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Monday, June 21, 2021

My TCL 10 5G Review

My first encounter with TCL’s smartphone was a couple of years ago when they launched the TCL PLEX here in the Philippines.

 

I represented my partner’s blog back then and I was among the first to try out the smartphone. I was immediately impressed with the design and display and I knew they would be a contender in the local smartphone market.


However, the brand seemed to lie low after that, maybe due to the global pandemic, and I haven’t heard of any followup to the PLEX.

But last month, I got invited to the launch of TCL’s new smartphones and tablets, and learned that they were now going to be distributed by VST-ECS. I knew they were in good hands and going to be more aggressive this time around, as VST-ECS was one of the leading tech distributors in the country.

 

True enough TCL Philippines in partnership with VST ECS announced not just one but two smartphones--the TCL 20 SE and the TCL 10 5G. Both premium, yet affordable Android devices that leverages the company’s self-curated visual technology called NXTVISION.

 

Now we all know that TCL is one of the leading TV brands and their displays are among the best, so I was pretty excited when they gave me the chance to review the TCL 10 5G.


The company’s first 5G-enabled smartphone, the TCL 10 5G is designed to bring the benefits of 5G connectivity to consumers looking for something modern and affordable. With a large 6.53-inch display, a Snapdragon 765G chipset, quad cameras and a large capacity battery, and a price tag that’s not too steep, is this the 5G phone to get?


Lets head on to our review.

 

But first the specs:

 

TCL 10 5G SPECS:

DISPLAY: 6.53-inch FHD+ (1080 x 2340) Dotch display |HDR10, 395PPI, Dedicated display engine w/ NXTVISION tech 

PROCESSOR: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G CPU Adreno 620 GPU

MEMORY: 6GB RAM 128GB storage microSD card up to 1TB (dedicated slot)



CAMERAS:

 Quad rear cameras:

• 64MP F1.89 (main)

• 8MP F2.2 (ultra-wide)

• 5MP F2.2 (macro)

• 2MP F2.4 (depth)



Front Camera

•16MP F2.2

BATTERY: 4,500mAh battery w/ 18W Quick Charge 3.0 support

CONNECTIVITY: Single SIM | 5G, 4G LTE | WiFi 802.11 ac, 2×2 MIMO |Bluetooth 5.0 |NFC

GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, GLONASS, QSS

SIZE AND WEIGHT: 163.65 x 76.56 x 9.05mm | 210g

Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner

USB Type-C

3.5mm audio jack

Chrome Blue, Mercury Gray

 

UNBOXING.

The TCL 10 5G comes in a white box with a photo of the device on front and the Hi-RES Audito and 5G Qualcomm labels on the bottom corner. The tagline Display Greatness is on the top while on the sides are its quick specs.

 

Slide the top lid and you’ll find the TCL 105G phone, and the standard contents including paper documents, sim tray ejector tool, wall adapter, USB TypeC cable, and a jelly case.


DESIGN AND BUILD.

The unit I have is Chrome Blue, which I prefer than the other color option which is Black. It looks very premium and elegant thanks to its shiny gradient finish. It does feel a bit slippery and as expected it can be a fingerprint and smudge magnet, so I suggest you use the plastic case, to prevent any accidental drops.

 

The design on the TCL 10 5G reminded me a lot of the PLEX with the horizontal camera placement on the back and the positioning of the fingerprint scanner. On the right you have the power button and volume keys and while on the left is the sim card tray and a “smart key” which thankfully is programmable.

 

You'll appreciate the fact that the TCL 10 5G still includes a headphone jack on the top of the phone --which is becoming a rarity on many smartphones these days. On the bottom of the phone is the USB charging port and the loudspeakers.



DISPLAY and MULTIMEDIA:

Up front is the a 6.53-inch FHD+ Dotch display, providing an impressive 91 percent screen-to-body ratio. It has a Full HD resolution with 395ppi and IPS panel and comes with HDR10 support. The display I have to say is one of the best for its price range with nice colors and contrast.  But it gets even better when you turn on NXTVISION. NXTVISION is TCLs proprietary feature where you can toggle Image enhancement to automatically enhance image contrast, sharpness, and dark details. You can also adjust color modes and temperature, activate reading and eye comfort modes or increase readability under sunlight. In short you can adjust the display to that one that suits you best.

 

As for audio, the single down-firing speaker works fine and is loud enough for watching YouTube, or Netflix or listening to Spotify.

 

For me, I use it mostly to watch the Facebook Live and Re-live of my favorite online bag sellers. As I have been watching bags live selling lately, I figured out that I need a second phone to watch and do screenshots of bags that I like. I think I’ve learned enough should I plan to do FB live selling in the future.

 

CAMERAS:

On the back, the TCL 10 5G sports a quad-camera setup that includes a 64MP high-resolution main camera, a 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, a macro camera that lets users take super close-up shots at only 2cm away, and a depth camera for professional quality photos with Bokeh.

Now online selling  entails taking pics of bag flatlays and with the TCL 10 5G I can take photos of the bags I plan to eventually sell online.


Sample Shots

 

Since we are also now starting to go out more the ultra-wide angle is great for taking landscape photos or just to capture the scenery.

 

Now my partner is the one who usually takes my photos but when he’s not around, the TCL 10 5G’s front-facing 16MP camera has been very helpful, and the beauty filters are just enough to enhance and smoothen your skin without making it look artificial.


More  Sample Shots from IG


PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY

Now I’m not really much of a hardcore phone user, but throughout my two-week use of the TCL 10 5G I’ve never had any problems or encountered any severe slowdown. Browsing the web or my facebook and instagram feeds were smooth and opening apps were fast.

 

The TCL 10 5G comes with a large 4500 battery which lasted me more than a full day of average phone use. It also features On-the-Go Reverse Charging, turning the phone into a portable power bank to charge devices should an emergency arise.

 

Oh and lastly the because it is already a 5G-ready phone, you can experience the fastest mobile internet possible making the TCL 5G future-proof for the next few years.

 

CONCLUSION:

The TCL 10 5G is priced at PHP 17,990, which makes it one of the more affordable 5G-enabled midrange smartphones in the market.

 

I love the big and clear display and NXTVISION makes it look even better. The cameras do a fine job of producing nice-looking photos and the battery lasts long enough for those who use their phone mostly for web browsing and social media.


I would recommend this 5G- ready phone that is if youre looking for a secondary phone because of its nice display and battery life.  

 

6 comments:


  1. Very Nice Reviews in this Kind of Phone Mommy Lou, super Ganda ng Specs, at yung Camera Nia talaga nmang panalo din pagdating sa Mega Pixel . Napakinaw, this is truly recommended 💯👌 must try this phone ..

    ReplyDelete
  2. TCL is slowly climbing its way on the smartphone market. and it is delivering good quality phones. now it will compete with its own 5g capable smartphone- the TCL 10 5G. this will be another good option to consider for smartphone buyers

    ROCHELLE JIMENEZ

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ang ganda 5g na at ang Specs ang taas ma din 6 / 128 gandang pang laro

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow!! Sobrang ganda po talaga nyan,Aa camera palang talagang panalong panalo na 😍 Napaka gandA din pala nitong TCL 10 5G phone, Swerte talaga ang magkaroon ng ganitong kagandang cellphone.. Napaka ganda pa talaga ng quality nya.. And yung design bet na ber ko sya napaka unique . At hndi lang yun , pang matagalan pa talga ang battery nya. 4500mah 😍 Dami nnaman ang maaaliw nito..

    ReplyDelete
  5. wow ang ganda naman po nito talagang sure na it has nice specs and quality worth it to buy and ganda din ng color sure na matagal din ito malowbat 😍

    ReplyDelete
  6. This TCL 10 5G is really amazing. From its amazing specifications and affordable price which people are looking for. I really love phone with amazing camera, battery capacity, and a powerful processor. This is the specifications that I usually look for when buying a new phone. Thank you so much for sharing your honest review about this product. This will be really helpful.

    ReplyDelete

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