Compare TCL mobile phones

TCL's own-branded phones target the mid-range phone buyer, with a focus on value.

Posted Sep 15, 2020

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TCL also makes phones under the Alcatel brand.
TCL makes its own phone displays and is one of the very few phone makers to do so.

Name	Product	Display	Display	Rear camera	Battery size	Overall rating	More info	More info
TCL 10L		6.53 inches 1080 x 2340	Display 6.53 inches 1080 x 2340 Rear camera 48MP + 8MP + 2MP Battery size 4,000 mAh	48MP + 8MP + 2MP + 2MP	4,000 mAh		Where to buy View details	Where to buy View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...
TCL Plex		6.53 inches 1080 x 2340	Display 6.53 inches 1080 x 2340 Rear camera 48MP + 16MP + 2MP Battery size 3,820 mAh	48MP + 16MP + 2MP	3,820 mAh		Where to buy View details	Where to buy View details	Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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What to consider when choosing a TCL phone

TCL is arguably better known in Australia as a brand of affordable TVs, but the reality is that it has been selling phones in Australia for many years now. It's just that it didn't sell them as "TCL" phones. Its primary phone brand in Australia is Alcatel, but it has also sold phones with Palm and BlackBerry branding in the past. In 2019, it announced its intention to start producing and selling phones with the TCL brand front and centre.

Unlike its highly affordable, budget-centric Alcatel phones, TCL-branded phones are placed and priced in the mid-range, with more features and power than you'd find on an Alcatel phone. Still, TCL hasn't given up that value-focused ideology for its own mid-range devices. With a focus on basic features and value, here's what you need to consider when choosing a TCL phone:

TCL makes its own display panels – which is why the brand is also a seller of TVs, among other products – with a mix of its own LCD and AMOLED displays used on the higher-end phone models. That's still higher-end in the mid-range, mind you. TCL phones tend to have slightly larger displays, averaging around 6.5 inches with small front-facing hole-punch cameras that TCL refers to as "Dotch" displays. No, we don't know why either. While you can still often get lower-quality displays in the mid-range, this is an area where TCL tends to stand out, with higher than average resolutions and good colour clarity.
TCL talks a big game for the camera quality of its own branded phones, and on paper, it certainly seems to have a story to tell. For example, it features quad rear cameras on its 2020 TCL 10 models. In actual use, however, we've found TCL's output to be a little lacking compared to much of what's available in the mid-range right now. Mid-range phone cameras have become quite good quite rapidly, and TCL has some work to do here to catch up. That being said, with multi-lens as standard, there's certainly a lot of scope for photographic creativity with TCL's phones.
TCL's own-branded phones released in Australia are all 4G-capable handsets. However, at the launch of the TCL 10 series in Australia, TCL indicated to Finder that it does intend to bring a TCL 5G-capable handset to market in 2020, presumably the TCL 10 5G. There's a quantity of slightly more affordable 5G phones in the market right now, and the TCL 10 5G would fit in well with them in a specifications sense, although that typical ~$900 price point would be a high watermark for TCL to wade into.
TCL has used resolutely mid-range processors in its phones to date, sometimes bolstered with a little more RAM than usual for phones in this price bracket. Still, what we've found with TCL's phones is distinctly mid-range performance; little that's terrible but not much that really pushes the envelope either. That's fine, though, because what you can get out of a mid-range processor these days is generally more than enough for most user's needs. TCL does load up a few pre-installed apps and its own launcher on top of Android, although you can delete the former, and the latter doesn't appear to have that much of an impact on expected performance.

Looking for a TCL phone on a plan?

So far we haven't seen any telco brands offering TCL phones on contract terms, with all of its models selling on an outright basis. It's worth doing your calculations carefully in this regard, as you can often save serious money by buying a handset outright and pairing it up with either a prepaid or month-to-month SIM-only plan.

Thank you for your feedback!

Alex Kidman

Alex Kidman was the tech and telco editor at Finder and is now a freelance technology writer. He's been a technology writer with experience spanning more than 20 years, writing and editing at Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and many more. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.

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Compare TCL mobile phones

TCL's own-branded phones target the mid-range phone buyer, with a focus on value.

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What to consider when choosing a TCL phone

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Compare TCL mobile phones

TCL's own-branded phones target the mid-range phone buyer, with a focus on value.

Smartphones

Best Phones

Mobile Phone Brands

Guides

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Key facts about TCL mobile phones

Compare up to 4 providers

What to consider when choosing a TCL phone

Internal storage

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Network speed and support

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Looking for a TCL phone on a plan?

Alex Kidman

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