Lava Blaze Pro 5G review: worthy of a second glance

Rating: 8/10

With a price tag of slightly less than Rs 13,000, Lava has introduced the Blaze Pro 5G smartphone to meet the demands of 5G consumers in India who are on a budget. A 5G-capable chipset, an almost stock Android operating system, a durable battery, a high-resolution primary camera, and a rapid charging option are some of its notable characteristics. In the actual world, do all these parts work together to provide a seamless user experience? To learn more, continue reading this Lava Blaze Pro 5G review.

Listing of Contents

Verdict

The Lava Blaze Pro 5G is a remarkable 5G smartphone that is affordable and performs well in both daytime and basic task photography. Its rapid charging speeds go well with its respectable battery life. To provide a flawless experience, the phone also has an easy-to-use interface free of bloatware and advertisements.

Design and display

Even though I have seen more elegantly built smartphones in this market class, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G feels appropriate. It has a simple design with two separate camera rings and a matte finish around the back. The inscription “50-megapixel AI camera” is carved on a small, glossy, rectangular surface that replaces the conventional camera module. It also has an LED light. This, at least with the Starry Night color option, offers the gadget a beautiful contrasty look. Additionally, the handset is available in Radiant Pearl.
The phone may not feel small, but it is easy to handle and use for extended periods thanks to its smooth edges and gently curved corners. The smartphone has a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer between the bottom edge speaker grille and the 3.5mm headphone socket, as well as a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for fast unlocking. There is only one speaker on the phone, and even at full volume, it tends to sound muffled.
Regarding the display, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G has a 6.78-inch panel with the selfie camera positioned in the center of the panel. This panel has a smooth refresh rate of 120Hz and FHD+ resolution thanks to IPS LCD technology. The screen does, however, have observable bezels all around. For the price, the viewing experience can be considered decent. There is a little warmth to the basic color choices, and there are some limitations to the viewing angles. Furthermore, there is potential for enhancement concerning sunlight legibility. However, there are no difficulties when using the screen indoors.

Cameras

The 50MP dual-camera configuration on the Lava Blaze Pro 5G is powered by AI. By default, the primary camera captures 12.2MP photos, and in well-lit environments, the results are pleasing. In good lighting, the details and colors seem well-balanced, if not exceptionally so, and the camera easily keeps focus on the subject.
Sadly, this is not always the case with low-light cameras. Even in night mode, it often produces underexposed photos with a considerable amount of noise throughout the frame, much like any other low-cost smartphone. The phone’s 8MP camera is what it uses for selfies and video calls. For the price, it produces reasonably detailed readings, especially during the day. Next, the device uses computational abilities to capture portrait photos using its front and rear cameras. Although there is some inaccuracy in the edge detection, overall the results are satisfactory. The cameras can also record videos with a resolution of up to 2k.

Performance and software

At its heart is the MediaTek Dimensity 6020 SoC, which powers the Lava Blaze Pro 5G. This is paired with 128GB of user-extensible storage onboard, which has a dedicated slot for a microSD card, and 8GB of RAM, which is essentially expandable up to 6 GB. You won’t have any trouble using the gadget for simple things like online browsing, social media browsing, and conversation, even though the performance might not be that quick.
Graphically intensive games such as BGMI are manageable on the device, but the experience is not pleasant because of performance drops and increasing temperatures. Playing light games on this tablet is more enjoyable. The Lava Blaze Pro 5G performed well in benchmark tests, earning 4,03,481 on AnTuTu and 1,961 on the Geekbench multi-core exam. The device reached 92% of its maximum performance on the CPU Throttle test.
Except for Google and Lava apps, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G runs Android 13 out of the box, offering a nearly stock Android experience free of bloatware and advertisements. Like other smartphones with custom Android skins, it doesn’t have many customization choices, but you can still quickly enable or disable the app drawer, change the icons for apps, record calls, and the screen, and use other functions. Furthermore, there can be some jitteriness in the animations.

Battery and charging speeds

With constant use, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G’s standard 5,000mAh battery offers a reasonable eight-and-a-half hours of screen time. Depending on how much you use, this should be plenty to keep a phone charged for at least a day between charges. The phone came back with a score of nine hours and forty-five minutes on the PC Mark battery test.
Using the 33W charger that comes in the box, the Lava smartphone takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to fully charge.

Final verdict

There are various areas where the Lava Blaze Pro 5G is lacking in contrast to its rivals. At a comparable price point, the Samsung Galaxy M14 5G (review) distinguishes out for its varied camera setup and software support. Starting at Rs 11,999, the Redmi 12 5G (review) appears to provide greater value in the meantime.

Nevertheless, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G stands out from the crowd because to its uncluttered appearance, support for comparatively quick charging, stable operation, and nearly stock Android experience. The cameras and display may not live up to expectations, but they are still usable in the majority of situations. All things considered, the Lava Blaze Pro 5G is a competitive option for those on a tight budget that want 5G capabilities.

Motives behind purchasing