Lava Blaze Dragon 5G Review | Best 5G Phone Under ₹10K!

Sushant Rawat

Published on: 4 August 2025

Introduction: The Emergence of India’s Own Tech Dragon

In the constantly changing landscape of smartphones, Indian brands have struggled to stand tall against international giants such as Samsung, Xiaomi, and Realme. But Lava is turning that around. With its latest smartphone—the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G—the company steps into the ultra-budget 5G smartphone war with gusto, brawn, and a Made-in-India label.

Priced at only ₹9,999 (₹8,999 with card discounts), the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G is no mere marketing exercise. It has the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, a 120 Hz refresh rate display, a 5000 mAh battery, and stock Android—making it a legitimate contender for the best phone under ₹10K in India.

Let’s go deep into the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G’s features, performance in real life, strengths, and sacrifices in this in-depth 3000-word review.

Design and Build: Minimalist Yet Modern

On first impression, the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G doesn’t shout budget. It comes with a matte-finished rear panel in two high-end colors: Midnight Mist and Golden Mist. The reflective trim glows softly in the light, making it feel more premium than plastic-shod rivals.

Design Highlights:

Weight: ~203g
Thickness: 8.45 mm
Materials: Plastic back and frame with matte finish
Ports: USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack, SIM tray with microSD slot

The phone has a sturdy build and doesn’t bend. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and ergonomic. Tactile buttons, a thin profile, and scratch-resistant glass complete the user-friendly package.

Verdict: Appears to cost more than it actually does.

Display: 120Hz in Budget Segment

The Lava Blaze Dragon 5G boasts a 6.74-inch HD+ IPS LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate—an absolute novelty under ₹10,000.

Display Specifications:

Resolution: 720 × 1600 pixels (HD+)
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz adaptive
Brightness: 450 nits (typical)
Aspect Ratio: 20:9
Touch Sampling: ~240 Hz (estimated)

Although it’s not a Full HD panel, it is quite good for daily chores such as social media scrolling, streaming, and gaming. The colors are natural, viewing angles are decent, and touch response is responsive due to the high refresh rate.

YouTube and Netflix watching is immersive on this big screen, though the HD+ resolution takes a hit when one compares it to FHD+ displays.

Verdict: Immersive and smooth for the money, but HD+ resolution will irk pixel peepers.

Performance: Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 = Game On

At the heart of the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G lies the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset, built on the 4nm process. This makes it one of the most power-efficient chips in this price segment, rivaling MediaTek’s Dimensity 6100+ and even outpacing some older Snapdragon 6-series processors.

Benchmark Results (approximate):

AnTuTu v10: ~430,000
Geekbench 6: 930 (single-core), 2150 (multi-core)
BGMI: Smooth + High (no stutters)
Call of Duty Mobile: Medium graphics + High frame rate

The phone features 4GB of RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, with virtual RAM expansion support up to 8GB in total. Apps are quick to load, UI navigation is smooth, and multitasking is remarkably good for the cost. UFS 3.1 storage delivers quick read/write, which makes app installations and game loading better.

Verdict: Hands down, the best processor you’ll find under ₹10K in India today.

Software: Stock Android Heaven

Lava has taken the clean and bloat-free path with Android 15 on the Blaze Dragon 5G. This is a stock Android experience with some very minor customizations, without any ads and no third-party trash.

Software Highlights:

Android Version: Android 15 (out of the box)
Upgrade Promise: 1 major Android update (Android 16)
Security Updates: 2 years
No Bloatware: Clean experience through and through

No UI lag or system slowdown in the long run, which is unusual for this price bracket. Even Realme and Infinix phones in this range are filled with unwanted apps.

Verdict: A breath of fresh air in the bloatware-filled budget segment.

Cameras: Good in Daylight, Average at Night

The Lava Blaze Dragon 5G boasts a 50MP AI rear camera with a secondary macro sensor (perhaps 2MP) and an 8MP selfie shooter in a waterdrop notch.

Camera Modes:

Portrait
Pro (manual controls)
HDR
Nighttime-Lapse
AI Scene Optimization

During the day, the 50MP takes solid shots with acceptable dynamic range and color balance. Edge detection is good in portrait mode. Low-light shots are average with some noise and missing detail, even with Night Mode.

The selfie camera takes acceptable shots in good lighting but fares poorly in shadows.

Verdict: Acceptable for everyday use and social media posting. Night shooting could be improved.

Battery Life: Long-Lasting and Efficient

The 5000mAh battery is a monster with a 4nm chipset and HD+ resolution. You can comfortably get 1.5 days of heavy to medium usage.

Battery Stats:

Screen-on Time: 7–8 hours
Charging Speed: 18W wired
Full Charge Time: ~110 minutes
Charger in Box: Yes

Be it gaming, streaming, or just browsing, the phone drinks power judiciously. The standby drain is low, so it makes an excellent partner for long days when you do not have a power bank.

Verdict: Industry-leading battery life for its category.

Connectivity: Real 5G, Real Freedom

This phone doesn’t merely offer 5G—it has 13 5G bands and hence is future-proofed for both the Jio and Airtel networks.

Verdict: It gets connectivity right in every possible way—even old users will enjoy the headphone jack and FM radio.

Real-World Usage Impressions

Having spent a week with the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G, here’s a rundown of what it feels like on a day-to-day basis:

Task—Performance

Web Browsing—Smooth, no stutters
YouTube/OTT—Good, though 720p resolution
Light Gaming—Excellent;
Heavy Gaming—Good with occasional drops
Video Calls—Clear mic and audio
Navigation/Maps—Fast and accurate
Multitasking within limits

Lava’s Free Service at Home Initiative

Lava’s increasing reputation is not only hardware-driven—their Free Service at Home initiative is a significant value add.

What It Provides:

Repair support at home (for warranty claims)
Pickup-drop facility in major cities
1-year brand warranty

This indicates Lava’s focus towards after-sales—something that most price-conscious users fear when purchasing from lesser-known brands.

Verdict: A gigantic confidence enhancer for customers.

Comparison: Lava Blaze Dragon 5G vs Competition

Feature	Lava Blaze Dragon 5G	iTel S24 5G	Redmi 13C 5G	Infinix Zero 5G
Price	₹9,999	₹9,999	₹10,499	₹11,999
Processor	Snapdragon 4 Gen 2	Dimensity 6020	Dimensity 6100+	Dimensity 920
Display	HD+ 120Hz LCD	FHD+ 90 Hz	HD+ 90 Hz	FHD+ 120Hz
RAM/Storage	4GB + 128GB	4GB + 128GB	4GB + 128GB	6GB + 128GB
Camera	50MP + 8MP	50MP + 8MP	50MP + 5MP	50MP + 16MP
OS	Android 15	Android 13 Go	MIUI 14	XOS
UI Type	Stock	Custom	MIUI	XOS

Verdict: The Blaze Dragon 5G has the cleanest software and latest Android version with good specs to boot.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Powerful Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (4nm)
Clean Stock Android 15 experience
120Hz refresh rate
Great battery life
Robust 5G support
Expandable storage and headphone jack
Free Service at home price, best-in-class

Cons:

HD+ display instead of FHD+
No ultra-wide camera
No stereo speakers
A single Android version upgrade promised

Final Verdict: Is Lava Blaze Dragon 5G Worth It?

Totally. If you are on a shoestring and you want the most excellent blend of performance, clean software, 5G future-proofing, and utilitarian features, the Lava Blaze Dragon 5G is a bargain at ₹9,999.

It’s not the best thing out there—no phone in this range is—but for regular users, students, and anyone looking to upgrade from a 4G phone, this is the perfect way into the world of 5G with minimal compromise.

FAQs About Lava Blaze Dragon 5G

Q1: Is Lava Blaze Dragon 5G suitable for gaming?
A: Yes. Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 performs casual and mid-level gaming (BGMI, CoD Mobile) easily.

Q2: Does it support expandable storage?
A: Yes, microSD card up to 1TB.

Q3: How many Android updates will it receive?
A: One major Android update (to Android 16) and two years of security updates.

Q4: Is the camera decent?
A: The rear 50MP camera is good in daylight and average in low light.

Q5: Where can I buy it?
A: Available on Amazon India from August 1, 2025.