Mid level low budget phones based on the Android platform have often had to contend with a poor reputation for some years. The common charges leveled against these phones include slow performance levels, flimsy look and feel and the unknown nature of the mobile phone manufacturers in question. However, budget smartphones are now changing the rules in global markets with the inclusion of top notch features and premium components. Build quality is also considerably improved on many of these phones along with an enhanced reputation of budget smartphone manufacturers in global and Indian markets. This has turned the tide as far as capturing customer interest is concerned. Customers are gravitating more and more towards these budget smartphones which give them more bang for their buck.
Lava is one of the foremost companies in the budget smartphone segment and the latest offering from the company, namely the Iris Pro, will go a long way towards transforming commonly held perceptions relating to smartphones priced lower than premium brands in the market. The phone looks and feels good and there are a few innovative design tweaks. At an overall level, the Iris Pro has been inspired by the iPhone in terms of general styling. The High Definition 720p display is definitely one of the major USP’s of this smartphone. Alongside, the build quality is good and the smartphone exudes an aura usually associated with other premium and high end smartphones from top manufacturers. This smartphone is symbolic of the new legion of budget Android smartphones that are trying to woo customers from higher segments as well with features and attractive designs.
Appearance and design of the Lava Iris Pro
The Lava Iris Pro is inspired to a large extent from the iPhone design template. This is even more apparent owing to the band running along the sides along with the ample curves on this device which harks back to the iPhone 4S and 4 models. The size is more in the territory of the iPhone 5S and 5. The Iris Pro innovates with regard to proportions and material usage however including the smooth and textured plastic rear panel and the considerably lighter and thinner dimensions which take into account the incorporation of the much bigger display screen.
Lava Iris Pro
The front façade comes entirely in black but the front camera, speakers and the capacitive buttons can all be viewed with ease. The gunmetal metallic rim around the edges gives a rugged and appealing view overall. The volume buttons and power lock are present on the right edge of the device with the headset jack on the top and the microUSB port placed at the bottom of the smartphone. Design templates are tasteful and elegant especially with regard to the speaker grille camera lens and the double LED flash along with subtly incorporated Lava company logo at the rear. The battery cannot be removed and there are slots for both microSIM cards and regular ones. According to the company, the Iris Pro is the thinnest and lightest smartphone in its market segment. Indeed, it is easy to use and hold the seemingly huge smartphone without being hindered by all the bulk.
Features and specifications of the Lava Iris Pro
The Lava Iris Pro possesses a decent mixture of features including a Mediatek MT6589 quad core 1.2 GHz processor. This also integrates a PowerVR Series 5XT GPU in addition to support for Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, Wi-Fi, FM radio and Miracast. 1 GB of RAM is provided but internal storage is shockingly scaled down to only 4 GB out of which users can avail of only 2.43 GB which is a big deterrent on a phone with a powerful CPU. MicroSD support is only available till 32GB which is another disappointment, going by the smartphone being branded as a premium smartphone in its category.
The display screen of 4.7 inches commands special attention with its quality and High Definition attributes. The screen comes from the house of Sharp and there is a special technique of lamination which cuts down on the area between the LCD substrate and the glass. This provides fabulous viewing angles and minimizes discoloration to negligible levels. The display screen lends a definite premium touch to the product. Alongside, Android’s 4.2.1 platform is used for this device in tandem with a Lava Support App for garnering information about service centers across the country. Lava provides special features like phone flipping for silencing class and usage of proximity sensors for automatic call answering. The smartphone also comes with voice and face recognition for phone unlocking which are incredibly accurate and effective.
There is also a camera of 8 megapixels with a double LED flash, taken from Samsung and there is BSI technology used on the device. Image quality is decent enough along with HDR facilities. Processor performance is not up to the mark as expected from a smartphone pitched as a premium segment offering. Alongside, the smartphone is not at all competent with regard to playing high resolution games as well. Battery life is most impressive however along with a new innovation that automatically dims the backlight with regard to power conservation according to particular situations. Video and audio playback quality is decent on this smartphone as well along with good speakers.
In case of the Iris Pro 30, you really do get value for money with your device. Alongside, the overall design, build quality and the eye catching display unit are major USP’s in this regard. Other winning attributes include decent features, image quality, battery life and others. For hardcore smartphone freaks who prefer high definition gaming or watching HD videos frequently, this will not be a preferred pick. Alongside, Lava gives customers a decent smartphone at less than INR 20, 000. It caters to almost all basic needs of buyers at a very attractive price and that is what matters most. One might think of checking out the MotoG which does seem like a better alternative at a far lower price as well. However, the Lava Iris Pro 30 is actually a good phone that should draw favorable responses from customers in India.
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