Lava Blaze Pro 5G review: Top mid-range contender

Lava Blaze Pro 5G Review: In a market heavily influenced by Chinese smartphone giants, brands like Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo and Realme have dominated the mid-range segment, even as Korean giant Samsung gains momentum. Liven up your space with great smartphones, which Indian consumers are used to having a monopoly on. However, despite this, his homegrown technology company Lava has strived to establish itself in this fiercely competitive field. By introducing its latest offering into the 5G segment in India, Lava Blaze Pro 5G, the company aims to challenge established players in sub-R. 15,000 smartphone market – the most competitive segment.

After using the Lava Blaze Pro 5G for over a month, I decided to investigate whether Lava is doing enough to compete with established rivals like Oppo and Redmi. This comprehensive review will shed light on the features and shortcomings of Lava Blaze Pro 5G and help you make an informed decision in this confusing and cluttered smartphone environment.

Strong Points

• midrange
• large display
• big battery

Cons

• Charging speed is slow
• poor camera quality

I don’t know either
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Lava Blaze Pro 5G review: Design and display

Lava Blaze Pro 5G comes with a smooth matte finish plastic frame and back that resists fingerprints and smudges. However, it weighs 203 grams and is 8.96 mm thick. Despite its large size, it has a firm grip and is easy to hold.

The buttons, including the power button’s fingerprint sensor, are on the right side. Throughout our exploration of the Lava Blaze Pro 5G, the fingerprint sensor consistently delivered fast and accurate unlocking on the first try. At the bottom he has one speaker, which provides an average audio experience, although some may want a little more volume. On the plus side, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which accommodates those who prefer wired earphones.

The front of the device features a 6.78-inch IPS LCD display with FHD plus resolution of 1080 x 2460 pixels, 396 PPI, and an impressive 120Hz refresh rate. Featuring vivid colors and excellent viewing angles, the display provides a satisfying visual experience. Even when binge-watching a variety of shows and movies, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G consistently meets expectations, and considering the price, the display holds its own without disappointing.

However, it is important to note that the brightness level is slightly lower than standard, which will cause problems in reading and viewing content in strong sunlight. On the plus side, the 120Hz refresh rate contributes to the fluidity of scrolling and other actions, improving the overall user experience.

Lava Blaze Pro 5G Review: Performance

Powering the Lava Blaze Pro 5G is a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor matched with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM, up to 8GB of virtual RAM, and a massive 128GB of storage. In our hands-on experience with the Lava Blaze Pro 5G, the device showed commendable performance in daily use. There were some slight stutters in the system animations, but overall there was little to complain about in performance. In particular, the default animation speed is set to 0.5x to improve device movement.

Meanwhile, it comes with some customized features and runs on Android 13. The Settings app and other features are custom-built, but the notification shade and app drawer are taken from stock Android.

It’s a shame that this phone ships with the August 2023 security patch pre-installed. However, on the positive side, this phone comes with very few third-party apps pre-installed.

However, when it comes to gaming, you’ll have to temper your expectations as heavyweight titles like BGMI and Asphalt 9 have proven difficult to handle. At full graphics settings he experienced intermittent lag when playing BGMI and experienced mild heating issues after about 40 minutes of gameplay. Additionally, data transfer via the built-in Nearby Share proved to be a test of patience, taking around 30 minutes to send 2GB of data to another phone. Despite these limitations, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G manages everyday tasks like Instagram scrolling and web browsing well without a hitch.

Lava Blaze Pro 5G review: Camera performance

Lava Blaze Pro 5G boasts a dual rear setup with a 50MP primary camera with an AI camera, while the front features an 8MP camera. The camera application has various modes such as film, slow motion, and pro modes, but the overall camera performance is middling.

Shutter lag is well managed, but color reproduction is lackluster and dynamic range is below par. On the plus side, the details in the captured images are commendable. Portrait shots show robust edge detection, but adjusting the background blur strength turns out to be less effective. Nevertheless, the detail and color accuracy of portraits exceeds regular shots.

Selfies from the front camera are disappointing, lacking detail, plagued by noise, and have poor dynamic range, especially against bright backgrounds. Even with low artificial lighting, photos tend to be overly soft, sacrificing detail to reduce noise.

This challenge continues with night shots, where night mode increases exposure but doesn’t compensate well in terms of detail or overall sharpness. The Lava Blaze Pro 5G struggles to deliver compelling performance in low-light conditions, and its camera capabilities leave room for improvement.

Lava Blaze Pro 5G review: Battery life

Taking a closer look at the Lava Blaze Pro 5G’s battery performance, the device packs a robust 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging capability. With moderate usage such as running social media apps, calling, browsing, and focused viewing, the smartphone can comfortably last him a whole day.

During my use, the screen on time was close to 4 hours, demonstrating the device’s durability in common scenarios. However, if you continue to use your device in heavier usage scenarios, the battery may run out before the day is over. One thing worth noting is the somewhat disappointing charging time, as it takes nearly an hour and a half to charge the device from 0 to 100 percent with the included charger.

Lava Blaze Pro 5G: Final Verdict

We think the Lava Blaze Pro 5G is a commendable mid-range contender for sub-R. The smartphone market is 15,000 units. This design is a bit bulky, but offers a comfortable grip with responsive buttons and a reliable fingerprint sensor. The 6.78-inch display impresses with its vibrant colors and smooth 120Hz refresh rate, but it’s a challenge in bright sunlight.

In terms of performance, the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor makes day-to-day tasks smooth, but gaming enthusiasts may find it lacking. The camera setup disappoints with mediocre color reproduction, subpar dynamic range, and weak low-light performance. On the bright side, the 5,000mAh battery offers satisfying durability, but the 33W fast charging lets you down with longer charging times.

In short, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G offers a decent package, but the improved camera capabilities and charging speeds will help it better position itself in the competitive mid-range market. However, if you are looking for a sub-midrange smartphone, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G might be the best option for you. Also consider Redmi 13C and Realme Narzo 60X 5G.