Lava Shark 5G Review: At Rs 7,999, This Is How a Budget Phone Should Be

A few weeks back, I covered a local smartphone launch event - all-glass stages, neon lights, and influencers posing in chic wear. There was a buzz in the room about foldables, high-end phone cameras, AI photo editing, and vapour chamber cooling. A premium phone was the star of the show. It was flashy, yes. But as I stood at the edge of the crowd, one thought kept ringing in my head- "This isn't the phone most people are actually buying."

Because for every foldable bending in commercials, there are millions of users in India who step into a store or click "Add to Cart" seeking something under Rs 10,000. Something solid. Something straightforward. Something that just works.

And this is why I got my hands on the Lava Shark 5G - a budget smartphone by Lava, available for Rs 7,999 - to find out what it really has to offer. It is all too easy to overlook a phone from this price category. But with features such as 5G support, a 90Hz screen, Android 15, and a 5000mAh battery, the Shark 5G isn't seeking attention, it deserves it.

So, can a phone this cheap really keep pace with today's needs? Or is it merely another budget backup phone for a drawer? Let’s find out. 

Phone: Lava Shark 5G

Price: Rs 7,999

Display: 6.75 HD+ display with 2.5D Glass, 90Hz Refresh Rate and 20: 9 aspect ratio

Battery: 5000mAh

Camera: 13MP dual rear camera and 5MP selfie camera

Processor: UNISOC T765 Octa-core Processor and Android 15 OS

Design and Build: Subtle but Smart

Let's get this off the table: the Lava Shark 5G isn't flashy. No curved glass, fancy frames, or rainbow lighting here. But that's not the idea. What you do receive is a tidy, functional design with the glossy back design that feels solid and grippy in the hand. The Stellar Gold and Stellar Blue finishes provide just enough character without shouting "budget." IP54 water and dust resistance is also included.

It's big because of the 6.75-inch screen, but it's not too heavy, and the side-mounted fingerprint reader is easily accessible and quick. At Rs 7,999, it's amazingly well assembled. No rattling, no strange seams - just a dependable, functional phone.

Display: Big and Bright Enough

The Lava Shark 5G features a 6.75-inch IPS LCD screen with 90Hz refresh rate and 720 x 1600 pixels resolution. On paper, this sounds like a weak point, but in real-world use, the display is more than a match.

Text is legible, colours are good (if a bit washed out), and the brightness is adequate for indoor and shaded outdoor usage. Visibility in sunlight is only okay, but then, for this price range, it's fine.

Performance: Modest and Capable Hardware

Under the hood, the Shark 5G is driven by the Unisoc T765 (6nm) chip - a quite new affordable SoC with an octa-core CPU (2x Cortex-A76 + 6x Cortex-A55) and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. This is combined with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Lava Shark 5G does a good job. In my day-to-day usage, I felt that UI is clean and responsive. The app switching is smooth unless you're juggling too many heavy apps. Light to medium games like Subway Surfers, and Fruit Splash run respectably. The  5G connectivity works great where available, with stable speeds and low latency.

Of course, at Rs 7,999, you don’t expect a phone built for multitasking beasts or gaming enthusiasts. But for web browsing, messaging, social media use, video calling, and even some casual gaming, Lava Shark 5G punches well above its weight.

Software: Clean Android 15 Out of the Box

One of the greatest things about the Lava Shark 5G is the experience of stock Android 15. No bloatware, no ads, no extra launchers - just clean, unadulterated Android the way God intended!

For people on a budget, this is important. Phones at this price point tend to suffer from bloated skins and slow UI. In this case, the experience is slick and stripped back, and it is perfect for first-time users and for those who want a clean backup phone. Time will tell how committed Lava are to keeping things up to date, but shipping with Android 15 already puts this device ahead of most of the competition.

Cameras: Simple, but Not Broken

Camera performance is where the budget phones typically begin to bare their teeth. The Lava Shark 5G comes with 13MP rear camera and 5MP selfie camera. During the day, the back camera takes respectable photos - colours are neutral and dynamic range is fine. Focus is quick enough for rapid fire shots, and shots are acceptable enough for WhatsApp sharing. 

Low-light is another matter - shots become noisy fast, and detail suffers even with HDR. There is an LED flash, but don't hold your breath.

The front-facing camera works for video chats and selfies outdoors, but it's poor in the dark or indoors. There is a portrait mode and beauty mode trickery – if you prefer. Video is fine for documentation and fast recordings, but not vlogging.

Battery Life: A Real Workhorse

If there's one thing that the Lava Shark 5G really wanted us users to talk about is it's battery life. Yes seriously! It’s pretty good. With a 5000mAh Li-Ion battery, this phone keeps on going. You can easily manage 1.5 to 2 days of usage with moderate screen time, 5G enabled, and normal app use.

Charging is done through USB Type-C at 10W (charger included in the box), which isn't super-rapid, but charges to 0% to 100% in just under 1.5 hours.

Short and sweet: this phone won't suddenly drop dead on you during the day, even with phone data enabled.

Connectivity and Extras

As a budget phone, the Lava Shark 5G ticks quite a few boxes- Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM), 5G support, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, 3.5mm headphone jack, OTG support, side-mounted fingerprint sensor. 

The only actual omission? No NFC and GLONASS, but that's excusable at this budget.

Should you go with Lava Shark 5G?

The answer is yes, if you are looking for something under Rs 8,000 in 2025. 

Let's just say it straight: you can't have perfection at Rs 7,999. But the Lava Shark 5G doesn't even attempt to be perfect - it attempts to be practical. And that's precisely why it succeeds. It's decently looking. It runs clean Android. It has actual 5G support and provides amazing battery life. With all this, it doesn’t feel like a compromise. 

This is a phone built for students, seniors, budget-conscious users, and anyone who needs a dependable device without paying flagship prices. In a market flooded with hype and heavy price tags, Lava has done something rare. They built a phone that's honest, focused, and truly useful. And in 2025, that could be the coolest thing of all. 

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Review