Known for making affordable smartphones, LAVA recently came out with its new smartphone, LAVA Iris ICON. And Guess what? There is nothing iconic about this smartphone.
In-fact it’s just another smartphone option to spoil you for choice.
What’s Good?
LAVA Iris ICON is a smartphone designed inhouse by LAVA. And that’s what they are promoting here. The build quality is actually top notch in this smartphone.
The back of the smartphone has a glass finish and the front is majorly dominated by the 5 inch display. The sides of the smartphone has a metallic look but is actually plastic that looks classy.
Overall, what you get is a poor man’s iPhone but one of the better ripoff’s we’ve seen so far for under Rs 15,000.
The 5-inch IPS HD display is also good. It’s bright, has a warm tone and the color fidelity is also top notch. LAVA has come a long way in terms of design on with this smartphone.
The rear camera on the LAVA Iris ICON is loaded with a SONY EXMOR sensor and a resolution of 13 Megapixel. The aperture the camera offers is f2.0 and 5P lens. Now that is impressive!
Low light images are not as distorted as you might find on some of its competitors like, the Moto G (2nd Gen).
The front camera for selfie lovers is a 5 megapixel resolution camera with f2.4 aperture and 4P lens. So, the smartphone does churn out some decent selfies.
The image quality is actually good considering it’s a smartphone priced at just Rs 11,990/-
So there is no doubt here that LAVA has evolved a lot in the art of making a smartphone.
BUT...
What’s Bad?
Everything seems right about the LAVA Iris ICON till the time you ask the smartphone to perform.
LAVA has had heating issues with their smartphones in the past. Especially if you play games or open a lot of apps simultaneously. The story remains the same with the LAVA Iris ICON too.
The 1.3GHz Quad core processor with 2GB RAM sounds good on paper, but is actually under performing in the case of Iris ICON.
The smartphone is new to the market but it comes loaded with an older version of Android Operating system. LAVA’s own Star OS loaded on top also does not help its cause.
The user interface looks clean, yet it’s a little jarring. The touch response is also not that great and it generally feels sluggish.
The battery on the LAVA Iris ICON is 2500 mAh, but even that drains out really quickly. It could barely manage one and a half days after a full charge.
So things that should work seamlessly, just don’t work on this smartphone.
Why Buy It?
If you are looking for a smartphone under Rs 15,000, LAVA Iris ICON should the be last one on your list.
Now, who would want to buy a nice looking paperweight with a good camera? If you are actually looking for that, then this is the one for you.
LAVA Iris ICON just does not tick all the right boxes. It heats up, lags and comes with Android 4.4 KITKAT. It’s a phone that should have been launched in 2014 and not in 2015.
For now, you should skip the LAVA Iris ICON.
Key Specifications: LAVA Iris ICON
Display: 5 inch HD IPS display with Asahi Dragon-Tail glass
Front Camera: 5 Megapixel, F2.4 aperture and 4P lens
Rear Camera: 13 Megapixel, SONY EXMOR sensor, F2.0 aperture and 5P lens
Operating System: Star OS with Android 4.4 Kitkat
Processor: 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor
RAM: 2GB
Battery: 2500 mAh
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G, Dual-SIM
Price: Rs 11,990
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