u3 plus points:
        3GB ram
        Snapdragon cpu.
        Better designed phone (my option)
        Cheaper than mx4

        Meizu mx4 plus points:
        Better camera with more options
        Warranty outside of china
        Better 4G support outside china (3g works great here, not needed badly).
        100 more Mah battery than the U3.

        Andi what makes you say that its only worth getting if you currently reside in China, and not a good options for someone like me from the UK?

        • September 22, 2014

          Basically it comes down to:

          Google Play: at this stage it cannot be installed.
          Networks support: currently not supported outside of China.
          Warranty support: Not official outside of China so won’t be much support.

          If this is all sorted soon though, it will be one to go for.

          • Matt Wright
            September 22, 2014

            Have you tried side-loading the playstore apk file either from the internal memory or via ADB commands?
            I’m taking that it has developer options for ADB one way or another!
            Try *#*#452789#*#* in the phone dialer, should bring up some options.

            • September 23, 2014

              Nope I didn’t. Think I’ll save it for when the WCDMA option arrives.

          • Joshua
            October 30, 2014

            Hi Andi – Great reviews of the U3, MX4 and Mi4. Thank you!

            Do you know if Google Play is available on the U3 as an apk like for the Mi4? Or do we still have to roll our own solution for now?

            I’m asking because of the first round of sales from the 29th. Hoping that some of the kinks have been worked-out.

            Best wishes!

        • njren
          September 23, 2014

          Download the latest Flyme 4 firmware from Meizu. It’s a ZIP file, so open it up and see what you can do with it.

  5. Alex
    September 22, 2014

    Would love to see video review. And please, i would love to see IUNI OS review

    • September 22, 2014

      Certainly will do both 😀

  6. Dr Solom
    September 22, 2014

    after i read this review ,i can say i am not satisfied(for the first time with Gizchina)reviews
    i miss some thing,i am always judging any phone from your word but now i can not .
    i have a questition.does the company planning to launch the device globaly and when??
    in comparison to other devices where is that phone??

  7. Allanitomwesh
    September 22, 2014

    Give us a video Andi
    I am digging the dimensions,good show against meizu,and the spec sheet. The ROM is nice,but I would get rid of it for AOSP if the option exists though. I do like that it is bloat free though, that is nice.

    Nice review.Put it on YouTube when you fix 3G.

    • September 22, 2014

      Yup will do, glad you liked it. It is a really nice device, but really is aimed at China for the mo. Once they start thinking internationally we are going to see some amazing stuff 😀

  8. Gilles
    September 22, 2014

    Hi from France, Andi.
    In your opinion, what are currently the 4 best Chinese phones, in order of your preference.

    Thank you for your presentations and comments. This site is a marvel in the world of phone, very sincerely.

    Gilles

    • September 22, 2014

      I can’t say which are the best, but I can tell you the phones I like the most:

      Vivo Xshot
      Vivo Xplay 3S
      Meizu MX4
      Xiaomi Mi4

      • Gilles
        September 23, 2014

        Thank you Andi

  9. Guest
    September 22, 2014

    Very disapointed with my u2
    It never start since i bought it and i can t contact iuni by any mean, so i think this company is not ready for international market.

    • balcobomber25
      September 24, 2014

      To be fair to them they never marketed the U2 as being an international phone, it was meant for China and nothing else.

  10. Simon Hrovatin
    September 22, 2014

    i want a video review please 🙂

  11. Simon Hrovatin
    September 22, 2014

    When can we expect to see a review of xiaomi mi4? Please include a comparison with meizu mx4 in the review.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      Will do them ASAP

  12. Matthew Wright
    September 22, 2014

    YES ANDI FINALLY. This is the review that matters most to me, I will enjoy reading your review.
    Which I will do now.
    Thank you.
    Also, what is the slot at the top of the phone, rumors are Micro sd card slot ?

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      Its a phone with great potential, but for now I would only suggest you buy it if you live in China.

    • Matthew Wright
      September 22, 2014

      You just throw a curve ball in to buying the u3.
      I really like the design/specs of this phone, Also the UI looks great at its infant stage’s, the lack of features I hope/believe will come with updates, which will make it at least the same as feature rich miui/flyme with time.

      One of the main reasons I want this over the MX4 is that I’m hoping that the u3 having a Snapdragon CPU will mean that its more open to development, than over the MTK from which I know are normally closed sources. Which means the Snapdragon should have more options for different software miui/CM etc.
      Provided that kernel sources are released and the bootloaders are half open.

      iuni u3 plus points:
      3GB ram
      Snapdragon cpu.
      Better designed phone (my option)
      Cheaper than mx4

      Meizu mx4 plus points:
      Better camera with more options
      Warranty outside of china
      Better 4G support outside china (3g works great here, not needed badly).
      100 more Mah battery than the U3.

      Andi what makes you say that its only worth getting if you currently reside in China, and not a good options for someone like me from the UK?

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      Basically it comes down to:

      Google Play: at this stage it cannot be installed.
      Networks support: currently not supported outside of China.
      Warranty support: Not official outside of China so won’t be much support.

      If this is all sorted soon though, it will be one to go for.

    • Matt Wright
      September 22, 2014

      Have you tried side-loading the playstore apk file either from the internal memory or via ADB commands?
      I’m taking that it has developer options for ADB one way or another!
      Try *#*#452789#*#* in the phone dialer, should bring up some options.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      Nope I didn’t. Think I’ll save it for when the WCDMA option arrives.

    • Guest
      September 23, 2014

      Download the latest Flyme 4 firmware from Meizu. It’s a ZIP file, so open it up and see what you can do with it.

    • Guest
      October 30, 2014

      Hi Andi – Great reviews of the U3, MX4 and Mi4. Thank you!

      Do you know if Google Play is available on the U3 as an apk like for the Mi4? Or do we still have to roll our own solution for now?

      I’m asking because of the first round of sales from the 29th. Hoping that some of the kinks have been worked-out.

      Best wishes!

  13. President Putin
    September 22, 2014

    Amazing review!

    Thanks for including IUNI history as well. I will request you to mention SAR values of Mobiles, if possible, even if it is a self declared value by the manufacturing company.

    • September 23, 2014

      I have no idea what the SAR is on the IUNI sorry.

      • President Putin
        September 23, 2014

        No, I didn’t mean for IUNI particularly. I wish that you should include SAR values for every review, if they are mentioned somewhere. I have noticed that some manufacturers mention SAR on box or below the battery.

        Thanks for replying!

  14. Guest
    September 22, 2014

    Would love to see video review. And please, i would love to see IUNI OS review

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      Certainly will do both 😀

  15. Dr Solom
    September 22, 2014

    after i read this review ,i can say i am not satisfied(for the first time with Gizchina)reviews
    i miss some thing,i am always judging any phone from your word but now i can not .
    i have a questition.does the company planning to launch the device globaly and when??
    in comparison to other devices where is that phone??

  16. kaskuser
    September 22, 2014

    hi andi can you test ois feature?
    you can test by take video when running.
    are video still focus?
    thanks

  17. Allanitomwesh
    September 22, 2014

    Give us a video Andi
    I am digging the dimensions,good show against meizu,and the spec sheet. The ROM is nice,but I would get rid of it for AOSP if the option exists though. I do like that it is bloat free though, that is nice.

    Nice review.Put it on YouTube when you fix 3G.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      Yup will do, glad you liked it. It is a really nice device, but really is aimed at China for the mo. Once they start thinking internationally we are going to see some amazing stuff 😀

  18. Guest
    September 22, 2014

    Hi from France, Andi.
    In your opinion, what are currently the 4 best Chinese phones, in order of your preference.

    Thank you for your presentations and comments. This site is a marvel in the world of phone, very sincerely.

    Gilles

    • Andi Sykes
      September 22, 2014

      I can’t say which are the best, but I can tell you the phones I like the most:

      Vivo Xshot
      Vivo Xplay 3S
      Meizu MX4
      Xiaomi Mi4

    • Guest
      September 23, 2014

      Thank you Andi

  19. Guest
    September 23, 2014

    Amazing review!

    Thanks for including IUNI history as well. I will request you to mention SAR values of Mobiles, if possible, even if it is a self declared value by the manufacturing company.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      I have no idea what the SAR is on the IUNI sorry.

    • Guest
      September 23, 2014

      No, I didn’t mean for IUNI particularly. I wish that you should include SAR values for every review, if they are mentioned somewhere. I have noticed that some manufacturers mention SAR on box or below the battery.

      Thanks for replying!

  20. gappler
    September 23, 2014

    How does this really compare with the other phones in china for use in china? you dont include it on your top 4 list, but is that because it just doesnt have functionality where you are? or is the phone sub par when compared to the others on your list in some way other than google services and your lack of cellular testing?

    • September 23, 2014

      Top 4 is just my 4 favourite phones. I haven’t been able to “live” live with the IUNI as I have the other phones due to the lack of data where I am so not really had the chance to ‘bond’ with it (strange to use that word for a phone) The other devices I have used for months and, are the phones I am happy with and would reccomend.

      I think the IUNI will knock the Mi4 out once I have a WCDMA model.

      • gappler
        September 23, 2014

        Thanks, for the info, I live in china, so i will have to give it a look. Only concern left now is normal use battery life.

      • Wonton Chaos
        September 23, 2014

        Have you spent time with the Honor 6, Andi? It seems to hit many of the right notes, especially with the new ROM. Great review, btw. Bummer about the camera performance…

        • Sameer .
          September 24, 2014

          it has already been reviewed by gizchina, search the site

  21. Titanicology
    September 23, 2014

    Andi, can you confirm if the Meizu MX4 or Vivo Xshot’s camera lens get scratches?

    • September 23, 2014

      I have scratched the Xshot lens but I am hardly surprised as it is the phone I take everywhere and it has has two very serious hits to concrete. Still in fully working order though just really beaten up. Meizu is only 3 weeks old and hasn’t had anywhere near as much abuse yet.

      • Titanicology
        September 23, 2014

        That made me off with the Vivo because of the camera lens. I hope you can test if the Meizu MX4’s lens is really tough.

  22. Konstantinos Natsios
    September 23, 2014

    hey andi thanks for another amazing review, everyone is asking reviews and stuff ,we are greatfull man ,we are learning more for these devices which come as mushrooms, and it is difficult to keep up, we appreciate your hard work,continue like this :).

    i am still deciding on my future mobile, i was waiting for the mi4 lte version but after your review of the mx4 i kinda like that option too if i can find it cheaper than then international price,i still dont trust mediatek too much thought,as for iuni i really dont think 2k screens can cope with the everyday use atm, if oppo/lg/vivo cant have good battery life on their phones i bet iuni cant too.

    • September 23, 2014

      Cheers, mate. I wish there were a few more hours in the day so I could get them written faster 😀

  23. kaskuser
    September 23, 2014

    hi andi can you test ois feature?
    you can test by take video when running.
    are video still focus?
    thanks

  24. September 23, 2014

    Thanks Andi again for the great review! This site is truly a gem. I had eagerly waited for this review and based on your comments I am leaning towards Meizu MX4. I will definitely wait for your word on Nubia Z7 and only then will make my decision.

  25. desponent
    September 23, 2014

    No sd huh… Well, time to look for another offering.

  26. gappler
    September 23, 2014

    How does this really compare with the other phones in china for use in china? you dont include it on your top 4 list, but is that because it just doesnt have functionality where you are? or is the phone sub par when compared to the others on your list in some way other than google services and your lack of cellular testing?

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      Top 4 is just my 4 favourite phones. I haven’t been able to “live” live with the IUNI as I have the other phones due to the lack of data where I am so not really had the chance to ‘bond’ with it (strange to use that word for a phone) The other devices I have used for months and, are the phones I am happy with and would reccomend.

      I think the IUNI will knock the Mi4 out once I have a WCDMA model.

    • gappler
      September 23, 2014

      Thanks, for the info, I live in china, so i will have to give it a look. Only concern left now is normal use battery life.

    • Guest
      September 23, 2014

      Have you spent time with the Honor 6, Andi? It seems to hit many of the right notes, especially with the new ROM. Great review, btw. Bummer about the camera performance…

    • Sameer .
      September 24, 2014

      it has already been reviewed by gizchina, search the site

  27. Titanicology
    September 23, 2014

    Andi, can you confirm if the Meizu MX4 or Vivo Xshot’s camera lens get scratches?

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      I have scratched the Xshot lens but I am hardly surprised as it is the phone I take everywhere and it has has two very serious hits to concrete. Still in fully working order though just really beaten up. Meizu is only 3 weeks old and hasn’t had anywhere near as much abuse yet.

    • Titanicology
      September 23, 2014

      That made me off with the Vivo because of the camera lens. I hope you can test if the Meizu MX4’s lens is really tough.

  28. Konstantinos Natsios
    September 23, 2014

    hey andi thanks for another amazing review, everyone is asking reviews and stuff ,we are greatfull man ,we are learning more for these devices which come as mushrooms, and it is difficult to keep up, we appreciate your hard work,continue like this :).

    i am still deciding on my future mobile, i was waiting for the mi4 lte version but after your review of the mx4 i kinda like that option too if i can find it cheaper than then international price,i still dont trust mediatek too much thought,as for iuni i really dont think 2k screens can cope with the everyday use atm, if oppo/lg/vivo cant have good battery life on their phones i bet iuni cant too.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      Cheers, mate. I wish there were a few more hours in the day so I could get them written faster 😀

  29. arinium
    September 23, 2014

    Thanks Andi again for the great review! This site is truly a gem. I had eagerly waited for this review and based on your comments I am leaning towards Meizu MX4. I will definitely wait for your word on Nubia Z7 and only then will make my decision.

  30. desponent
    September 23, 2014

    No sd huh… Well, time to look for another offering.

  31. Jay
    September 23, 2014

    Great phone, great review!

    Does it have IR though? Funny how even our old Sony Ericsson and Nokia base models had them, whereas it’s only the high end flagships (barring few exceptions) that deem it worthy.

    Doesn’t seem like it has hard keys (like the OPO), given that, they could have reduced the bottom stretch a bit to make it even more compact.

    • September 23, 2014

      No IR and no hardwear buttons . Glad you liked the review 😀

      • summerofgeorge
        September 26, 2014

        Hey Andy, can you please tell me how the Meizu MX4 and IUNI U3 screens
        compare outside in bright sunlight, and viewing angles, contrast,
        brightness, and glare? I would really appreciate it a lot! I’m in China
        now and trying to make a decision between the two, before I have to
        leave the country soon….

  32. Simon
    September 23, 2014

    So the English Rom is now available ?

    • January 21, 2015

      yes. don’t worry.

  33. Guest
    September 23, 2014

    Great phone, great review!

    Does it have IR though? Funny how even our old Sony Ericsson and Nokia base models had them, whereas it’s only the high end flagships (barring few exceptions) that deem it worthy.

    Doesn’t seem like it has hard keys (like the OPO), given that, they could have reduced the bottom stretch a bit to make it even more compact.

    • Andi Sykes
      September 23, 2014

      No IR and no hardwear buttons . Glad you liked the review 😀

    • summerofgeorge
      September 26, 2014

      Hey Andy, can you please tell me how the Meizu MX4 and IUNI U3 screens
      compare outside in bright sunlight, and viewing angles, contrast,
      brightness, and glare? I would really appreciate it a lot! I’m in China
      now and trying to make a decision between the two, before I have to
      leave the country soon….

  34. Guest
    September 23, 2014

    So the English Rom is now available ?

    • Coolicool
      January 21, 2015

      yes. don’t worry.

  35. mf1gt3r
    September 23, 2014

    Meizu MX4, Vivo X-Shot and IUNI U3 are my obvious choice. I still do love the camera on the Oneplus one.

  36. mf1gt3r
    September 23, 2014

    Meizu MX4, Vivo X-Shot and IUNI U3 are my obvious choice. I still do love the camera on the Oneplus one.

  37. balcobomber25
    September 23, 2014

    The U2 was a beautiful phone that had some originality, the U3 looks like one of a dozen other plastic generic phones on the market. It’s not ugly but it’s boring looking. Coming from a company that is related to Gionee, who makes some of the best looking phones, I expected something a lot more exciting.

  38. balcobomber25
    September 24, 2014

    The U2 was a beautiful phone that had some originality, the U3 looks like one of a dozen other plastic generic phones on the market. It’s not ugly but it’s boring looking. Coming from a company that is related to Gionee, who makes some of the best looking phones, I expected something a lot more exciting.

  39. ibra
    September 24, 2014

    which has better cam? Meizu mx4 or Iuni u3?.

  40. Guest
    September 24, 2014

    which has better cam? Meizu mx4 or Iuni u3?.

  41. Gabriele Bonomo
    September 24, 2014

    someone can tell me if is convenient to buy the iuni u2 now ?

    • January 21, 2015

      it is very convenient now.

  42. Gabriele Bonomo
    September 24, 2014

    someone can tell me if is convenient to buy the iuni u2 now ?

    • Coolicool
      January 21, 2015

      it is very convenient now.

  43. summerofgeorge
    September 26, 2014

    Hey Andy, can you please tell me how the Meizu MX4 and IUNI U3 screens compare outside in bright sunlight, and viewing angles, contrast, brightness, and glare? I would really appreciate it a lot! I’m in China now and trying to make a decision between the two, before I have to leave the country soon.

  44. summerofgeorge
    September 26, 2014

    Hey Andy, can you please tell me how the Meizu MX4 and IUNI U3 screens compare outside in bright sunlight, and viewing angles, contrast, brightness, and glare? I would really appreciate it a lot! I’m in China now and trying to make a decision between the two, before I have to leave the country soon.

  45. gman
    September 28, 2014

    Hi andi.
    I have just been looking at the specs of this phone via this website

    http://www.1949deal.com/iuni-u3-snapdragon-801-quad-core-2-3ghz-android-4-4-smartphone-3gb-ram-32gb-rom-5-5-inch-2k-1440p-sharp-ltps-screen-4g-lte-black.html

    It says 3g 850/2100. Having never purchased a Chinese phone before, does this mean that I could not connect to 3g or 4g in the UK?

  46. gman
    September 28, 2014

    Hi andi.
    I have just been looking at the specs of this phone via this website

    http://www.1949deal.com/iuni-u3-snapdragon-801-quad-core-2-3ghz-android-4-4-smartphone-3gb-ram-32gb-rom-5-5-inch-2k-1440p-sharp-ltps-screen-4g-lte-black.html

    It says 3g 850/2100. Having never purchased a Chinese phone before, does this mean that I could not connect to 3g or 4g in the UK?

  47. Darth_Matta
    October 11, 2014

    Hi Andi !

    I have just 1 question:

    Is it possible to switch 3G/4G to second SIM via in-menu option ?

    For example:
    – Nubia Z7 Mini can switch active 3G/4G SIM slot via menu.Of course, other slot is 2G at that time.
    – On the other hand, Lenovo K910 doesn’t have menu for swap and you must physically swap SIM cards to get 3G/4G on desired card.

  48. Darth_Matta
    October 11, 2014

    Hi Andi !

    I have just 1 question:

    Is it possible to switch 3G/4G to second SIM via in-menu option ?

    For example:
    – Nubia Z7 Mini can switch active 3G/4G SIM slot via menu.Of course, other slot is 2G at that time.
    – On the other hand, Lenovo K910 doesn’t have menu for swap and you must physically swap SIM cards to get 3G/4G on desired card.

  49. Tweaker
    October 19, 2014

    Andi, thanks for all of this! 🙂
    Excellent reviews.. I like the U3. Any idea where to buy? Possible from a reliable taobao seller?

  50. Guest
    October 19, 2014

    Andi, thanks for all of this! 🙂
    Excellent reviews.. I like the U3. Any idea where to buy? Possible from a reliable taobao seller?

  51. kaas
    October 20, 2014

    iuniu3.com nice

  52. Guest
    October 20, 2014

    iuniu3.com nice

  53. Ben
    November 22, 2014

    I got a IUNI U3 from http://www.jd.com (I live in Shenzashen) for 2000 kuai and I have to admit it is a beautiful phone. Really nice in the hand considering it’s size, a nice slightly soft touch back the screen looks great, the front camera is very good compared to many front cameras but what I like most is the OS. The OS, as you said, is so clean and simple. It seems a lot of care and detail went into the OS to make it look sleek and fresh, even the font looks really nice. I would say, much nicer than my Xioami 3 and nicer looking than the Xiaomi 4 (I really don’t like their shiny white plastic back).
    A few issues I did find, but as I live in China and none of them are are big deal for me, but may be for others is…
    1) It came with no email client installed – so I just downloaded one.
    2) You mentioned no google services and that is still the case, even with gmail, play etc in IUNI app store.
    3) I installed Amazon App Store but no matter what I do, it just links my UK account to the Chinese Amazon app store (no other device, including my Xiaomi 3 or tablet did this).
    4) Installing 1mobile market from the phone downloads the apk as a txt file.
    5) The odd apk for app stores don’t open initially from the notification bar but you can go into the excellent and nice looking file manager and run the download from there.

  54. Guest
    November 23, 2014

    I got a IUNI U3 from http://www.jd.com (I live in Shenzashen) for 2000 kuai and I have to admit it is a beautiful phone. Really nice in the hand considering it’s size, a nice slightly soft touch back the screen looks great, the front camera is very good compared to many front cameras but what I like most is the OS. The OS, as you said, is so clean and simple. It seems a lot of care and detail went into the OS to make it look sleek and fresh, even the font looks really nice. I would say, much nicer than my Xioami 3 and nicer looking than the Xiaomi 4 (I really don’t like their shiny white plastic back).
    A few issues I did find, but as I live in China and none of them are are big deal for me, but may be for others is…
    1) It came with no email client installed – so I just downloaded one.
    2) You mentioned no google services and that is still the case, even with gmail, play etc in IUNI app store.
    3) I installed Amazon App Store but no matter what I do, it just links my UK account to the Chinese Amazon app store (no other device, including my Xiaomi 3 or tablet did this).
    4) Installing 1mobile market from the phone downloads the apk as a txt file.
    5) The odd apk for app stores don’t open initially from the notification bar but you can go into the excellent and nice looking file manager and run the download from there.

  55. Hissam Rumlee
    December 5, 2014

    i have bought this phone from VIFOCAL, on the box it says TD-LTE, But I am able use the phone in Australia,Voice/data is working, I dont see the 4G working. The Seller have stated that this phone has TD-LTE and FDD-LTE in same phone,Can the experts here confirm that’s the case. I dont want to send this phone back because of my ignorance.

  56. Hissam Rumlee
    December 5, 2014

    i have bought this phone from VIFOCAL, on the box it says TD-LTE, But I am able use the phone in Australia,Voice/data is working, I dont see the 4G working. The Seller have stated that this phone has TD-LTE and FDD-LTE in same phone,Can the experts here confirm that’s the case. I dont want to send this phone back because of my ignorance.

  57. jane.austin
    December 13, 2014
  58. jane.austin
    December 13, 2014
  59. Leslie Lee
    January 21, 2015

    hhahaahahah yes and it’s a really really great phone with 15 euro OFF!!! hahahaha
    but i have to say it’s kinda expensive in amazon but luckily i found this coupon in Efox-shop.com!!

    it’s 15 euro off for iuni u3 i need to share this goooooooood news to everyone cause I Fxxx love this smartphone!!!! here you go: happy201515

    http://en.efox-shop.com/iuni-u3-qualcomm-snapdragon-801-23ghz-quad-core-55-zoll-ips-qhd-2560-1440-bildschirm-android-44-l-g-295522

  60. Leslie Lee
    January 21, 2015

    hhahaahahah yes and it’s a really really great phone with 15 euro OFF!!! hahahaha
    but i have to say it’s kinda expensive in amazon but luckily i found this coupon in Efox-shop.com!!

    it’s 15 euro off for iuni u3 i need to share this goooooooood news to everyone cause I Fxxx love this smartphone!!!! here you go: happy201515

    http://en.efox-shop.com/iuni-u3-qualcomm-snapdragon-801-23ghz-quad-core-55-zoll-ips-qhd-2560-1440-bildschirm-android-44-l-g-295522