Lava Agni 3 Detailed Review

The Lava Agni 3 is a mid-range smartphone priced at ₹20,000, offering a combination of unique features, solid hardware, and a clean user experience. Lava has packed some attention-grabbing features like a secondary rear display and an “Action Button,” alongside a strong processor and capable camera system.

However, there are a few design choices and hardware decisions that are worth analyzing. In this detailed review, we will explore every aspect of the Lava Agni 3 to help you determine if it’s the right choice for your needs.

Design and Build Quality

The first thing you’ll notice about the Lava Agni 3 is its build and design. The phone weighs around 215 grams, which feels a bit on the heavier side compared to other smartphones in this price range. When you add a case, which is often necessary for protection, the weight goes up slightly, making it bulkier. However, after using it for a while, the weight becomes less noticeable, and you get accustomed to it.

Color Options and Materials

The phone comes in two colors: blue and white. The white color variant looks more premium, with a clean and elegant appearance. The blue version, on the other hand, feels a bit dull, and some users might find it less appealing. The back of the phone is not made of glass but plastic, which has its advantages and disadvantages. While plastic is less prone to shattering, it is more likely to pick up scratches over time. However, the plastic back does clean easily, which helps keep the phone looking fresh.

Ergonomics and Button Placement

One of the more unique design elements of the Lava Agni 3 is the Action Button. This button is a bit similar to Apple’s Action Button seen on iPhones. You can program up to three different functions on it, such as launching the camera with a single press. While this feature is cool, there are some reliability issues—sometimes the button becomes unresponsive. Restarting the phone usually solves the problem, but it’s something to be mindful of.

Another unique feature is the secondary rear display, located beside the main camera module. This screen allows you to check notifications, control brightness, and even unlock the phone with a pattern. While it’s functional, it has limited capabilities—you can’t reply to messages or access all the camera features directly from this screen.

Display

Lava has equipped the Agni 3 with a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1.5K (not quite Full HD but better than HD+). The display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, which ensures smooth scrolling and transitions. The peak brightness is rated at 1200 nits, which is sufficient for indoor use and moderately bright outdoor conditions. However, under direct sunlight, the display struggles a bit, and you might find yourself squinting to see what’s on the screen.

Curved Display

The display is curved, giving the phone a modern and premium feel. However, not everyone may prefer curved screens because they sometimes lead to accidental touches or make it harder to use screen protectors. That said, the curved design does make the phone look sleek.

Color Accuracy and Performance

The AMOLED screen offers vibrant colors with deep blacks, as expected from this type of panel. The color reproduction is impressive, but some users might notice that the colors are slightly oversaturated or “boosted,” especially the reds and greens. For casual users, this might not be a problem, but if you’re particular about accurate colors, it’s worth noting. Watching videos, especially in HDR, is an enjoyable experience on this display.

Performance

The Lava Agni 3 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor, which offers great performance for a phone in this price range. It handles day-to-day tasks like browsing, social media, and light gaming with ease. The phone achieves a score of around 672,000 on AnTuTu benchmarks, putting it in the upper-mid-range performance category.

RAM and Storage

There has been some confusion regarding the RAM used in this phone. Some sources claim it has LPDDR5x, while others suggest it’s LPDDR5. Either way, the RAM performs well in real-world usage. The phone comes with UFS 3.0 storage, which ensures fast data transfer speeds. This makes opening apps, multitasking, and file transfers feel snappy and responsive.

Gaming Performance

For gaming, the Lava Agni 3 performs admirably. During tests, the phone maintained 60fps in games like PUBG Mobile without any issues. The touch response is quick, and the gyro sensor works well, which is essential for first-person shooters. The VC chamber cooling system does a good job of keeping the phone cool during extended gaming sessions. After 25 minutes of gaming, the battery dropped by around 6%, and with screen recording on, the battery drop was slightly more noticeable.

Even after half an hour of gaming, the phone remained comfortable to hold without getting too hot. However, with screen recording enabled, the phone generated a 2.5GB file for a 33-minute session, which caused the battery to drop by 11%.

Camera

The Lava Agni 3 has a triple-camera setup on the rear, featuring a 50MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. On paper, these specs are impressive for a phone in this price range, but let’s dive into how the camera performs in real-life usage.

Daylight Performance

In well-lit conditions, the main camera delivers sharp images with good detail. However, the colors can be a bit oversaturated, particularly the reds and greens. If you prefer punchy colors in your photos, this won’t be a problem, but those looking for true-to-life colors might find it a bit too much. The telephoto lens provides decent zoom capabilities with minimal loss of detail.

Low Light and Night Mode

In low-light conditions, the camera’s performance drops slightly. While it captures acceptable photos, there is a noticeable loss of detail, especially in ultra-wide shots. The night mode helps to some extent, but it’s not the best in this price range.

Selfies and Front Camera

The 16MP front camera does a decent job for selfies, but if you want better quality, you can use the rear main camera and the external screen to frame your shots. This allows you to get much better detail and color accuracy compared to the front camera.

Video Recording

Video recording is possible at up to 4K at 30fps on the main camera, but switching between resolutions isn’t very user-friendly. There’s no 60fps option for ultra-wide video, and you’ll have to make do with 1080p at 30fps if you prefer wider shots. This feels like a missed opportunity, but for basic video recording needs, it should suffice.

Battery Life and Charging

The Lava Agni 3 packs a 5000mAh battery, which is standard for phones in this category. With regular use, the phone can easily last a full day on a single charge for light to moderate users. For heavy users, particularly those who game a lot, the battery drains faster, and you might need to charge it more frequently.

Charging Speed

The phone supports 66W fast charging, which means you can fully charge it in about 50-55 minutes. This is a great feature, as it reduces downtime and gets you back to using your phone quickly.

During gaming tests, the battery drain was around 12-13% per hour when gaming without screen recording. When recording the screen, the drain increased to around 20-22%.

Unique Features

The Action Button and secondary display are the two most unique features of the Lava Agni 3. While the Action Button offers customizable shortcuts, its performance is sometimes inconsistent, with occasional unresponsiveness. This could be a software issue that might improve with future updates.

The secondary display on the back lets you manage basic functions like brightness, notifications, and camera controls. However, you can’t do much beyond these basic features. For instance, you can’t preview photos or videos, and switching to the ultra-wide camera requires using the main screen. It’s a nice touch, but not a game-changing feature.

Connectivity

The Lava Agni 3 supports 14 5G bands, making it future-proof for high-speed network connectivity. It also supports Wi-Fi 6e with tri-band support, which ensures strong and stable wireless connections. The phone includes the latest Bluetooth version and carrier aggregation to improve network performance and data speeds.

Software and User Interface

The Lava Agni 3 runs on a clean version of Android with minimal bloatware. Lava promises 3 years of software updates and 4 years of security patches, which is a huge plus for buyers looking for long-term value. Unlike many other phones, it does not come pre-loaded with useless apps, offering a near-stock Android experience. The Lava UI is clean and simple, with only a few additional apps from the company.

The phone’s user interface is responsive and easy to navigate, with no unnecessary animations or clunky skins to slow it down. It’s a breath of fresh air for users who prefer a straightforward Android experience without being bogged down by heavy custom skins or pre-installed apps.

Our Thoughts

The Lava Agni 3 stands out as an ambitious mid-range smartphone, especially with its Action Button and secondary display. It offers solid performance with the Dimensity 7300 processor, 120Hz AMOLED display, and fast 66W charging. The camera system, while not the best in the market, performs adequately for everyday photography needs. Its clean software experience, coupled with promised long-term updates, adds to the phone’s appeal.