TCL's New $250 Smartphone A Good Buy? Here's What Reviews Say

While most smartphone companies choose to focus on offering high-end features coming with eyewatering prices, TV maker TCL chose to focus on making good enough tech available for the masses with the TCL 10L. According to some reviews, the handset offers good features for its price range, making it a solid choice for those on a budget or those who don't need top-tier specs.

According to Android Police, the TCL 10L “seems like a very good deal” even if it's not designed to compete with the more expensive devices like Samsung's Galaxy S20 or Apple's iPhone 11 lineup. KTLA's Rich Demuro agrees with that, saying that “overall, the TCL 10L is impressive for the price.” The device sells for $250.

Here's what buyers can expect from the device:

Its processor will be adequate for the average user

While the most powerful smartphone SoCs are capable of ultra-fast processing speeds, they are also quick at draining people's wallets. The TCL 10L might only have a Snapdragon 665 inside, but it's “perfectly adequate” and “just fine for everyday tasks,” the reviewers said.

TCL equipped the smartphone with 6GB of RAM, which will help it perform a lot of tasks. U.S. users will only have 64GB eMMC storage model available for them. This can be expanded via microSD.

It has a good display

The handset has a huge 6.53-inch “Dotch” LCD display with 1,080 x 2,340 resolution and 395ppi. This display is surrounded by thin bezels all around it, and features a hole punch at the top-left portion for a 16MP selfie camera. Android Police said the display is the “star of the TCL 10L show.” It is made by a company with years of experience in displays, after all.

Rear Camera

While other handsets offer just one rear camera for $399, the TCL 10L offers four. The device has a quad-camera setup at the back, comprised of a 48MP main sensor, an 8MP 118-degree wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro sensor and a 2MP depth camera used for portrait shots.

Battery

While the device only offers a maximum of 5V 2A wired charging with no wireless charging capability, it has a 4,000 mAh battery that will allow it to last through a day of use. This is charged via USB-C.

Others

The TCL 10L runs on TCL UI, which is based on Android 10. And while the device features a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio connections, it can also connect to up to four Bluetooth audio devices.

The TCL 10L will sell for $250 via Amazon starting May 19. It will also be sold via Best Buy and Walmart later this month.