| Category | Key Specifications |
| Secondary display | 1.6” FHD+ AMOLED |
| Rear camera | 50MP Sony IMX752 |
| Build | 7.55mm slim, 163g |
Vibrant AMOLED
Clean UI
Good battery
Average camera
Mid-range performance
Limited updates
The Lava Blaze Duo was a pretty solid phone, especially for its price. It stood out mainly because of its dual-display design, 6.67-inch curved screen, and an incredibly reliable battery life. So it’s successor, the Lava Blaze Duo 3 had a lot to live up to.
And it does. The design has changed, but still, we don’t see a lot of radical changes here. Even the pricing is more or less the same. The Lava Blaze Duo 3 is easily available at a price of Rs 16,999 for the 6GB + 128GB variant. Now, I have been daily-driving the Blaze Duo 3 for a couple of weeks, and I have to say, what Lava’s offering here for the price, is genuinely impressive. Here are my thoughts.
From the moment I picked up the phone, it didn’t quite feel like the Lava Blaze Duo I used last year. That’s when it hit me: the design has changed noticeably this time. The finish, especially on the white colour variant that I’m using, has this shiny, star-dust look to it. Lava calls this colour, the Imperial Gold. It’s easy on the eyes and looks pleasant, though it may not appeal to everyone. Lava is also offering the phone in a Moonlight Black option.
At the back, there’s a massive rectangular camera module placed at the top, housing a a main 50MP camera sensor and a QVGA camera, which is pretty pointless. We also have a vertically stacked LED flash. In the other half of the camera module, we get a smaller, 1.6-inch AMOLED display, a feature that really sets the Duo Blaze 3 apart from all other phones in this price bracket. More on this, later.
The entire camera module sticks out slightly, and on top of that, the two cameras have their own deco rings. All of this is quite subtle, but, you do get a very slight wobble when you place the device screen-side up on a table.
The back panel is plastic but comes with a glass-like finish that gives it a slightly premium look. The shiny frame follows a flat design, which improves grip and makes the phone comfortable to hold. At 7.55 mm, it’s a pretty slim phone, although not the slimmest in its segment. That said, it is pretty light, weighing just 163 grams, which makes it pretty easy to carry. The weight, along with the slim built, ensures that this slips in and out of pockets without any trouble.
You get the he power button and volume rocker sit on the right side, positioned very ergnomically, if you have smaller hands. At the bottom, you’ll find one of the stereo speakers, a dual nano SIM slot, and at the top, you’ll see even a built-in IR blaster, which is a nice extra feature to have. Durability-wise, we do get an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance. However, there is there is no word on what sort of glass has been used for the main display.
Speaking of displays, we are getting a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. In real usage, the refresh rate mostly switches between 60Hz and 90Hz, but navigation remains smooth overall. The display curves very slightly at the edges, which helps in gripping the phone. What I was surprised by is that it is a 10-bit panel, which produces over 1 billion colours. We rarely get to see this at this price point. And yes, it is has Widevice L1 support. So on OTT platforms, colours pop out and everything looks sharp and vibrant.
Brightness wise, we are limited to about 800-nit HBM, but I didn’t come across a lot of issues, even when I was outdoors.
Now, the smaller display. The AMOLED secondary display, first introduced on the Lava Blaze Duo 2, makes a return here, but its slightly bigger this time as it goes from 1.58-inch to 1.6-inch. It’s actually pretty cool. It supports basic functions like checking the time, viewing notifications, and clicking pictures, mainly selfies.
I found myself using this screen mostly for notifications, especially during meetings, or when I didn’t feel like unlocking the phone just to check a message. You can also control music playback from here, and surprisingly, even step tracking shows up on the outer display, which feels like a nice little bonus. Coming to the audio, the stereo speakers are just about average, not too loud, not too flat but paired with the main display, they do the job well enough for casual media consumption.
The Lava Blaze Duo 3 packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 33W wired charging. While that’s decent, it does feel slightly underwhelming when other phones in this price range are offering much higher battery capacity.
That said, battery life turned out to be better than I expected. With moderate usage which included clicking a lot of pictures, watching a couple of videos, and taking calls the phone easily lasted close to a day and a half before needing a recharge.
Charging is fairly quick as well. The phone goes from zero to full in about an hour, which is convenient and removes the anxiety of having to top up right before stepping out.
The phone comes with a 50MP primary camera featuring a Sony IMX752 sensor, along with an 8MP front camera. You also get a QVGA camera on the back, which is pretty pointless.
Compared to the 64MP camera on the Blaze Duo 2, the 50MP sensor looks like a downgrade, on paper at least. However, you are getting a much better sensor and better tuning which makes up for it. In daylight, photos turn out bright, sharp, and fairly detailed. That said, colours are slightly boosted and don’t always look true to life. There’s also a noticeable green tint in some shots, which can be distracting at times.
The 2x digital zoom works reasonably well, with decent detail and colour consistency. Once you push it to 3x, sharpness drops, but the images are still usable for casual shots.
Portrait mode performs well overall. Edge detection is mostly accurate, though it struggles a bit around hair. Subject separation is clean, even with busy backgrounds. Skin tones can look slightly off in certain conditions, but nothing too alarming. Selfies are detailed, though again, skin tones appear a bit saturated. You also get modes like Dual View Video which lets you capture videos from both front and rear cameras at the same time. There are AI features like AI Eraser and AI Enhance as well. They work fine, but there’s nothing here that feels particularly new.
The Lava Blaze Duo 3 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7060, a mid-range chipset designed for basic usage. Benchmark results reflect that clearly;483,000 on AnTuTu and 1,062 (single-core) and 2,510 (multi-core) on Geekbench.
Performance is pretty decent and average. Apps open quickly, multitasking isn’t very smooth, but is not exactly an issue, and routine tasks like browsing, clicking photos, or using ChatGPT run smoothly. The phone is available with 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM, paired with 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. You also get expandable storage up to 1TB via a microSD card slot, which is good to see.
The Lava Blaze Duo 3 runs Android 15 out of the box and offers a clean, straightforward UI. There’s barely no bloatware, and that’s easily one of the phone’s strongest points.
Now, Lava has promised that the device will see an Android 16 update, and at least two years of software support. Beyond Android 16, there is no word. This is a bit odd, especially when you consider that brands like Samsung are offering up to six years of updates, and even Poco promises at least four years for devices at this price point,.
At ₹16,999, the Lava Blaze Duo 3 carves out a clear identity in a crowded segment. You get LPDDR5 RAM paired with UFS 3.1 storage, which is still not a given at this price, along with a sleek design and a genuinely vibrant AMOLED display. The secondary screen remains its standout feature and adds real everyday convenience, whether it is for quick notifications, music controls, or selfies.
What also works in the phone’s favour is the clean, near-stock software experience. It feels refreshingly clutter-free, runs smoothly in daily use, and is backed by performance that holds up well for everyday tasks. The camera system, while not class-leading, is reliable enough for casual photography and social media use. Where the Blaze Duo 3 really earns its appeal is in the overall experience it delivers. It may not chase headline numbers everywhere, but it focuses on usability, thoughtful design, and a fuss-free UI. Add to that the made-in-India branding, and the phone makes a strong case for buyers who value a clean Android experience, a good display, and something that stands out visually.