TCL 20 R Review, Pros and Cons – TCL will launch its highest-budget smartphone in the low-budget category. The most interesting feature is the NFC feature that makes your payment more secure. Where most of the world is accepting payments online, TCL’s initiative is admirable. They have teamed up with Vodafone to create the most affordable 5G device in the TCL 5G family. The TCL 20 R smartphone will be released in October 2021. It’s a pretty impressive model with all the essential features, including a better processor compared to the low-budget segment.
Where the screen offers a decent choice, the chipset and cameras are satisfying on this device. The battery capacity is also admirable, while the fast charging capacity doesn’t quite fit here. The announcement has already been made in Australia, but global availability is not yet clear. We hope it can be launched internationally to the global market. Let’s start with a detailed review of the TCL 20 R smartphone.
Table of Contents
TCL 20 R Review
Highlights
- It has a 6.52 inches IPS LCD screen with 720p resolution quality.
- The device runs on the Android 11 operating system.
- Packed with a 7nm MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 chipset, it meets every player’s criteria.
- As for the camera section, there is a triple camera with a 13 MP primary camera.
- It comes with a Li-Po 4500mAh battery that provides 8 hours of screen time.
Design and Display
Let’s start with the general layout of the TCL 20 R smartphone. When looking at the phone, you will first notice its Blue variant. This is the most attractive model compared to the gray one. With a plastic back and a plastic frame, the TCL 20R comes with a matte finish. Built for intense support, the device sports a triple camera on the back. This curvy little model with small rounded edges has a fingerprint sensor on the back.
If you compare him to his other siblings, he doesn’t have those differences. Combining the dark and bright colors on the back creates the uniqueness of this phone. The front is perfect for gamers looking for a phone in the low-budget category. Coming with a 6.52 inches IPS LCD screen, you are free from motion blur tension as the screen is built with a 90Hz refresh rate. Whether in games or videos, you will enjoy it to the full.
Sometimes brands don’t care about brightness and focus more on other features, but the TCL 20 R comes with 500 nits of standard brightness capability. So you can hope you don’t feel too disappointed. With a 20:9 aspect ratio, it boasts a resolution of 720p which is already a recognized standard resolution to deliver satisfying results.
Coming to the extra features, you won’t have any protective glass covers or dust/water resistance features. The sidebar is 9mm thick and weighs just 186g, which is wonderful for any smartphone user. So far this is the preferred choice for all users depending on their demands. Anyone can fit with the TCL 20 R smartphone. Now, let’s take a look at the built-in features.
Memory and Internal
The built-in features are so meticulously built that no one can ignore the TCL 20R phone. Although you have your alternatives, you will never complain about the built-in features of this economical phone. As we all know that Android 11 was a milestone for all smartphones, the TCL 20R phone also comes with the latest Android 11 operating system. Even TCL is offering its own custom interface, which is the TCL UI that proves to be a useful feature. These are now essential features for a smartphone, but the brand took care of its hardware too.
It is built with a 7nm MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 chipset that perfectly fits lite gaming demand if the budget is tight. But don’t think otherwise, you can find the best version of the chipset in other alternatives with the same budget that Realme or Redmi are offering. Even Motorola has a remarkable smartphone at this price. However, TCL 20 R doesn’t let you down too much with its performance. The Octa-core processor offers a 2.2 GHz maximum clock speed. On the other hand, because of the Mali-G57 MC2 graphics unit, the 20R phone turns out to be better than many of its alternatives.
When buying a phone, you need to check the storage variants, including the colors as well. The TCL 20 R comes in two variants. One is the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage leaving the basic choice and the other is the 128GB storage variant. But it looks like there is a small RAM which may cause some problems. This can sometimes put you in a frustrating situation when downloading too many apps. By using the shared microSD slot, you can expand the storage to a limited capacity.
Camera
The TCL 20 R smartphone has a triple camera where the 13 MP main camera has a decent overall quality. It’s not made for photogenic people, but it might be better suited for capturing regular images with proper daylight. This is where you might be disappointed TCL, as your alternatives brands offer more advanced cameras features. This section could be better, but it cannot be ignored. What’s interesting are its secondary cameras, which include 2 MP depth and 2MP macro sensors, respectively. The main camera comes with an autofocus feature.
Secondary cameras prove to be your companions if you want to do a little experiment. You shouldn’t expect too much clarity from the main camera. It doesn’t have much color either. The Bokeh-style image has been an obsession for many users. You can use your imagination through the substitute camera. It offers a satisfying result. In addition, the macro camera offers decent performance with close-up shots.
On the other hand, you will have an 8 MP selfie camera that is more or less adjustable in this budget. If you compare these features with your alternatives, you can find the alternatives that are best for you. However, the 8 MP selfie camera is quite decent but not satisfying. You will find out how to use your camera during the day or even at night. Coming to the video recording section, you can record a maximum of 1080p video from both cameras. Above all, with all the camera’s specs, it would be better to check out a better alternative.
Battery and Others
The TCL 20 R smartphone is equipped with a Li-Po 4500mAh battery. This means you are active for almost a day in general uses. You can enjoy 8 hours of screen time. On the other hand, it comes with a 10W charger, which is normal since it comes in a low-budget segment. Otherwise, you will have a satisfactory performance from all features. The price of the TCL 20 R smartphone is $200 (Rs 15,000) approx.
TCL 20 R Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the TCL 20 R smartphone.
| Specifications | TCL 20 R |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | September 2021 |
| SIM | Hybrid Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | 6.47 x 2.95 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 186 g |
| Size | 6.52 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 90Hz 500 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~269 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| OS | Android 11, TCL UI |
| Chipset | 7nm – MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | Yes (shared SIM slot) |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Internal | 64GB, 128GB |
| Camera | 13 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (depth) 2 MP (macro) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | Yes |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Sensors | Rear-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Li-Po 4500 mAh Charging 10W |
| Colors | Gray, Blue |
| Expected Price | $200 (Rs 15,000) approx. |
TCL 20 R Pros and Cons
Down below you can see the list of pros and cons (advantages and disadvantages) of the TCL 20 R smartphone.
Pros
- 5G and NFC enabled.
- 90 Hz refresh rate with 500 nits brightness.
- Custom UI with support for the latest Android 11 OS.
- Decent performance chipset.
- Great battery life.
Cons
- Shared SIM micro SD card.
- Average camera performance.
- Without any gorilla glass protection.
- Without a fast charger.
- Outdated USB Type C 2.0 charging port.
- Not for high-end games.
- Heating problems can appear in heavy uses.
- Only 4GB of RAM is available.
Conclusion
Hope you are already familiar with the 5G capability at the most affordable budget the TCL 20 R smartphone is one of them. Users will experience a different 5G speed that makes payment faster and more secure with an NFC feature. Not just the 5G or NFC facility, but the phone has some attractive features to get best-in-class performance in a low-budget section. Whether you like the brand or not, you’re sure to appreciate its approach to making an impact in the smartphone market. Whether the display or the chipset, even the battery fits perfectly in this model as well.
If you look closely at each feature, this device simply creates a nightmare for other brands. The low RAM size may cause heating issues but this phone is suitable for lite mobile gaming. The phone meets all the criteria to suit all types of users.
If you don’t like the brand or want to wait for its global launch, then checking out alternatives would be a great idea. At the same time, there are some remarkable smartphones available in the market. In our opinion, the Redmi Note 10T smartphone will be the best alternative to the TCL 20R 5g phone.
