Lava launches iris 870 and six more phones, including V2s+ for defence and energy sectors

Reveals growth at time of expected industry consolidation

• Lava achieved revenue of USD 1.1 billion in FY14-15; 100% growth over FY13-14
• Ambitious plans to become one of the first global consumer brands from India
• New products include smartphones and a custom phone for the high-security defence and regional energy sector

Dubai, UAE, May 31, 2016:  Lava International today launched a range of new devices with premium configurations and quality user experience at a competitive price. The global launch for Lava iris 870, defence and energy sector focussed V2s+, and five other devices in Dubai was attended by the brand’s retail and distribution partners from key markets. The products will be immediately available in the UAE, India, Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mexico.

Lava’s global network has over 1,400 distributors, 143,000 retailers, 1,100 service centres, 10,000 employees and over 30 core patents. Jumbo Electronics is Lava’s exclusive key distributor in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. 

Lava has been at the forefront of mobile technology since its inception and aims to be one of India’s first global consumer brands. “Our consistent growth in global markets reinforces the trust and confidence that consumers have placed in our brand in a short span of time,” said Billy Luo, General Manager MENA, Lava International. “The company achieved revenues of USD 1.1 billion in FY14-15 registering more than 100% growth over FY13-14,” he added. 

This is especially remarkable at a time of expected consolidation in the cluttered global smartphone sector. According to IDC, vendors shipped a total of 334.9 million smartphones worldwide in the first quarter of 2016, marking the smallest year-over-year growth on record.

On the other hand, Lava international is ambitious about developing its overseas market, with a 76% increase in shipment in the first quarter of 2016 (excluding India). The total overseas shipment had surpassed one million in March 2016. In FY14-15, Lava sold 35 million units in total, with 56% revenue from India, and 44% revenue from other international markets, highlighting the growing global footprint of the brand. 

R&D and customised products
Lava has a complete in-house R&D and product-testing set-up in China and India. Every Lava product is rigorously test-proven before delivery through 1,200 hardware tests, 120,000 software tests and 44 reliability tests.

One of the factors contributing to Lava’s success in global markets is locally-relevant product development. The Lava X8s, for example, has no-camera or GPS, but is extremely popular in the GCC, with more than 30,000 units sold in five months. The X8s appeals to security-critical sectors in the region such as government, defence, and energy, that require customised phones for onsite safety and information security. The V2s+ is the next generation camera-less phone being launched today by Lava for these sectors. 

“Industry-leading product experience in its price band has been at the core of Lava’s strong growth. At Jumbo, we are delighted to support Lava’s success through our focus on being an overall integrated business partner for the brands we distribute,” said Ajay Pathak, Head - Mobility and Solutions Division, Jumbo Electronics. “Lava has also been a key partner in Jumbo’s aim to support the SME retail sector in the region, which is vital to the GCC economy,” he added.  

The iris 870 and V2s+ are the stars of the line-up in the range of devices being launched by Lava.

Key specifications of Lava iris 870 at a glance: 

• 8 MP Rear Camera, Largan 9574 Lens, 1.4Micron Large Pixel Size, F2.0 large aperture, 20% more light and 10% more sharpness compared to ordinary 8 MP cameras
• 5P Lens precision, dual LED rear flash provides balanced lighting effect
• From day to night, indoor to outdoor –enhanced night mode, state-of-art Arcsoft image processing arithmetic
• 5 MP Front Camera, Screen Flash for bright and high quality selfies, 84°Wide Angle Selfie
• High-quality design and functionality – precision fitting, cambered design 
• Dual SIM
• 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 – enhanced impact, scratch and dirt resistance
• Elevated texting and gaming experience  
• 5.0” HD IPS (1280x720)
• Star OS 3.2 based on Android 6.0, MTK6735P platform, 64 bit Quad Core Cortex-A53 Structure, 16GB ROM + 2GB RAM, 2700mAh battery 
• 4 battery saving modes, battery life is increased by 16%, 369H standby, 29H talk time, 90H music, 4.7H games 
• Safety first - stainless steel sealed battery  
• WiFi and Bluetooth, 8frequency bands (GSM+WCDMA+FDD) 
• Quick and accurate activation via personalized assistive touch function
• Indicative launch price: AED 449

Key specifications of Lava V2s+ at a glance: 

• The no camera and GPS smartphone
• MT6735p platform, 1.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
• 5'’ HD(1280x720) IPS Display
• WiFi and Bluetooth, 10 frequency bands (GSM+WCDMA+FDD) 
• Star OS 2.0 based on Android 5.1, 16GB ROM + 2GB RAM, 2500mAh battery
• Indicative price: AED 549

Other Lava smartphones being launched include:

• iris 702, AED 199
• iris 758, AED 299
• iris 820, AED 299
• iris 860, AED 499
• Grand2c, AED 499
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