Lava launched the Lava Blaze Curve last week as the newest member of the Blaze family. We spent some time with the Iron Glass variant and here are our first impressions of the phone.
The Lava Blaze Curve comes in a black retail box with a phone picture that does not match the color version you purchased. The package includes a protective cover, charging cable, 33W adapter, USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, and SIM ejection tool.
Lava Blaze Curve features a 6.67-inch 3D curved AMOLED screen with FullHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 800 nits peak brightness. In our brief experience, the smartphone’s ambient light sensor was slow to adjust screen brightness. In other words, the phone’s panel can display 16.7 million colors and has HDR10+ and Widevine L1 certification.
The display is protected by Dragontrail Star 2 glass and there is a center punch-hole for the 32MP selfie camera, which is placed off-center inside the hole. It does look poorly made, but you’ll only notice that if you look very closely.
Additionally, there is a fingerprint reader below the screen for biometric authentication. We found it to be fast and accurate, but we wish it were placed a little higher for easier reach.
On the other side, we have a triple-camera setup that includes a 64MP primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide-angle (120° FOV), and 2MP macro unit. The main camera uses a Sony sensor, supports EIS, and has an aperture of f/1.9.
The back panel of the Lava Blaze Curve looks very simple, without any of the fancy designs we’ve seen on other smartphones. Some may even find the iron glass version we received less attractive than the green evergreen glass model, but for those who want something that looks formal yet stealthy, the former is a good choice. It also reflects light at different angles, which looks cool.
No matter which model you buy, the back panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, a 3D glass design with a matte finish. The curved edge of the back cover makes the phone comfortable to hold. The overall design and construction give the Lava Blaze Curve a premium feel.
It is worth mentioning that the protruding camera on the back causes the lava flame curve to swing on a flat surface. Their arrangement also makes wiping the dust between them a little difficult.
That said, the Lava Blaze Curve has a plastic frame with the right frame housing the power button and volume rocker. It has a USB-C port on the bottom, along with speakers, main microphone, and dual SIM card slots. On top is the IR blaster, flanked by a second speaker and microphone.
Ports and controls for Lava Blaze Curve
Lava Blaze Curve is powered by Dimensity 7050 SoC and has 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage onboard. It runs clean Android 13 out of the box with no ads and pre-installed third-party apps, which is always refreshing.
Lava promises three years of quarterly security updates for Blaze Curve, with plans to upgrade to Android 14 and Android 15. Given the timing of the release, we’d like to see the phone run Android 14 out of the box. Hopefully, the Indian phone maker will launch it soon.
Keeping the Lava Blaze Curve running is a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 33W charging. The ad says the battery goes from flat to 50% in 30 minutes, and to 100% in 80 minutes.
Other highlights of the Lava Blaze Curve include Dolby Atmos and 5G support on both SIM slots.
Lava Blaze Curve will be launched in India on March 11. Its 8GB/128GB model is priced at INR 17,999 ($215/€200), while the 8GB/256GB model is priced at INR 18,999 ($230/€210).