Lava unveiled the Z61 Pro budget phone at
a price of INR 5,774 (which is $75 or so). This will fit people wanting
something small and cheap – the 5.45” screen makes the phone more compact than
most. The screen has 720 x 1,440 px resolution (18:9) and is covered with 2.5D
glass. It’s a classic design, meaning that the 5MP selfie camera is on the
bezel above the screen.
Around the back is the 8 MP main camera,
which offers HDR, night mode and portrait mode. There’s no fingerprint reader
anywhere on the phone, but you can use the front camera for face unlocking (it
reportedly triggers in 0.6 seconds).
This phone is a successor to the Lava Z61
from a couple of years ago. It’s more powerful, however, with an unnamed 1.6
GHz octa-core processor and 2 GB of RAM. This allows even the base version to
run full Android (the older model started with Android Go edition). However,
the company doesn’t reveal which version of Android is running on the phone.
Anyway, the Lava Z61 Pro has 16 GB of built-in
storage and a microSD card slot for up to 128 GB more. It’s also a dual-SIM
phone with 4G VoLTE support, Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.2. The 3,100 mAh
battery charges via an old-school microUSB port. There’s also a 3.5 mm
headphone jack at the top.
The most notable thing about this phone is
that it is part of the “Made in India” program. Last month the company
announced plans to shift its production facilities from China to India, an
R&D center will also be moved. The Lava Z61 Pro will be available through
Flipkart, Amazon and brick and mortar stores within a week. You’ll be able to
choose between Midnight Blue and Amber Red paint jobs.
