Lava has announced “Shark”, a new series of entry-level smartphones that it says is designed for first time smartphone users. With a focus on design, performance, and build quality, Shark devices will be priced under Rs 9,000, the homegrown brand has announced. The first smartphone to launch under the series is simply called, Shark. One look at it and it is easy to see where Lava is drawing inspiration from.
The Lava Shark looks almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro, at least from the back. Of course, this is a Lava phone and so, it has the Lava branding but slap a case on it and it would be hard to tell the difference. If the immediately recognizable camera array wasn’t enough, Lava’s choice of colours leaves little to the imagination. The phone is available in gold and black. Heck, the gold variant is even called “Titanium Gold” (there is obviously no gold or titanium here).
The hardware is textbook entry-level. The phone has a 6.67-inch 720p resolution display with a—get this—120Hz refresh rate. Lava doesn’t mention the panel-type, but it is very likely an LCD. A hole punch cutout completes the package.
Powering the Shark is an 8-core UNISOC T606 processor and a 5000mAh battery with 18W charging (10W charger in the box). Lava claims the battery delivers 45 hours of talk time, 376 hours of standby time, and 550 minutes of YouTube playback. RAM is 4GB and storage, 64GB (expendable by another 256GB). Though it runs the older Android 14, Lava is promising a “smooth, optimized software experience.”
For photography, the Lava Shark has a 50-megapixel rear and 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
Connectivity options include Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac. Biometrics are handled by a side-mounted physical fingerprint reader. Face unlock is available. Rounding off the package is IP54 rating for water and dust resistance.
In a statement shared over email, the company said the Lava Shark won’t be a one-off device. Lava will expand the Shark series in the coming months with “more innovative offerings.”
As for the Shark 1, it will be available at a price of Rs 6,999 (4GB/64GB) at Lava’s retail outlets beginning this month.
