Lava Blaze 2 review: A budget-friendly, performance-oriented handset

Name: Blaze 2
Item: Blaze 2
Author: Aishwarya Panda

Lava Blaze 2 review: Know all about the newly introduced Lava Blaze 2. Check if it's a hit or miss by the company in the sub-Rs.10000 segment.

By: AISHWARYA PANDA
| Updated on: Dec 24 2023, 16:49 IST

Lava Blaze 2 5G first impressions: Futuristic design on a budget

Lava Blaze 2 review: In a competitive market, finding a budget smartphone with all of the necessary features, suitable pricing and a 5G connection requires a huge amount of research. Leading smartphone companies such as Samsung and Xiaomi are bringing high-quality features to their budget range phones and Lava is looking to stay ahead in this segment. It has now upscaled its game in terms of offering feature-packed devices from the budget to the mid-ranges. Now, the company has introduced two new ranges of smartphones called Lava Blaze 2 and Lava Blaze 2 Pro.

I have been using the Lava Blaze 2 for a couple of weeks and I have much to say about the innovations introduced by the company. Even at first glance, Lava Blaze 2 has all the required features one could ask for, including a massive 6.56-inch display, a 50 MP main camera, a premium-looking design, 5G connectivity, and much more. But now the question arises, does Lava Blaze 2 deliver the features the audience requires under the sub-Rs. 10000 category? Read our Lava Blaze 2 review to understand if the smartphone is worth the buy or not.

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Lava Blaze 2 review: Design and display:

The Lava Blaze 2 features a massive 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. (Aishwarya Panda/HT Tech)

image caption — The Lava Blaze 2 features a massive 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate. (Aishwarya Panda/HT Tech)

At first glance, I was flattered by the smartphone's glass back and a circled camera island that supports two camera lenses and a flashlight. However, the smartphone was quite slippery and you'll notice fingerprints and dust all over the back which did not feel right. Therefore, one must use the smartphone case as the fingerprints take away the smartphone's beauty. A standout feature of the smartphone was its blue ring light, which we will discuss in more detail later.

At the front, it features a 6.58-inch HD+ IPS display. It supports a 90Hz adaptive refresh rate which was responsive as the navigation between apps was smooth and I did not face any lag while playing games on it. Having said that, and fair to say, I felt display quality, for such a massive one at that, needed a bit more work. Needless to say, looking at the fact that it is a budget phone, the requisite compromises have to be made to get the entire product right for the targetted requirements.

On the right side of the phone, there is a fingerprint-cum-power button which unlocks the smartphone pretty swiftly. On the left side, it comes with a SIM and Micro SD card slot.

Lava Blaze 2 review: Camera performance

The smartphone features a dual-camera setup with a 50MP primary shooter. Again, it is a big camera and it works in ideal conditions. The puzzling part was that sometimes it gave an average performance even in good lighting conditions. From sensors, software to lens, everything matters and quality compromises can be seen here. But nothing can detract from the fact that it is a 50MP camera even if it does not come with all the bells and whistles. While clicking a photograph, the camera shows natural lighting, however, post snapping a picture, the colors appear extremely sharp which dulls the quality of the picture. The night camera is disappointing as it captures blurred and often noisy images.

However, Lava Blaze 2 packs a fine 8MP front camera. It gives a decent performance with snappy images in good lighting conditions. Again, the front camera is lacking in the night-time photoplay department.

A very pleasurable surprise came in the form of its videos. The camera captures 1080p resolution videos beautifully and if you are into videography, you can have a closer look at it.

In my opinion, after having put it through its paces, at the given price range, it has decent camera performance that can be utilized for snapping pictures for social media.

Lava Blaze 2 review: Performance

The Lava Blaze 2 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 Processor. (Aishwarya Panda/HT Tech)

Now, let's discuss the Lava Blaze 2 performance, which is arguably one of the most important, if not the most important, factors in any smartphone. It is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 chipset which efficiently manages the daily basic tasks such as scrolling social media, streaming content on JioCinema or Netflix, web browsing, switching between apps, etc. In my experience of using the smartphone, Happily, I didn't encounter any hurdles or difficulties with normal usage.

And adding to my joy was the Lava Blaze 2 gaming performance. The smartphone supports games such as Temple Run 2 smoothly as I played the game multiple times without facing any lag or frozen screen. With heavy games such as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) or Farlight 84, you will notice some minor frame drops and heating of the smartphone.

Now, let's discuss the functionality of the “Ring light”, in my opinion, and from a design point of view, the feature sure is attractive, but the addition of more functionalities could have been a great value-add. However, it can be called a unique selling point for buyers.

In terms of sound performance, the Lava Blaze 2 brought crisp sound when I played music on YouTube such as Heeriye by Jaslin Royal and Husn by Kinni Kinni by Diljeet Dosanjh. Additionally, I also played some of Taylor Swift's songs such as Anti-Hero and Lover and I enjoyed listening to music on the device when in speaker mode.

Now, about the Lava Blaze 2 software, it runs on Android 13 and it promises 2 years of operating system updates and three years of security updates, which is promising enough.

Lava Blaze 2 review: Battery

The Lava Blaze 2 sports a 5000 mAh battery which lasts for about a day. I must say that Lava has outdone in this department. It does not run out quickly even while playing heavy, battery-sapping, games like BGMI. With medium usage, you can swiftly carry the phone all day without worrying about charging.

The smartphone comes with an 18 W fast charger in the box which boosts the device from 20 to 100 percent within 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Lava Blaze 2 review: Final verdict

After using the Lava Blaze 2 for a considerable amount of time, I believe that it is a hit in terms of pricing and overall smartphone performance. In my opinion, this could be the best smartphone in the sub-Rs.10000 segment if we don't look too closely at the display and camera areas. If you are, do check others.

The smartphone comes with an attractive design and exceptional performance. The battery life of the smartphone was also surprising for me under this range.

The overall performance of the smartphone was impressive in the price range. A bit of compromise here and there, yes, but in terms of bringing great functionalities to customers in a budget range was definitely achieved by the company.

However, if you're looking for a smartphone that could handle medium usage under a budget then I would recommend Lava Blaze 2 without any doubt.

Finally, Lava Blaze 2 offers assures some top functionalities in a quite pocket-friendly way.

Rating

3.5 out of 5

Price

INR 9,999/-

Product Name

Blaze 2

Brand Name

LAVA

Pros