Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Dependable 5G Companion for Everyday Usage

Lava India has recently introduced two new 5G smartphones in the Storm series. The Lava Storm Play 5G and Lava Storm Lite 5G have been announced in the country to serve the budget segment of smartphone users. The first model in this series, Lava Storm, was launched two years ago in 2023, and the latest models aim to further strengthen Lava’s presence in the Indian market.

I have been using the Lava Storm Lite 5G for the past two to three weeks, and on paper, it features specifications such as the Dimensity 6400 SoC, a 5,000mAh battery, a 120Hz display, a 50MP AI camera, and Android 15 OS right out of the box. However, what is stated on paper and actual usage in daily life can differ significantly, so in this review, we will explore whether it can truly make an impact in the budget smartphone market in India.

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Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Design and Build

Considering its budget pricing, the Lava Storm Lite stands out in terms of its look and feel. The company has launched the device in Cosmic Titanium and Astral Blue hues, out of which I received the Titanium version for the review. At the back, it has a matte-metallic finish which feels premium in hand and doesn’t attract smudges easily, which is a plus.

The dual camera lenses are placed vertically inside a square module at the top left corner, which also includes a flash. At the bottom is Lava branding with 5G written in silver font. Though made of plastic, the smartphone doesn’t feel cheap in hand and looks stylish from afar, which is a win.

At the front is a 6.75-inch display and a waterdrop notch for selfie camera, along with noticeably thick bezels at the bottom. The buttons are tactile, with the overall feel-in-hand being decent. In terms of functionality, this is what you’ll get-

• Right edge- power button, volume rockers
• Left edge- SIM tray
• Bottom edge- USB-C port, headphone jack & speaker grille

The Lava Storm Lite 5G is IP64 rated for being water splashes and dust ingress resistant, making it ideal to use during the rough and unpredictable Indian weather conditions, which is good considering it costs just Rs. 7999.

The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is placed conveniently, whether you are a left- or right-handed user. It weighs around 190 grams and has a sleek body, which is a rarity in this segment. All in all, I was impressed by the minimalist design and durable build of Lava Storm Lite 5G.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Display

The Lava Storm Lite 5G boasts of a large 6.75-inch HD+ IPS LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1600×720 pixel resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, and a 750 nits peak brightness level.

The visuals do not match those produced by an AMOLED display, but considering the price point, the scenes produced look sharp and colorful with a 1600×720 resolution. The text is sharp, color reproduction is fairly decent, viewing angles are wide, and touch sensitivity is smooth as well. The 20:9 aspect ratio offers a tall viewing experience ideal for OTT content consumption, and the 120Hz refresh rate offers a fluid and seamless scrolling experience while watching reels, reading books, and playing games.

The 750 nits peak brightness feels adequate indoors, but outdoors, it poses problems under sunlight as the screen becomes super-hard to read. Monsoon season in India might have made the display brightness acceptable, but then it won’t be this cloudy the entire year, right? On days when sunlight was harsh, it was very difficult to work with the display. The brightness level is one of the biggest drawbacks of the Storm Lite’s display.

As mentioned above, there are noticeable bezels around the display, especially at the bottom. These don’t hamper the OTT consumption experience but might prove to be a con to gamers or content creators, but then one has to make some compromises when pricing is this competitive.

The display of Lava Storm Lite 5G can be called a mixed bag, with its own share of pros and cons.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Speakers and Haptics

The Lava Storm Lite 5G houses a single bottom-firing speaker, thus making it stick to the rules of budget segment smartphones. This single bottom-firing speaker is placed next to the USB-C port and is loud enough for casual listening, notifications, and light gaming. However, don’t expect its loudness to fill the room.

Also, at volume levels above 70%, the audio might feel slightly distorted when playing songs or watching videos with heavy bass. Otherwise, with earphones wired or TWS, the audio feels decent for day-to-day needs. A two-speaker setup would have been better, offering a richer sound output, but a single speaker does most of the job well.

When it comes to haptics feedback, the Lava Storm Lite is equipped with a basic motor offering decent haptics feedback when typing, choosing something, to getting notifications. The vibrations aren’t too refined or precise, but acceptable considering it costs under 10K. The haptics are obviously not ideal for precise or gaming feedback.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Software

Lava Storm Lite 5G runs Android 15 OS out of the box and offers a neat and clean near-stock Android 15 interface, which means minimal bloatware, no ads, and no compromises with performance. It doesn’t come stuffed with unnecessary applications, which is common in smartphones belonging to this segment. This offers a better user experience and faster updates with Lava promising two years of security patches and one major OS update.

This feels like a disappointment as the updates will stop at Android 16, making it feel outdated when used longer. Another drawback is non non-existence of any useful AI features, which has become the need of the hour nowadays. It does get AI optimization in terms of camera, biometrics, battery, and performance, but other than that, there are no specific AI capabilities it gets.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Biometrics

Similar to its competitors, the Lava Storm Lite 5G also gets a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a face unlock for biometric authentication. The fingerprint sensor is well placed for easy accessibility and offers a quick response; the face unlock allows users to access their device just by looking at it. The face unlock worked well in well-lit conditions, but in dim lighting, it took more than one attempt, which was annoying.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Performance

Lava Storm Lite 5G is India’s first smartphone to get the MediaTek Dimensity 6400 SoC, an octa-core chipset with clock speeds reaching up to 2.5GHz on this budget device. The chipset is built on a power-efficient architecture and claims to give better performance compared to other budget SoCs.

During everyday usage, the chipset offered a smooth and fast performance with accurate responsiveness and decent multitasking. Tasks like calling, messaging, listening to music, watching videos, reading books and articles, and morre could be performed without any noticeable lags or stutters.

Switching between apps and games running in the background was mostly smooth despite the smartphone supporting limited 4GB RAM. With 64GB internal storage, it does allow you to save photos, videos, and apps, but in today’s times, when storage capacity of 256GB also feels less at times, 64GB makes the device feel dated.

However, one can also opt for the 128GB variant priced at Rs. 8499, which would offer more room for gaming, social media consumption, and storage. RAM can virtually be expanded by 4GB while storage can be expanded up to 1TB using a microSD card. We performed some crucial benchmarking tests, and here are their results.

A 5G integrated modem ensures that the smartphone offers fast and stable next-generation connectivity and makes it future-ready for streaming, downloading as well and browsing.

In terms of gaming, the Lava Storm Lite 5G can handle light titles like Candy Crush, Goods Sort, Tile Match, Township, Happy Color, Burger Shop, Mania Journey, Ludo King, Toy Factory, Sudoku, and Bus Escape easily for hours, thus making it apt for casual gamers.

However, if you are an avid gamer who wants to play titles like BGMI, COD, or Asphalt 9, you will be disappointed as these titles are able to run smoothly for a short duration, and the frame rates start dropping when you try to run a longer session. Honestly, one can’t expect a smartphone priced at merely Rs. 7999 to be gaming-centric, and Lava isn’t even claiming it to be.

Overall, the performance of Lava Storm Lite 5G is mostly decent. However, if you are looking for a gaming-centric device, this one isn’t for you.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Cameras

Photography has become one of the major highlights of smartphones nowadays. Lava Storm Lite 5G comes with a 50MP AI rear sensor at the back and a 5MP selfie sensor at the front. Many smartphones in this price segment get a secondary sensor at the back, but that is mostly useless, so it is better to equip the device with a single decent sensor instead of one mediocre and one useless one.

The 50MP Sony IMX752 sensor at the back is supported by software and AI algorithms to give sharp, clear, and colorful shots, and it does live up to its promise. The shots clicked in daylight are vibrant, sharp, accurate, and detailed. The photos taken are balanced, and AI Scene recognition makes sure that color reproduction is decent. The exposure is managed intelligently, and the shots are ready to be posted on social media. Film Mode clicks shots with an in-built filter that offers an aesthetic effect to the shots.

Lowlight photography is where the sensor becomes underwhelming. Images taken in low light conditions, whether indoors or outdoors, are not crystal clear and have some amount of noise as well. There is a dedicated Night Mode available that does improve the quality of shots a little, but if photography in every situation is your priority, you might want to look at other options as well. The shots below explain the performance well.

For selfies, there is a 5MP sensor at the front. This camera can handle basic tasks like taking online classes and even clicking selfies in daylight well. The subjects in frame are well focused and facial details are captured decently. Skin tones too appear natural even in dimly lit environments however, there is noise in these selfies which can be disappointing.

Lava Storm Lite 5G Review: Battery Life and Charging

Lava Storm Lite 5G packs a standard 5000mAh battery under the hood that easily allows you to breeze through the day when usage is moderate. My usage included calling, sending, and receiving messages, listening to music, watching videos on YouTube, reading articles, reading books on Kindle app, clicking photos, playing light games, and running benchmark tests.

Despite all this, there was 18% battery remaining at the end of the day. However, on days, my gaming session stretched for hours or the camera was used more, the battery had to be charged in the evening itself. Thus, battery life of Storm Lite 5G was decent.

In terms of charging, Lava Storm Lite is handled by a 15W adapter over USB Type-C port. The charger recharges the battery from 0 to 100% in around 2 hours and 30 minutes, which feels too long. To get 50% charge too, one will need over 1 hour, so yes, charging speed is a downside for the device. However, smartphones in this segment mostly get 10-15W speeds, so it is not something that is too surprising. Lava bundles the charger inside the box, so that’s good.

Review Verdict: Should You Buy the Lava Storm Lite 5G?

The Lava Storm Lite 5G possesses the capability to impact the sub-8K smartphone market in India. It provides 5G connectivity, a 5000mAh battery, a Dimensity 6400 chipset, a 50MP rear camera, and a streamlined user interface, all for just Rs. 7999. While the charging speed is somewhat sluggish, it lacks AI features and has limited storage; however, budget-conscious consumers are likely to overlook these minor drawbacks.

This device is not designed for intensive gaming but does come with the latest Android 15 OS and a headphone jack for those who prefer traditional listening methods. Overall, the Lava Storm Lite 5G presents a viable choice for individuals seeking a 5G smartphone at an affordable price.

Smartprix ⭐ Rating: 7.5/10

• Design and Build: 8/10
• Display: 7/10
• Speakers: 7/10
• Software: 8/10
• Haptics: 7/10
• Biometrics: 8/10
• Performance: 8/10
• Cameras: 7/10
• Battery Life & Charging: 7.5/10

First reviewed in July 2025.

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