Indian brand ‘Lava’ launched the Blaze Curve 5G smartphone earlier this month. After using it for about a month,
I have no hesitation in writing that ‘Lava’ is trying its best to regain its lost ‘shine’ and it seems that the company has the capacity to do so.
In the under Rs 20 thousand category, elements like curved AMOLED display, premium design make Blaze Curve 5G stand out from the crowd. But the real challenge to ‘Lava’ is Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Realme, Vivo, Oppo. Can Lava Blaze Curve 5G win people’s hearts? Let us know in this review.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G : Price in India
Two variants of Lava Blaze Curve 5G smartphone have been launched. The price of 8GB + 128GB model is Rs 17,999. The price of 8GB + 256GB model is Rs 18,999.
The sale of the phone started from March 11. It can be purchased from Lava E-store, Amazon and retail stores. The phone has been brought in Viridian and Iron Glass colors.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G : Design and Display
We reviewed the Iron Glass model of Lava Blaze Curve 5G. The design of the phone has the ability to ‘win hearts’ and gives a premium and attractive look to the device. Its back has tough glass, which has matte finish and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
The company claims that this phone can protect itself from breaking if it falls. We did not drop the phone and see it, but it felt solid. Fingerprints do not emerge on the matte finish, which eliminates the chances of the phone getting dirty without a cover.
As I wrote in First Impressions, the finish of this phone when seen from the back side is like Vivo X50 Pro. That phone was launched 3 years ago in the price category of Rs 50,000 and Lava Blaze Curve 5G is offering the same premium finish for Rs 17,999.
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I did not see any clumsiness in the design of Blaze Curve 5G. There is decent branding of LAVA 5G at the bottom. At the top, three camera bumps are carved in triangle shape, in which 3 rear cameras are fitted and LED flash is provided separately.
There is a power button and volume rocker on the right side of the phone. Their positioning was right for me. During use, it did not happen that the finger touched the volume rocker instead of the power button. The left side of the phone is empty.
Type-C port, SIM tray, microphone are available at the bottom. There are two stereo speakers at the top and bottom. These support Dolby Atmos. With this Jugalbandi, the speakers generate good sound, but at full volume the sound starts cracking a bit.
There is no 3.5mm headphone jack in this phone. To compensate for this deficiency, a USB Type-C connector is provided in the box.
Another thing that’s missing is the option to insert an SD card. Its deficiency may be felt in the 128 GB variant. A 33-watt charger, C-type data cable, SIM ejector tool and TPU cover are also available in the box.
The four corners of Blaze Curve 5G are curved, which means it is a device with curved edges. The phone grips the hand and does not slip easily. The weight of 189 grams puts it in the category of lightweight device. There is no problem in using it with one hand. The frame of the phone is glossy and matches the design.
The curved display of Blaze Curve 5G makes the phone look sleek. The punch hole at the top of the display is small. The display chin is thin, due to which the screen covers the entire phone.
The design of Blaze Curve 5G is a direct message to Chinese companies that now Indian brands also have the power to provide premium designs in the mid range and Lava is no less in this matter.
Now talking about the display of the phone, Blaze Curve 5G has a 6.67 inch Full HD Plus AMOLED display. Its resolution is 1080×2400 pixels and refresh rate is 120Hz. By giving a curved display, Lava has presented Blaze Curve 5G as a trendy device.
Sharp and punchy colors emerge on the screen. However, the peak brightness could have been more than 800 nits. During use in sunlight, it became difficult to see visuals at times.
There was no problem in indoor use. Having a 120Hz refresh rate makes the eyes feel smooth during scrolling. According to me, it would be better to keep the refresh rate in auto mode, this saves battery.
I read e-papers on this device for about a month. Watched YouTube videos. The experience was good. Blaze Curve 5G also has Widevine L1 certification,
which means online content can be watched in the best resolution on OTT apps like Netflix. I watched 2 episodes of ‘Looter’ on Disney Hotstar and I was satisfied with the display of the Blaze Curve 5G.
Its ‘in-display fingerprint sensor’ makes the device unlock faster. It would have been better if its placement was a little higher in the display. There are hardly any smartphones with curved display under Rs 20,000 and Lava can take the lead from others on this basis.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G : Specifications and Software
Lava Blaze Curve 5G has MediaTek’s Dimensity 7050 processor. The review unit I received had 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage.
With the help of free storage of the phone, the RAM could be further increased to 8GB. Connectivity options include 5G, 4G, Bluetooth 5.2, FM radio, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi6, OTG support, as well as
Lava Blaze Curve 5G runs on the Android 13 operating system-based UI. It may be a bit older by the time Android 14 arrives, but it offers a stock Android experience.
This means no unnecessary ads or push notifications. There’s no bloatware hassle either. Lava’s apps are minimal, and the phone feels clean. The company has promised 2 Android upgrades and 3 years of security updates. This means the phone will receive Android 14 and subsequent OS updates.
Pure Android’s biggest advantage is its ease of understanding and operation. There are plenty of shortcuts available, making tasks quick. I liked the Always On Display feature, which allowed me to view notifications along with time, date, and battery percentage without unlocking the phone.
The phone supports dual app for WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, meaning you can run 2 WhatsApp instances simultaneously on the Lava Blaze Curve 5G.
Performance and Battery: The Lava Blaze Curve 5G features a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.
In terms of performance, it competes with devices like realme 12, realme Narzo 70 Pro, OPPO F25 Pro, OPPO Reno11, and Lava Agni 2 5G in the market, but at a lower price point. It performs decently in daily tasks, from medium to heavy usage. While it’s not a gaming-centric device, it handles casual gaming well.
The battery performance of the Lava Blaze Curve 5G is impressive. With heavy usage, including gaming, social media usage, web browsing, and watching a web series, it lasted a full day. Even with continuous HD video loop, the battery lasted for 19 hours and 30 minutes.
Cameras: The camera setup on the Lava Blaze Curve 5G is average. It features a 64MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera on the back.
The main camera doesn’t capture photos in 64MP resolution by default; you need to find the option within the camera app. The photos taken lacked some details, although colors were decent. The ultrawide camera covers a wide field of view but lacks sharpness and vibrant colors. Macro shots require effort, but they capture good detail on stable objects.
Overall, the Lava Blaze Curve 5G offers a smooth performance, impressive battery life, and decent camera capabilities, making it a competitive option in its price range.
