TCL Impresses With Plex, Its First Branded Smartphone That Will Launch Globally

TCL is a name that we are used to seeing in the Smart TV segment with its lineup of Roku TVs, but the company also produces smartphones under different brand names. TCL has now unveiled a new smartphone that marks its first "branded" foray in the segment, and the device is a solid mid-range offering. It's called the Plex, it has a 6.53-inch FHD+ display, and runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC.

TCL stepping into the smartphone market isn't exactly a complete surprise, the company has some experience making smartphones for BlackBerry and Alcatel. The Plex has a front selfie camera is a 24MP unit that peeks through a hole punched in the screen and is set off to the left side.

The camera and LCD have TCL NXTVISION optimization software that aims to enhance color, clarity, and contrast in real-time. The Plex smartphone can also convert videos from SDR to HDR in real-time. The rear camera is a 48MP F/1.8 main unit with a 16MP F/2.4 ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP depth helper all in a row. The fingerprint scanner lives under the rear cameras.

Among the camera functions is a Super Night Mode for low light use and several AI enhancements for more color-accurate shots. Other nice touches for the camera include the ability to record super slow-mo videos at up to 960 fps. The Snapdragon 675 chipset is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while a microSD card slot is included for expansion. Android Pie is the OS with TCL UI installed on top of it.

A smart key is integrated that has programmable single, double, or long-press actions, while power comes to from a 3,828 mAh internal battery that supports 18W fast charging. A 3.5mm headphone port and integrated T-Cast app that allows control over TCL brand smart TVs. The TCL Plex will come in Obsidian Black and Opal White with a launch set in Q4. The device will sell in Europe for €329 ($360), and it's unclear if the smartphone will come stateside.