Lava Agni 3

Lava commits to three Android version upgrades and four years of security patches from the Agni 3's October 2024 release, which puts the end of support at October 2028. What matters here is that this is an official, published commitment rather than an estimate — Lava is unusual among budget Indian brands in stating its windows, and that makes the Agni 3 a far safer long-term buy than an equivalently priced Infinix or Tecno where we have to project the dates ourselves.

Security patches run to roughly October 2028, four years from launch. Android version upgrades stop earlier, after three — taking it from the Android 14 it shipped with to Android 17. The security date is the one that matters for safety: a phone on an older Android version but still receiving patches is fine to bank on, while an unpatched phone is not, regardless of its version number.

It is a 1.74-inch AMOLED that shows notifications, music controls and the clock, and lets you frame selfies using the better rear cameras. It is a genuinely clever inclusion at this price, but be honest with yourself about how much you will use it — for most people it is a pleasant novelty rather than a reason to choose the phone.

No. This is the phone's most significant omission, because at around $245 most competitors include it, and it means Google Wallet and contactless payments are unavailable for the life of the device. If you tap to pay regularly, that alone rules the Agni 3 out despite its other strengths.