Lava Agni 3 5G Review: Not your average mid-ranger

I used the Agni 3 as my primary device for the past week, and here is my detailed analysis of whether this mid-range phone lives up to the hype generated by Lava.

Unboxing and design:

Upon opening the orange box of the Lava Agni 3, you are greeted with a free phone replacement at home pamphelete, the device itself, a SIM ejector tool, a Type C to Type C cable, a 66W adapter and a plastic protective case. 

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In terms of appearance, the Agni 3 looks very premium, thanks to a glass sandwich design that is topped by a rectangular camera module, which also houses the secondary display (more on this in a moment). Speaking of design, the power button and ‘action key’ are on the right and the volume rockers have been moved to the left.

I got the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant of the Agni 3 in Heather Glass, which looks decent but leaves something to be desired. There is also a Pristine White variant for those who prefer a brighter-coloured phone, but I honestly feel that Lava should have offered more colour options with the Agni 3.

Despite being a little heavy, weighing in at around 215g, the Agni 3 has a very premium in-hand feel while offering a minimalist yet eye-catching look. One thing I absolutely loved about the Agni 3 is that, despite having a massive camera module, the phone has been well-designed so that it doesn’t wobble when you place it on a flat surface. However, the volume rockers and power button are a letdown, with a cheap, plasticky feel and a clickety sound that detracts from the otherwise impressive design.

Display and additional features:

The Lava Agni 3 sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 1,200 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate. Despite the low peak brightness number, the Agni 3 performs admirably even in bright outdoor settings.

Coupled with the Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers and a bright and punchy display, the Agni 3 makes for a very good multimedia experience. While the speakers themselves get loud enough without distorting the sound, I did notice some vibration on the back of the Agni 3 when the speakers were in use.

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And how can we miss the 1.74-inch AMOLED display on the back, which can be used to take photos and videos, check notifications, answer or reject calls, record audio, set a timer and even change music tracks.

The addition of a secondary display is a welcome move by Lava, but at this point the 1.74-inch panel is more of a gimmick than anything else. For example, you can answer a phone call on the mini display, but once you have answered the call, you are forced back to the main display. The same goes for notification panel and the recorder widget: you can see the notifications on the rear display, but to take any action you have to go back to the main display.

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A practical use for the mini display is clicking photos or recording videos with the rear camera, but this is only if you manage to take a picture that isn’t shaky. Lava can easily solve the shakiness problem in future iterations of the Agni series by moving the ‘action button’ to the left, making it easier to grip when taking pictures from the rear display.

Speaking of the ‘action key’, this little button is one of the Agni 3’s saving graces. Lava allows you to customise the action key to take a screenshot, open the flashlight, start recording, put the phone on silent or even open any app. In my time with the Agni 3, however, there were many occasions when the action button simply refused to take screenshots, while double-tapping it would put the phone into silent mode.

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Performance and battery:

The Agni 3 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300x processor, which garners a score of 6,60,082 on Antutu. On Geekbench 6, the phone received a single core score of 1063 and a multi-core score of 3,206. These benchmark numbers are similar to the results of CMF Phone 1 which I reviewed earlier this year and just like the Phone 1, Lava Agni 3 is also fast and snappy for everyday use.

As for gaming, Agni 3 can run BGMI at HDR graphics and ultra frame rate, while COD Mobile supports high graphics and max frame rate on this device. The device does get a little warm during extensive gaming sessions, but it isn’t something out of the ordinary at this price point.

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The 5,000mAh battery on the Agni 3 should last a full day for most users but power users will definitely have to plug it back in for another charge. It takes about an hour to fully charge the device using the supplied 66W charger.

Software:

One area where the Agni 3 stands out from the competition is the presence of near-stock Android software with no bloatware or ads, a rarity at this price. Lava has also promised 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches with this device.

However, this is where the positives end; Lava needs to improve the software significantly to make the Agni 3 a reliable device. Throughout my review period, I encountered numerous software issues with the Agni 3. As previously mentioned, the action button sometimes failed to capture screenshots, and there were problems with Bluetooth connectivity and call notifications at various times during the review period.

Another major issue for me was the lack of a dedicated gallery app or file explorer, meaning you have to use the native Google Photos app and file manager. To be fair, this isn’t a Lava-specific problem; it’s present on almost all clean UIs, the Nothing OS and Motorola’s Hello UI. Nevertheless, I would really like to see Lava refine its UI with the addition of some first-party apps and bug fixes.

Camera:

The Agni 3’s 50MP primary sensor produces decent daytime images with near-natural colours and sufficient detail. The performance of the ultra-wide-angle lens was decent during daytime, with minimal colour shift and loss of detail. However, the 8MP telephoto lens fails to get the colour science right and tends to overexpose images in well-lit environments.

Both the primary and telephoto sensors on the Agni 3 struggle to get the focus right on many occasions and there were several times when I even struggled to scan a QR code to make a payment.

The primary sensor also delivers decent results with night shots, bringing in plenty of light and capturing near-natural skin tones. However, images taken with night mode on tend to be overexposed, and the autofocus issue is even more pertinent under artificial lighting.

What’s more, the 16MP front-facing shooter doesn’t accurately capture natural skin tones, often leaving a reddish tint that makes images look over-processed and lacking in detail. As always, you don’t have to take my word on the picture quality, and you can check out the Agni 3’s raw images for yourself by clicking on the Google Drive link here.

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Verdict:

Lava Agni 3 is an ambitious device that should be lauded for trying to bring premium features on a budget, such as the Action Key, dual AMOLED displays, a telephoto camera, an IP64 rating, bloatware-free software and 3 years of OS updates. However, the Agni 3’s current software issues and inconsistent camera performance are the two main factors that prevent me from recommending this device at this time.

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Published: 12 Oct 2024, 08:26 PM IST