Josh Hendrickson
When we had the chance to go hands-on with TCL’s new phones dubbed the 10 Series, we walked away impressed. But a lot of questions remained, like exact pricing and release timing. Now a few months later, TCL is ready to lay down the details. The company has three new phones, each under $500, with some pretty features in tow.
Starting things off is the TCL 10 5G phone. Naturally, it’s a 5G phone and will only see release in some markets to start. For now, the pricing we have is €399/£399. The 10 5G sports a Snapdragon 765 processor, a 64MP main camera, a 118-degree ultra-wide-angle camera, and a macro camera.
You’ll also get a 16MP front-facing camera, USB-C with Quick Charge, and a reverse charging feature. That last bit lets you power other devices with the phone, effectively turning into a portable battery. TCL didn’t specify a release period for the 5G phone, but it will come in Chrome Blue and Mercury Grey.
The TCL 10 Pro, on the other hand, does have a release estimate. You can expect to see it sometime in Q2 2020, and you can pick it up for $450. For your money, you get an FHD+ curved AMOLED display, four main cameras including a 64MP camera, a 2.9μm big pixel low-light video cam, a 123-degree super wide-angle camera, and macro camera. You’ll also get a 24MP front-facing camera.
A Snapdragon 675 powers the TCL 10 Pro, and you’ll also get a Quick Charge USB-C port and reverse charging. The phone also features an in-display fingerprint reader and it supports Netflix in HDR10.
Finally, the TCL 10L is, you guessed it, the lite version of the 10 Pro. You step down to a Snapdragon 665 processor, a 6.53-inch FHD+ display, and a four-camera array that features a 48MP main camera. You’ll still get USB-C charging, but you give you the Quick Charge and reverse charging features. The phone will cost $249 and should release sometime in Q2 2020.
All three phones run Android 10, and TCL promised to upgrade them to Android 11 down the road. While the TCL 10 Pro and 10L don’t have the speediest processors, they’re still fine mid-range processors. And at $450 or less, they’re giving OnePlus a run for its money in the affordable yet high-end smartphone market.
The company also announced a set of accessories, including two sets of True Wireless earbuds—the SOCL500TWS and ACTV500TWS True Wireless Sports earbuds. The former are rated IPX4 while the latter are rated IPX5 and include comply ear tips. Both run around six and a half hours on a charge, but the ACTV500TWS has the larger battery pack.
The SOCL500TWS will retail for $79.99, while the ACTV500TWS will go for $99.99.
If you prefer data while exercising, the ACTV200BT sports earphones include heartrate monitoring. You’ll also get passive noise isolation, Bluetooth 5.0, and 14-hour runtime before you need to charge the earphones.
TCL says it should release the True Wireless earbuds and the earphones sometime in Q1 2020.
