The Lava Iris Pro 20 that was recently launched by lava Mobiles is almost similar to the already existing Iris Pro 30. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad core processor and is priced cheaper than the Pro 30. So what’s the difference between these two, well read the review to find out.
Inside the Box
Contents : Pro 20 handset, screen guard, a free flip cover that you need to stick onto the back cover, travel charger, data cable, warranty card, user manual and a good quality earphone.
Design, display and OS
The handset is an exact replica of Iris Pro 30. The hardware is also the same but there are minor changes that has helped reduced the cost – thereby making the Pro 20 cheaper than the Pro 30. Handset is light weight at 113 grams and thickness is 8.09mm.
The buttons (power + volume rockers) are on the right side, 3.5mm audio jack on the top and micro USB port at the bottom. There are dual microphones for noise cancellation. I got the silver blue colored handset for review. The back cover is with metallic matte finish with mild glittery textures on it. Build quality is very good.
The IPS screen is 4.7 inches using OGS technology with full lamination display. Screen resolution however is qHD (960 x 540 pixels). Touch is smooth, color reproduction and viewing angles are good. There are accelerometer, proximity and light sensors.
Pro 20 runs on Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean OS with FOTA (Firmware over the air update) support.
Memory and Storage
There is 1GB RAM and 4GB storage along with micro SD card support of up to 32GB. On the first boot the available free RAM is 668MB. Space allocated for apps is 1.3GB and internal phone storage is 0.93GB. Apps / games can be installed on the external storage. OTG is also supported.
Performance
Though the handset looks similar to Pro 30 it is using the downgraded version of MT6589 quad core chipset. Pro 20 houses the MT6589M quad core processor clocked at 1.2GHz with PowerVR SGX 544MP GPU. The Pro 30 can record FHD videos where as the Pro 20 can record max 720p videos. The performance is good and I did not find the handset lagging.
Benchmark scores
- Quadrant Standard – 4011.
- AnTuTu – 13811.
- Vellamo – HTML5 1505, Metal 445.
- Nenamark 2 –53.9fps
- Multi touch : 5 points.
Camera
There is 8MP rear AF camera with dual LED flash and a VGA front camera. I have shot some sample images and a video in 720p resolution (that is the max the camera can record). The still photos are okay, it seems the camera is not able to focus properly; the subjects are not that sharp. Probably it is a software glitch. There is the same problem with the 720p video recording.
The front camera is VGA, and quality is not that good. There are dual LED flash on the rear side for low light photography, it does a decent job.
Entertainment and Gaming
Handset can play full HD videos. I installed the Asphalt 8 and the MC4 on the external storage. The game play is smooth. Asphalt 8 worked pretty well on the highest graphics mode.
Others
Sound is loud and clear. 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS worked well. I did not notice any particular issues. This is a dual SIM handset, SIM slot 1 is normal SIM and SIM slot 2 is micro SIM.
Battery
The Pro 20 comes with non-removable battery of 2000 mAh capacity. I ran the benchmark apps and played MC4 and Asphalt 8 for about 31 minutes, the battery dropped by 8% and the maximum temperature was 38 degrees. The handset should easily last for about 4 to 6 hours on heavy usage.
Verdict
The Pro 30 is priced at approx Rs. 14,999 and the Pro 20 at approx Rs. 12,700. Pro 20 is with qHD resolution, MT6589M quad core chipset that supports max 720p video recording and VGA front camera. The Pro 30 comes with HD screen resolution, MT6589 chipset that can record 1080p videos and with 3MP front camera. Not a bad option considering the design factor, I hope Lava mobiles will fix the camera issue. If you are looking for a better camera avoid the Pro 20 for now.
Lava Iris pro 20 current price Rs. 12,755.
Image Gallery
Sample Images
Lava Iris pro 20 handset and Gaming review
720p video shot using the Pro 20 handset
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