I have reviewed multiple Lava phones over the years, and their software never left a lasting impact on me. That is because they ship with stock Android, which is clean and simple, sure, but also the kind of thing you stop noticing after day one. So when Lava announced that they are building their own OS skin for the first time, I was all ears. And after getting my hands on Neo UI on the Lava Virat Curve, I have some things to say, and they are mostly positive.
Where Neo UI Gets Its Looks From
After installing the update, I didn't notice any immediate change on the lock screen, home screen or the app drawer. But swiping down from either of the top corners revealed the new split Control Centre, with the quick settings accessible from the top right and the notifications panel from the top left.
It's similar to what Nothing recently did with the Nothing OS 5.0 update, catching up with the trend of a split Control Centre like iOS.
The Camera app looks completely new, with easily accessible modes and other options like HDR, Google Lens, and Motion Photos shifted to the top. It looks completely different from what it was, yet a little familiar.
The Settings app has also undergone a makeover, with new icons for each menu, simpler names for each option, and a new search bar at the bottom to find items easily. It also carries a Liquid Glass transparent effect, similar to iOS 26.
Among all the changes, I found the new Wallpaper, Lock Screen and Personalization section the most interesting as it houses the new Vivid Themes.
They look inspired by ColorOS 16's Flux Themes, and that's when it clicked that the Camera UI and Control Centre also appear quite similar to the ones found on Oppo phones. Not that I am complaining; after all, if you are going to take inspiration from someone, picking one of the best software skins on Android is a smart move.
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Frames, Themes App and What Is Missing
Neo UI also introduces Lava's own gallery app called Frames. It's a simple, no-nonsense alternative to Google Photos.
I like how easy it is to navigate, and there's a smart search to quickly find photos I am looking for. Like, if I type "Car", it brings up all images of mine that have a car in them.
There's also a Vault to hide the photos; you don't want to get them into the wrong hands. And Lava has even added a theme option to change the entire colour scheme of the app.
Talking about themes, Neo UI also adds a new Themes app. It isn't as feature-rich or loaded with options as HyperOS or One UI. I saw around 7 pre-loaded themes, and that's all that I could pick from.
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Faster, Cleaner, and Still Not Finished
I already called the stock Android software experience decent in my Lava Virat Curve review. But Neo UI made it noticeably smoother. App switching, opening folders, pulling down the control centre; it all feels like the animations got a speed boost.
On the AI side, Vayu AI brings call summaries and voice translation, though I did not get enough time with either to say much beyond confirming they exist. And even after revamping their UI, there is still zero bloatware. No random games, no shopping apps, nothing that should not be there.
For a first attempt at a custom skin, Lava's Neo UI feels genuinely promising. And it makes me excited to test out their phones in the future, shipped with this new software. Lava got the direction right; they improved performance and kept it clean.
If Lava can iron out the stock Android leftovers so the whole thing feels like one cohesive OS, Neo UI might live up to its name. Much like the character it shares its name with, Lava has taken the red pill, and there is no going back to stock Android after this.
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