LAVA is a well recognized brand today. It has delivered some of the best budget Android phone in the market. This time LAVA came up with a more elegant looking device that can give you a feel of iPhone. This new model is LAVA IRIS Pro 30. The design of this model looks very similar to an iPhone. Other than this it is also amazing in terms of day to day usage. It fulfills your multimedia needs, has a very smooth touch interface, and can also keep you entertained with mid-range gaming. I am not fair to expect much from this device. With HD display, Quad Core processor and 1GB RAM, Iris Pro 30 stands firm with other competitive models in the market. It is a best budget alternative also. I find two things amazing in this device. First the touch interfaces and second, the battery life on regular usage. LAVA makes it durable by adding a Gorilla Glass on it. The device comes for Rs.15,399 on Flipkart. At the same price range we have one competitive model like Motorola G that costs around Rs.12,500 for 8GB. But this model is not having a memory card slot. The cost of LAVA Iris Pro 30 is somewhat acceptable on the basis of its features. The body design, look and output is nicely blended to give you satisfying output. We will checkout the design in more details. First let’s have a look on the specification:
Specification:
- OS – Android Jelly bean 4.2.1
- SIM – Normal + Micro (Dual SIM) 3G Support
- Operating Freq – Quad Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA 2100 MHz
- CPU – 1.2GHz quad-core Mediatek MT6589
- GPU – PowerVR SGX 544MP.
- RAM – 1GB
- Display – 4.7inch – 16.7 Million Colors (OGS, Full Lamination,IPS, Gorilla glass)
- Display Resolution – HD(1280X720)
- CAMERA – Rear 8 MP with Autofocus (LED Flash) & 3 Megapixel front
- Internal Storage – 4GB (Usable – 0.93GB for Users & 1.48GB for Apps)
- Expandable Memory – microSD, upto 32 GB
- Battery – 2000 mAh with CABC power saving technology. 7.5 hrs (2G Talktime), 4.5 hrs (3G Talktime) & 400 hrs of Standby Time (Single Sim)
- Weight – 114 gms
Package Content: LAVA Iris Pro 30 comes loaded with fair amount of accessories. The company does not give additional back cover. It is one of the weakest part.
- Handset
- Battery
- Headset
- Data Cable
- Screen Guard
- Charger
- User Manual/Warranty Card
- USB Cable
Design:
Iris Pro 30 falls in the product line of slimmest mobile phone by LAVA. It is also light. The weight is just around 114g along with its battery. Device dimension is 138×66.7×7.5mm. It is thin and easy to hold. The phone has a black body with gray back cover. Design is very impressive here. From no angle it looks like a budget phone. Thin design and sleek style makes it look like a lavish phone. Iris Pro 30 comes with the latest Android 4.2.1 Jellybean OS. The last few LAVA models that I reviewed came with optimized version of Android operating system. But this time LAVA offers Stock Jellybean 4.2.1 rom and added some additional applications.
Front:
At the front lies a 4.7inch HD IPS display. It is covered with Gorilla Glass. The screen is scratch resistant and durable. Screen touch response is really fast. With soft swipe you can smoothly navigate. The screen has a single glass lamination that covers the entire front part. It is good to know that this phone atleast has a Gorilla Glass protection on front side. It is essential to have a durable protection features. 4.7inch screen is quite enough to read eBooks, chat, surf web, watch videos and play games. 16.7 Million Colors provide enhanced photo quality. Text is clearly visible. 720p display is good for playing HD videos also.
At the top side lies a speaker, sensor, notification led and front camera. A tiny blue notification led keeps on blinking if you have any messages, notification or miss calls. 3 touch buttons are placed at bottom (Menu, Home and Back).
Left & Right Side:
Iris Pro has curved designed from sides with soft finish. Only Two buttons are placed on the right side with a Power button and below that lays a volume key. There is no camera key here.
Top side and bottom:
At the bottom you can find a micro usb charger and mic placed next to it. On the top lies a 3.5mm audio jack.
Back side:
The backside of Iris Pro 30 is quite impressive. An 8MP Camera is placed on the top side with dual LED flash. This device has the brightest flash. Speakers are placed at the end.
Back cover:
Iris Pro 30 has a very weak back cover. It is important that you remove it slowly. Do not pull it out very hard. This is the biggest disappointment in this device.
2000mAh battery is locked with the body. Above that lies a Memory card slot. You can add upto 32GB expandable storage. Iris Pro has dual SIM slot among which one is Normal and other one is MicroSIM slot. So here we are having two different slot types.
Overall LAVA IRIS Pro 30 has a very nice design. It has a rich look. The device does not look bulky. Thin design does not affect the grip. Adding an additional flip cover can protect the mobile more from damages. I am really impressed with the design. LAVA has taken special care in looks. They had also managed to keep the performance at acceptable range.
UI Features:
LAVA IRIS Pro 30 brings up more new features of high end Smartphone like Direct Call, Flip to Mute, etc. You cannot enable or disable them through Settings. This are pre-configured features which will remain active all the time. Stock Android Rom is a bit heavy according to me. But still the processor is able to give you a lag free output. Most of the features are provided by Jellybean 4.2.1 OS. LAVA has not provided any news or updates on upgrading this device to Jellybean 4.3 or Kitkat 4.4. As per the hardware, it looks that this device is capable of running this new OS. Lets checkout the features in details.
- Direct Call – This feature allows you to directly dial a number. For example if you are reading someone’s message you just have to bring the phone to your ear and the device will dial the number.
- Flip to Mute – If you get a call when you are in a meeting or when you are driving just flip the phone upside down.
- Smart Answering – Pickup a call just bringing the phone to your ear, when you receive any call.
- Roaming Assist – This device has a smart Roaming Assist feature. It will help you to manage international numbers.
- Sound & Shot – This is a camera feature. You can use the camera through voice commands.
- Smart Translator – An effective translator feature that can help you to get information in various languages.
- Video PIP in – A tiny floating video window appears on your screen. You can do other work as well as watch the video on the same time.
Camera:
LAVA IRIS Pro 30 comes with dual camera. A standard 3MP camera is placed on the front side. 8MP Primary camera is placed on the backside with led flash. The camera comes with stock features that Jellybean OS has. Output quality is quite fine in low light also. Iris Pro 30 has a very bright flash. It produces a huge amount of light adding extra brightness to photos. But this also on the same time consumes a good amount of battery power.
The camera comes with standard features. There is nothing special here. You can see few images of camera settings below. There is a side bar on the left that gives you access to all camera settings and enhancement.
The video section brings a bit more benefits. You have additional video settings here. You can switch different effects creating funny videos.
Performance:
720P HD Screen is amazing for watching videos. Video quality is clear and crisp. Default video players support a variety of video format. You can use MX player instead to extend the video playing capability. Stock video player gives you additional features like Video Stretch, Video PIP and Loop. In the same way the stock music player supports various audio formats. Integrated equalizer allows you to have good sound effects.
The gallery app is a central location to view all multimedia files. It gives you listing of photos and videos at one place. Image zoom quality depends on the image resolution. If you are viewing HD images then you can zoom them to maximum. The display will not affect the quality from any angle.
For gaming I am bit unsatisfied. I had played a few games like RoboCop, Need for Speed Shift, Subway Surfer, Flappy Bird, etc. Games like Subway Surfer works fine. But when it comes to HD gaming the phone performance is not upto the mark. RoboCop lags in between. PowerVR SGX 544MP is a good gpu that must be able to manage HD games but it does not look to be working well. The phone is ideal for mid range gaming. HD game output is disappointing. Still the phone is amazing for multimedia. Basic games work really well.
Benchmarking Reports:
Battery:
LAVA IRIS Pro 30 runs on 2000mAh battery. If you are using the device on 2G then it is capable of giving you an entire day usage. The same is reduced to more than 40% when you are on 3G. Battery drains fast on wifi. It is always better to carry a portable power back charger with you if you are travelling and willing to use the phone camera for recording. Iris Pro is 50/50 in terms of battery output. Not very bad and not very good. But average. It is obvious with many Smartphone that they lack good battery output. This is because of extra features and sensors.
Conclusion:
At a price of Rs.15,400 LAVA Iris Pro 30 is an amazing Smartphone. This device has a good competition with other models. But some features make it better over others. Like the impressive design and app performance. This Smartphone can be your ultimate choice for multimedia. It is ideal for professional usage also. If you need a phone specifically for web surfing, chatting and entertainment then LAVA Iris Pro 30 is a recommended choice. After testing and using this device for few days I admit it is a kind of value for money product. The only thing that will disappoint you is the gaming stuff. I do not think this is due to hardware limitation; it can be due to the non-optimized Android OS. Also the device does not give you a good amount of storage. This can make you think that it is overpriced.
Pros:
- Impressive Design
- Good Battery life on 2G
- Good Phone Performance for Apps Usage
- Durable and Vibrant Display
Cons:
- Average for HD Gaming
- Low Internal Storage Space
- Weak Back Cover
