Review: TCL 10 5G

Nowadays, selecting an affordable phone that offers excellent features can be a tough decision to make. This is often the case not because there are only a few options to choose from, but because there are many; and making the right choice and weighing the pros and cons must be done if you’re on a tight budget. TCL’s latest release — the TCL 10 5G — presents an upgrade with its 5G connectivity, Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor, NXTVISION display engine, and increased battery life, among others. In the abundance of mid-range smartphones, will the TCL 10 5G remain a top contender and will its features stand out? Keep reading to know more. 

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Design and Build

The TCL 10 5G features a 6.53” FHD+ display and a NXTVISION display engine. I am quite impressed with the enhanced colors, contrast, and clarity brought about by the advanced display technology. Indeed, this enables the users to take delight in the vibrant and colorful screen display and feel immersed as they watch movies on Netflix or play mobile games. The combination of its adaptive brightness feature that adjusts the display brightness based on your surroundings and eye comfort mode that reduces blue light is a bonus to view your screen comfortably.

The smartphone is built with a glass front and back and an aluminum frame; although adding to the durability of the phone, it feels slightly bulky weighing 7.4 ounces. The glossy rear and gradient design add to the elegance of the exterior; surprisingly, the former doesn’t come at the cost of visible fingerprints. Two color selections are available to choose from namely, Mercury Gray, with the current one in review being Chrome Blue. The right side of the phone comprises the power button and volume rocker, while the hybrid sim slot and customizable Smart Key are located on the left side. You can find the Type-C USB port and the speakers at the bottom. And finally, the top is where you can locate the 3.5mm jack to plug in your earphones. 

The pre-downloaded applications aren’t as overwhelming in comparison to others that fill up nearly the entire screen; it provides a pleasant-looking user interface upon booting it up. This is in my favor since I’d like to keep my home screen organized, especially as I am setting up and getting to know my phone. 

In unboxing, aside from the phone, you’ll get a phone case, Type-C USB cable, USB power adapter, SIM eject tool, and quick start guide included. Unfortunately, earphones weren’t provided so this presents a slight inconvenience if you don’t already have one. 

Camera

The smartphone boasts a quad-camera system, consisting of a 64MP main camera, 8MP wide-angle camera, 5MP macro camera, and 2MP depth sensor. Other inclusions are Super Night mode, HDR, dual-LED Flash, and panorama. Meanwhile, the 16MP front camera with 4-in-1 big pixel technology allows you to have a brighter selfie. However, in my opinion, I wouldn’t count the camera as a wow factor for the TCL 10 5G. Despite it producing images with fine details and vibrant colors, the overall appearance is still a bit dim for my liking. It’s acceptable for the price but not outstanding. 

Performance

The TCL 10 5G with its 5G capability and Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor enables the user to enjoy a smooth flowing experience. This benefits gamers in such a way that they may not experience lags in their mobile gaming experience; the same is true for streaming videos. On a different note, the smartphone runs on 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. You may opt to increase your storage by inserting a microSD. This proves to be helpful for someone who is a photo and video hoarder like me. Given this option, I can use my phone for memory safe-keeping, and at the same time access them easily. Also, I can have more space for apps and downloads. 

The fingerprint sensor is located at the rear, which is perfectly placed for your point finger to tap while gripping the phone. The smartphone also has a face unlock feature that I was able to set up in an instant. 

If you spend most of your time outside the comfort of your home, there is no need to fret since this smartphone provides a long battery life of 4500 mAh. With this, you’d even have some battery to spare that you can share among your friends with the On-the-Go reverse charging feature. The downside is that its 18W fast charging may be relatively slower compared to others in the markets — charging only up to 50% in 37 minutes. 

Verdict

Upon weighing the pros and cons, this TCL 10 5G impresses with its affordable price point of PHP17,990, holding above-average features; hence, this smartphone offers great value for money, and it remains at the high end of the spectrum in the wide array of premium mid-range smartphones.