TCL’s First Branded Phone Family Includes $400 Snapdragon 765-Packin' TCL 10 5G

by Brandon Hill — Monday, April 06, 2020, 04:10 PM EDT

TCL has made a name for itself for delivering value-priced Smart TVs packing Roku functionality and a wealth of features, but the company also builds smartphones. In the past, that meant designing and manufacturing devices for companies like BlackBerry. However, TCL is now putting energy into producing its own branded Android 10 smartphones.

The first of these is the 10 Series, which includes the TCL 10L, 10 Pro and 10 5G. The entry-level model is the TCL 10L, which features a 6.53-inch LCD, budget Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (128GB is optional). There are also quad cameras on the back, a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, a microSD slot for expanded storage and a 4,000 mAh battery. That’s quite a bit of kit for a device that rings in at just $250

Stepping up to the TCL 10 Pro ($450) gets you a 6.47-inch AMOLED Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 675 SoC, 6GB RAM and 128GB of storage as standard equipment (there’s also a microSD slot). You even get a larger 4,500 mAh battery and a switch to an in-display fingerprint reader. Like the 10L, there are four cameras sensors on the rear (including a low light video camera).

Then there’s the TCL 10 5G, which like the 10L features a 6.53-inch LCD display and a rear-mounted fingerprint reader. But while it gives up AMOLED vibrance, it does gain the more potent and 5G-enabled Snapdragon 765 SoC. Likewise, there’s 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage along with a 4,500 mAh battery.

But what’s even more weird about the TCL 10 5G is that it’s actually priced lower than the TCL 10 Pro, despite its state-of-the-art 5G SoC. The smartphone comes in a just $400, which is a downright bargain for standard 5G connectivity.

All three smartphones will be landing stateside shortly, which is good news for people that are familiar with the TCL brand and want a decently-spec’d smartphone that won’t break the bank.

Tags: tcl, snapdragon 765, tcl 10 5g, tcl 10 pro, tcl 10l

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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