Curved displays are not a recent phenomenon. During their decade of operation, these were once considered premium features as they were exclusive to high-end flagship devices. As technology advances, we’re seeing more budget and mid-tier devices flaunting curved displays, especially now that flagship devices are opting for flatter, bezel-less displays.
Indian smartphone brand Lava has redefined the segment with the launch of Agni 2 (Review), one of the most affordable smartphones with a curved screen. The company surpassed itself in 2024 with the launch of the Blaze Curve, one of its most affordable 5G-enabled curved display smartphones in the country currently.
After testing the Lava Blaze Curve 5G thoroughly for over two weeks, here are my thoughts.
Luxury cheap smartphone
Compared to recently launched devices like the Nothing Phone (2a) (review), the Blaze Curve may seem a bit traditional. However, his 3D curved display on the front looks like a premium device and immediately reminded me of the OnePlus 8 (review). The device’s overall form factor is similar to the Agni 2, but with a triple-camera setup similar to the iPhone 15 Pro (review), the Curve Blaze gives it a unique look and compliments the curved glass back panel. Masu.
The display and back panel are integrated, giving it a luxurious feel the moment you hold it in your hand.
Flagship level display
Flagship smartphones have been moving away from curved displays for various reasons, but the Blaze Curve seems to be sticking with it. This makes the phone look more elegant with very minimal and uniform bezels. We also liked the fact that it has optical in-display fingerprint authentication. This isn’t the fastest or most accurate, but it gets the job done.
Widevine L1 certification ensures that the device can stream content at up to FHD resolution on popular OTT platforms such as Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix. When watching YouTube, it feels like the display is calibrated to be more vibrant, emphasizing colors like red and green and making everything on the display look vibrant and contrasty.
Features like edge-lit for notifications, monochrome always-on display, and a dedicated dark mode allow the phone to take full advantage of its 6.67-inch curved 120Hz AMOLED screen.
Don’t buy this phone for the camera
The Lava Blaze Curve 5G’s triple camera setup is average at best. Although we managed to take some good photos in daylight conditions, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the camera’s performance. Despite being a low-cost phone, the primary 50 MP sensor natively allows him to shoot 4K videos, while the 8 MP sensor can only capture up to 1080p video.
Here are the Lava Blaze Curve camera samples:
Clean Android experience, decent performance
Lava is one of the few Android smartphone brands that offers a clean Android OS experience without bloatware, and the Blaze Curve is no exception. It also doesn’t include a native gallery app. However, most phones launched in 2024 will be running Android 13, whereas most phones will be running Android 14. Lava assures that the Curve Blaze 5G will soon be running Android 14 and will also be eligible for the Android 15 update.
Although the OS is old, it is well-optimized and we did not find any glitches while testing the device. Since this is a clean build of Android, it also requires less internal storage. With 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage (UFS 3.1), the device can handle most of your daily tasks like browsing social media apps, streaming videos, and a little gaming without any trouble.
The Dimensity 7050 is also a fairly optimized processor, which is also found in the recently announced realme 12+ (review), ensuring that the phone can handle some multitasking. The phone handled tasks like background downloads while browsing X (formerly Twitter) with video streaming in PiP (picture-in-picture) mode without any problems. The device did not get hot even while playing COD:Mobile at high graphics settings. It only got hot after almost an hour of gaming.
All-day battery life
With a 5,000 mAh battery, the Lava Blaze Curve can easily last a full day on most days, and the smartphone also supports 33W fast charging. During testing, we confirmed that this device can provide more than 6 hours of screen on time for him. Your device will become slightly warm while it is charging. A charger is also included.
Affordable 5G mobile phone with a premium feel
Lava Blaze Curve is not only a great-looking, budget-friendly 5G smartphone, but also a practical device with features that will satisfy everyone. Notable features include a large battery, dual stereo speakers, and a clean and soft experience. If you don’t mind a mediocre camera, the Lava Blaze Curve priced at Rs 17,999 is a great device to consider.
