What's so special about a $70 smartphone that shares a display trait with the $799 iPhone 16?

What can 70 bucks get you? Less and less, if we're talking about groceries, but how about… a smartphone? For fun, let's skip used devices and see what a $70 new smartphone looks like.

I'm talking about the Lava Yuva Smart, a 4G phone by the Indian company Lava. In 2023, Lava held a 25% market share in the feature phone segment in India, while accounting for 2% in the smartphone segment.

That doesn't stop them from manufacturing smartphones, though. The Lava Yuva Smart arrives with a 6.75-inch LCD display with an HD+ resolution (720 x 1600 pixels) and a standard 60 Hz refresh rate.

That's a large panel, albeit not as gorgeous as an OLED display. Its resolution is pretty mediocre in 2025, but if people in 2019 were able to enjoy their iPhone 11 with its resolution of 828 x 1792 pixels, so can you.

Speaking of iPhones, the Lava Yuva Smart's screen refresh rate is the same – 60 Hz, as the one found on the $799 iPhone 16. Of course, I'd put my money on Apple's handset to deliver a smoother screen experience overall, but I find it hilarious nevertheless.

The Lava Yuva Smart is built around the Unisoc 9863A processor, an octa-core chipset manufactured on a 28nm process, which is pretty far from today's 4nm and 3nm mid-range and flagship standard, but let's not forget we're talking about $70 here!



The phone operates on Android 14 Go Edition, a streamlined version of Android designed for devices with limited RAM.

The phone is available in a single configuration featuring 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, with the option to expand up to 512 GB via a microSD card. Lava has also integrated 3 GB of virtual RAM to enhance multitasking performance.

For photography, the Yuva Smart is equipped with a 13MP AI-assisted dual-camera setup on the rear, while the front houses a 5MP camera for selfies and video calls.

Powering the device is a 5000 mAh battery, which is pretty great, given that my flagship daily driver is also 5,000 mAh. The Lava Yuba Smart supports only 10W wired charging, which isn't that great.

In terms of connectivity, the phone includes support for 4G, 3G, and 2G networks, along with Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and a USB Type-C port. Other features include a 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM radio, a bottom-firing speaker, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for security. The device weighs 193.3 grams.

Lava has introduced the Yuva Smart at an initial price of INR 6,000 (approximately $70), positioning it as a budget-friendly choice in the Indian market.

We've come a long way, folks: $70 can get you a brand-new smartphone!