If you are in the market looking for a smartphone that boasts high-end features without a hefty price tag, then the Lava Blaze Curve 5G might have caught your eye. With a curved AMOLED display and a powerful Dimensity 7050 chipset, the Blaze Curve 5G promises a lot. We recently got our hands on the device, but does it live up to the hype? Let’s find out.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G
Rs 17,999What Is Good?
- Beautiful curved AMOLED display
- Almost stock Android experience
- Powerful enough for everyday tasks
- Long lasting battery life
- Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
What Is Bad?
- Average low light performance
- No expandable storage
- Will only get up to Android 15
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Design and Display
The Blaze Curve 5G can turn heads. It comes in two colourways: Glass Viridian and Glass Iron. The company has opted for a no-nonsense clean design with three camera sensors placed individually without any island and a clean back with Lava branding in the bottom left corner.
The curved screen paired with the curved edges at the back feels luxurious and gives a solid grip in hand. However, beware of its smooth finish—a case is practically mandatory to avoid accidental tumbles.
| Design/Display | Specs |
| Display size | 6.67-inch curved AMOLED display |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2400×1080 pixels) |
| Peak Brightness | 800 nits |
| Weight | 189 grams |
| Dimensions | 161.8 × 74.0 × 8.8mm |
The display on the Blaze Curve 5G is quite good. The 6.72-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate offers vibrant colours, deep blacks, and a sharp FHD+ resolution. Binge-watching Netflix and YouTube was a joy. However, reading under direct sunlight was challenging due to only 800 nits of peak brightness.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Cameras
| Primary Camera | 64MP Sony sensor with EIS |
| Ultra-wide sensor | 8MP |
| Macro Sensor | 2MP |
| Front Camera | 32MP |
The device’s main 64MP sensor delivers excellent results in the daytime with lifelike colours and ample details. The 32MP selfie shooter also does a great job of maintaining natural skin tones with accurate details.
We also liked the inclusion of an 8MP ultra-wide sensor instead of just putting another 2MP or even a 5MP sensor, which many other brands do. The ultra-wide shots on the device, especially during the daytime, are quite good and more than enough for social media use.
However, the Blaze Curve 5G suffers the most in low-light performance. Photos taken in darkness lack details and introduce quite a bit of noise.
For casual photography, the Blaze Curve 5G suffices, but serious shutterbugs might want to look elsewhere.
Performance
- Thanks to the Dimensity 7020 SoC and LPDDR5 RAM, the Blaze Curve 5G easily handles daily grinds.
- It might not attract power users/gamers, but it’s more than enough for casual users.
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7050 |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Geekbench 6 Benchmark Scores | Single-Core: 1,101 // Multi-Core: 2,651 |
The MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor delivers solid performance for everyday tasks. Popular games like COD Mobile and BGMI ran smoothly at moderate graphics settings with only occasional stutters. The phone did heat up during extended gaming sessions (around 30-35 minutes), but it remained manageable.
Apart from that, the combination of 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and expandable virtual RAM provides a smooth experience for multitasking. Besides, it ran flawlessly during our casual usage, including emails, social media, YouTube, and calls.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Software
The Blaze Curve 5G runs Android 13 out of the box, which is a bummer since it’s 2024 and most smartphones are running Android 14 straight out of the box. But thankfully it delivers a bloatware-free, almost stock Android-like experience, which is also a rarity in this price range.
Additionally, the company promises two major software updates and three years of security updates. This means that the Blaze Curve 5G will only get up to Android 15, which is expected to be unveiled in the latter half of 2024.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging
If you are someone who uses the smartphone moderately, which includes chatting on WhatsApp, scrolling through social media, watching a couple of YouTube videos, or even playing casual games, then the Blaze Curve 5G will easily last you a single day on a full charge. During our tests, it even pushed past a day with minimal usage.
In terms of charging, the included 33W fast charger gets the phone fully juiced up in a respectable 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Audio
The Blaze Curve 5G comes with stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos support, which usually is not the case in smartphones at this price point. While the speaker gets impressively loud, it lacks clarity at max volume.
When we tried listening to music or watching videos on YouTube at maximum volume, the details became muddled and voices were shrill. So, for a pleasant listening experience, it’s better to stick at around 80% volume.
Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: Verdict
The Lava Blaze Curve 5G tackles everyday tasks easily, boasts a gorgeous curved AMOLED display, and offers a near-stock Android experience. The long-lasting battery is another major perk.
The Lava Blaze Curve 5G shines as a daily driver for budget-conscious users.
However, camera quality takes a backseat and the phone can warm up during extended gaming sessions. The lack of a microSD card slot might be a dealbreaker for some users who require expandable storage.
So if you prefer a solid camera performance and want OIS then the Vivo T3 (check review) is worth considering. If you prefer a strong performance then the iQOO Z9 (check review) is also a worthy contender.
