Lava Blaze Curve 5G: Design comes first, but we don’t skimp on the essentials

Lava Blaze Curve 5G Review: The sub-Rs 20,000 segment of the Android phone world can be a bit boring. This country values ​​practicality over excitement, and flashy features often replace value and reliability. But things have changed these days, and some manufacturers are cutting corners, including substandard software full of ads and unreliable hardware that breaks under pressure.

Enter Lava with Blaze Curve 5G. This is a novel and well-balanced product, which is rare in this price range. After a week of testing, I can confidently say that this is a strong contender, especially considering it’s a domestic brand. But no phone is perfect, so let’s see if the Blaze Curve’s shortcomings are a deal breaker.

Design and display: refreshing and easy on the eyes

From the moment I took it out of the box to this moment, I was impressed with the design of the Blaze Curve. It looks and feels very premium, even compared to slightly more expensive phones. This can be attributed to two important points about her. Lava says it has a gorgeous curved AMOLED display and a matte finish glass back, which is a first in this segment. When you hold it in your hands, it has a sense of luxury that goes beyond the price tag of 17,999 rupees. Weight distribution is also excellent, without being top-heavy. We’re happy that Lava chose a delicate, minimalist approach when it comes to finishes and colors. This is a refreshing change from the usual flashy finishes that plague this segment. It is easy on the eyes and creates a mature atmosphere.

The AMOLED display itself is punchy and vibrant, which is exactly what most users are looking for. Sure, it might not be the most color-accurate panel, but let’s be honest: How many buyers do professional photo and video editing with this range? Probably not many. This segment prioritizes visually appealing panels for the masses, and Blaze Curve excels in that regard.

However, the curved design has a small drawback. The problem is that a touch may be accidentally registered at the edge. I hope a software update will resolve this issue. Another area that needs improvement is peak brightness in direct sunlight. Although available, some of its competitors in this price range have slightly better performance.

On the other hand, having a curved screen in this price range is a bold choice. Screen protectors may be hard to find (and don’t come in the box), but they offer budget-conscious buyers a taste of technology previously reserved for flagship models. . It’s a cool addition that doesn’t sacrifice functionality.

Performance, connectivity and other trivia

Lava Blaze Curve is powered by the proven MediaTek Dimensity 7050 chipset, paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. This is his 6nm SoC, the same one that powers many other phones in this range, including Lava’s flagship Agni 2. During daily use, the phone was smooth and responsive, handling web browsing, social media, and even light gaming with ease.

Benchmark scores don’t tell the whole story, but the Blaze Curve scores a respectable 2598 and 1079 in Geekbench 6’s multi-core and single-core tests, respectively. AnTuTu consistently scores over 550,000 points. Please take these numbers with a grain of salt. However, games such as BGMI can be played comfortably on medium settings. However, expect occasional frame drops due to throttling during long gaming sessions.

What really sets Blaze Curve apart is its software experience. It runs a clean, bloatware-free version of Android 13 and follows Google’s familiar interface, but with some useful additions. This is probably the most premium aspect of this phone. It doesn’t feel like an affordable device at all. Couple this with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and it’s even more impressive. However, there are some small bugs, especially while using apps like YouTube and Instagram, which we hope will be resolved in future updates.

While the software update schedule isn’t ideal (the Android 14 update is scheduled for June, giving us a total of two years of updates, which means we’ll only get as far as Android 15), Lava is confident that Android 14 will There was a possibility of launching a mobile phone with a pre-installed version.

Connectivity is another strength. We tested the Blaze Curve using a Jio 5G SIM card and experienced excellent mobile reception with a stable 5G connection and decent speeds. Switching to Vodafone was also smooth.

One small caveat: the haptic feedback isn’t very strong. If you’re expecting top-level haptics like OnePlus’ O-Haptics, you might be disappointed. However, considering the price, it’s a fair trade-off.

Lastly, let’s talk about durability. I pressed the Blaze Curve without a screen protector and it emerged unscathed. The front of the Gorilla Glass 3 seems durable and shows no scratches even after some rough use. However, the plastic sides can be damaged by a hard case, or the one that comes with the box.

Camera: hit or miss

Blaze Curve 5G is equipped with a triple camera system: 64MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide, and macro lens. In the right lighting it can take decent photos, but it’s unstable so it’s not a reliable shooter. Software updates may resolve some issues, such as chromatic aberration that causes purple fringing, especially with ultra-wide-angle lenses. This may not be an issue for casual users, but if you zoom in you’ll notice that details are lost.

Low-light performance is understandably average for this price range, but the phone does an excellent job with close-ups and portraits, maintaining accurate skin tones with excellent edge detection. The macro lens is a welcome addition, but I think a better approach would have been to integrate it within an ultrawide lens, like some competitors do. The front camera, on the other hand, is great at capturing details and maintaining accurate skin tones. Well done here, I would say.

Overall image quality can be improved by adjusting the software. Color consistency between sensors needs work, but a more natural look could benefit color science. In some cases, the sky may appear in a mismatched shade of blue, with a slight magenta tint adjusted. There is room for improvement, but a software update could improve the camera experience from a B- to an A-.

Here are some more camera samples to judge the image quality of both the rear and front cameras.

Battery life: For most people, the phone lasts about 2 days.

Simply put, with Blaze Curve you’ll never have to worry about battery life. Even with a variety of uses such as camera testing, light gaming, social media browsing, and moderate phone calls, it always ends the day with around 30-35% remaining, which is a no-brainer for most users. This will be enough phone for 2 days.

The included 33W fast charger can efficiently charge the 5,000mAh battery in about an hour. The phone comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, which is a welcome move given that cars and other accessories are widely moving beyond USB-A port types. .

Verdict: A fresh contender in the sub-20k segment

Although some may question the bias towards local brands, the Lava Blaze Curve 5G stands out on its own merits. It punches above its weight class and offers a premium design that rivals even more expensive phones. The 8GB+128GB model at Rs 17,999 is an attractive option, but for just Rs 1,000 more and considering the lack of expandable storage, the 8GB+256GB model offers excellent value.

That said, if you’re looking for a good-looking phone with a premium feel, clean software, and long battery life, the Lava Blaze Curve 5G is a great choice, especially for the price. The camera has room for improvement, but it’s good enough for everyday use. Budget-conscious users who prioritize design and software experience will find a lot to like here.