tery backup- Impressive performance
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Indian handset maker Lava recently launched its budget smartphone, Iris X8. Priced at Rs 8,999, the phone boasts of an octa-core processor and 'guaranteed upgrade' to Android Lollipop
Build & design
Lava Iris X8 looks a lot like the recently launched Lava Iris X1 Grand with metallic frame (not metal) and matte finish back. Weighing 160gram and measuring 8.57 mm in thickness, the phone looks very similar to iPhone 4/4S.
The volume and power keys are placed at the right edge while the 3.5mm port and micro-USB port sit at the top. The back features a camera lens, LED flash, speaker grill and some subtle branding.
Removing the cover reveals two micro sim card slots, with only one supporting 3G, and a microSD card slot along with a non-removable battery.
The front of the phone sports a 5-inch display with white backlit navigation keys placed at the bottom. The buttons are responsive and offer decent tactile feedback.
The phone seems durable, is solidly built and gives a premium feel.
Display
Lava Iris X8 sports a 5-inch IPS display with HD (720x1280p) resolution that comes with Asahi Dragon Trail Glass for protection against scratches.
The display is good with wide viewing angles. There was no pixilation, despite it not being a full-HD panel.
With excellent touch response, the under-sun legibility of the phone was decent with slightly reflective panel.
Software
Lava Iris X8 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and the user interface is very close to the stock version of the OS apart from some additions such as gesture control and float task.
Gesture control helps you interact with the phone with just a swipe of the hand in the air and makes use of the phone's front camera to trigger functions such as music player, FM radio and gallery.
Apart from that, the Gesture Controller lets you launch apps directly through the lock screen. For instance, you can draw 'C' to open camera or 'M' to open music player. In our experience, these gestures were not very smooth and we encountered some lag while using them.
There is also a partially visible widget on the screen, 'Float Task', which when clicked brings shortcuts to popular tasks on the phone's screen. These shortcuts appear in a circular menu on the side of the screen, which rotates on being swiped and displays more shortcuts. Users can also choose on which side of the screen they want this menu to appear
Lava has said that the phone is upgradable to Android Lollipop though a timeframe for the same has not been provided.
Camera
Lava Iris X8 has an 8MP auto focus camera with BSI 3 sensor and dual LED flash, and a 3MP front facing camera. The rear camera supports 1080p video recording.
The camera is certainly not among the high points of the phone. Images captured by the camera in day light turned out to be grainy and missed details. Low-light shots were also underwhelming. Video capture was functional at best.
The front camera is good for taking occasional selfies and video chats.
Performance
Lava Iris X8 smartphone is powered by 1.4 GHz + ARM Cortex-A7 MTK 6592M octa-core processor and 2GB RAM. It comes with 16GB internal storage and also features a microSD card slot that supports storage cards of up to 32GB.
We did not experience any lag while navigating through the phone's menu, browsing the web and multimedia and scrolling inside apps.
Connectivity features of the device include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.
The external speaker also offers loud sound output though quality is average. The outlet is located at the back that leads to sound getting muffled when the phone lies at its back.
With 2500mAh battery, the phone lasts about a full day with moderate to high usage including about a few hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web.
The phone scored 27,927 in Antutu, 11,950 in Quadrant, 1995 (multi-core) in Geekbench and 55 in Nenamark 2 benchmark tests. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2 and Asphalt 8 without encountering frame drops or freezes.
Verdict
Lava Iris X8 is a decent budget smartphone at Rs 8,999. Along with pleasant looks, it offers good battery backup and lag-free software. However, the camera is the Achilles heel.
There are better alternatives available in the market such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G at Rs 9,999 and Micromax's Yu Yureka at Rs 8,999, especially if you want a bigger screen. You can even get the Lenovo A1000 at Rs 6,999 which offers most of the Iris X8's features.
Build & design
Lava Iris X8 looks a lot like the recently launched Lava Iris X1 Grand with metallic frame (not metal) and matte finish back. Weighing 160gram and measuring 8.57 mm in thickness, the phone looks very similar to iPhone 4/4S.
The volume and power keys are placed at the right edge while the 3.5mm port and micro-USB port sit at the top. The back features a camera lens, LED flash, speaker grill and some subtle branding.
Removing the cover reveals two micro sim card slots, with only one supporting 3G, and a microSD card slot along with a non-removable battery.
The front of the phone sports a 5-inch display with white backlit navigation keys placed at the bottom. The buttons are responsive and offer decent tactile feedback.
The phone seems durable, is solidly built and gives a premium feel.
Display
Lava Iris X8 sports a 5-inch IPS display with HD (720x1280p) resolution that comes with Asahi Dragon Trail Glass for protection against scratches.
The display is good with wide viewing angles. There was no pixilation, despite it not being a full-HD panel.
With excellent touch response, the under-sun legibility of the phone was decent with slightly reflective panel.
Software
Lava Iris X8 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and the user interface is very close to the stock version of the OS apart from some additions such as gesture control and float task.
Gesture control helps you interact with the phone with just a swipe of the hand in the air and makes use of the phone's front camera to trigger functions such as music player, FM radio and gallery.
Apart from that, the Gesture Controller lets you launch apps directly through the lock screen. For instance, you can draw 'C' to open camera or 'M' to open music player. In our experience, these gestures were not very smooth and we encountered some lag while using them.
There is also a partially visible widget on the screen, 'Float Task', which when clicked brings shortcuts to popular tasks on the phone's screen. These shortcuts appear in a circular menu on the side of the screen, which rotates on being swiped and displays more shortcuts. Users can also choose on which side of the screen they want this menu to appear
Lava has said that the phone is upgradable to Android Lollipop though a timeframe for the same has not been provided.
Camera
Lava Iris X8 has an 8MP auto focus camera with BSI 3 sensor and dual LED flash, and a 3MP front facing camera. The rear camera supports 1080p video recording.
The camera is certainly not among the high points of the phone. Images captured by the camera in day light turned out to be grainy and missed details. Low-light shots were also underwhelming. Video capture was functional at best.
The front camera is good for taking occasional selfies and video chats.
Performance
Lava Iris X8 smartphone is powered by 1.4 GHz + ARM Cortex-A7 MTK 6592M octa-core processor and 2GB RAM. It comes with 16GB internal storage and also features a microSD card slot that supports storage cards of up to 32GB.
We did not experience any lag while navigating through the phone's menu, browsing the web and multimedia and scrolling inside apps.
Connectivity features of the device include 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.
The external speaker also offers loud sound output though quality is average. The outlet is located at the back that leads to sound getting muffled when the phone lies at its back.
With 2500mAh battery, the phone lasts about a full day with moderate to high usage including about a few hours of making calls, playing games, clicking some pictures, listening to music and browsing the web.
The phone scored 27,927 in Antutu, 11,950 in Quadrant, 1995 (multi-core) in Geekbench and 55 in Nenamark 2 benchmark tests. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different at times.
Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2 and Asphalt 8 without encountering frame drops or freezes.
Verdict
Lava Iris X8 is a decent budget smartphone at Rs 8,999. Along with pleasant looks, it offers good battery backup and lag-free software. However, the camera is the Achilles heel.
There are better alternatives available in the market such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G at Rs 9,999 and Micromax's Yu Yureka at Rs 8,999, especially if you want a bigger screen. You can even get the Lenovo A1000 at Rs 6,999 which offers most of the Iris X8's features.
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