Lava Virat V1 5G review: Big battery, but sluggish performance hold it back

Lava Virat V1 5G offers a large 120Hz display and 6,000mAh battery, but slow touch response, sluggish performance and 10W charging undermine the everyday experience

Home-grown smartphone brand Lava has introduced the Virat series in partnership with e-commerce platform Flipkart. The first two models in the series are offered with 4G and 5G connectivity options. The Virat V1 5G, reviewed here, seems to tick the right boxes for a budget smartphone, with a large 6.75-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 6,000mAh battery and a modern-looking design. The phone is powered by a Unisoc T8200 processor and runs Android.

 

Display

 

The Lava Virat V1 sports a 6.75-inch HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 2.5D curved glass layered on top. The large screen is useful for watching videos, but the thick lower bezel takes away from the viewing experience. There is a noticeable black area at the bottom, which makes the display feel less immersive than expected from a phone with such a large screen.

 

 

The display itself is underwhelming, too, with the HD+ resolution limiting what it can deliver. Text and smaller details do not look sharp.

 

Outdoor visibility could also have been better. The bigger problem, however, is not the display size or resolution but its responsiveness. The touchscreen often feels slow to respond to normal taps. At times, I found myself pressing the screen harder than I normally would because the phone did not seem to register a light touch immediately.

 

This becomes frustrating during basic tasks. The delay is not limited to one particular app or function. Even opening the camera and viewing a photograph after taking it can take some time.

 

For a phone meant for everyday use, this kind of delay is difficult to overlook. A 120Hz refresh rate does little to improve the experience if the screen itself does not respond quickly enough to touch.

 

Design

 

The Virat V1 is a large and fairly bulky phone. It weighs 210 grams and measures 8.75mm in thickness. The size is understandable given the large display and 6,000mAh battery, but the phone does feel bulky in the hand.

 

The back has a plastic-like finish, with lines carved into the panel that reflect light. The camera module follows the square-shaped design seen on many smartphones today. A transparent-looking section around the camera module reflects light in multiple colours, giving the back a slightly different appearance.

 

However, some of the design choices feel unnecessary. There is a cutout on the lower-right side of the camera module that does not appear to serve an obvious purpose. Instead of adding to the design, it looks like a missing section of the camera housing.

 

The camera module also has "13MP AI CAMERA" written above the flash. The Lava branding sits lower on the back. While the edges are curved, they do not feel particularly soft in the hand. 

 

Performance

 

The Virat V1 is powered by the Unisoc T8200 octa-core processor and comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card.

 

On paper, the specifications are suitable for basic smartphone use. In practice, however, the phone's responsiveness is its biggest weakness. Lava says the phone comes without bloatware, but there are still several applications pre-installed on the device. Many of these are apps that I would not normally choose to install.

 

More importantly, the overall software experience feels sluggish. Moving between tasks, responding to taps and opening certain functions can take longer than expected. The delay is particularly noticeable when performing simple operations that should not require much processing.

 

This is where the Virat V1 struggles the most. Budget phones are expected to make compromises, whether in display resolution, cameras or build quality. But basic responsiveness directly affects almost every interaction with the device.

 

The phone does not always feel ready when you are. The fingerprint sensor is another weak point. It rarely unlocks the phone instantly, and there were several instances where I had to try again before the fingerprint was recognised. Combined with the slow touch response, this makes unlocking and getting started with the phone more cumbersome than it should be.

 

Camera

 

The Virat V1 has a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. It is not a photography-focused smartphone, but the cameras are adequate for basic use. In good lighting, the rear camera can capture decent photographs, while the front camera is suitable for casual selfies and video calls. However, low-light performance is average, and users looking to create social media content may find the camera setup limiting.

 

The more noticeable issue during everyday use is the delay after taking a photograph. The phone can take some time to display the image after the shutter is pressed.

 

For someone who occasionally uses the camera for basic photographs, this may not be a deal-breaker. But it adds to the overall impression that the phone takes longer than it should to respond to simple commands.

 

Battery

 

Battery life is one of the stronger areas of the Virat V1. The phone packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is among the more useful specifications on the device.

 

In regular use, the phone can comfortably last through a day, although actual endurance varies depending on how the device is used. With lighter tasks such as messaging and browsing, the battery can last longer, while gaming, video streaming and prolonged mobile data use can drain it noticeably faster.

 

Charging, however, is a weak point. The phone supports only 10W charging, and Lava claims it takes around 185 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 per cent with the bundled charger. In practical terms, charging the phone is slow, so users will need to plan ahead rather than expect a quick top-up.

 

Still, the large battery is a clear advantage for buyers who prioritise endurance over charging speed. The 10W charging support, however, means users should expect a long wait when charging the phone from empty to full.

 

Verdict

 

The Lava Virat V1 has some straightforward strengths. Its large 6.75-inch display, 120Hz refresh rate and 6,000mAh battery make it look appealing on paper, particularly for buyers looking for a big-screen phone at a budget price.

 

But using the phone tells a different story. The Virat V1 is a device where the specifications look more convincing than the actual experience. The large screen and battery are useful, but slow touch response, a sluggish fingerprint sensor and noticeable delays in everyday use make the phone difficult to recommend without reservations.

• Price: Rs 12,999
• Colour: Arya Blue

 Lava Virat V1 5G: Unboxing  

 

 

 

 

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