TCL 30 5G Review – The TCL 30 series arrives just next to the MWC 2022. This year it looks like the company is on the right track and launching lots of 5G ready smartphones in an affordable segment. The TCL 30 5G was announced to the world in February 2022. Besides this, the phone does take a massive leap in terms of design and camera quality compared to the last year’s TCL 20 smartphone.
But the question is that does the TCL 30 5G is a superb option for the users or not. Surely there is some huge improvement happening in the software end, while you are also getting a decent hardware setup. But all of this stuff is the tip of the iceberg. Let’s head toward the detailed review of the TCL 30 5G smartphone.
Table of Contents
TCL 30 5G Review
Highlights
- The TCL 30 5G phone offers a 6.7 inches AMOLED screen with a max of 900 nits brightness and FHD+ resolution.
- As for the software end, you are getting the latest Android 12 OS out of the box with TCL 4.0 UI support.
- In terms of the hardware, the phone equips the 7nm MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G chipset and Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
- The device arrives with a 50MP triple camera setup and a 13MP selfie camera port.
- A Li-Po 5000 mAh massive battery is charged through the 18W fast charger in a pretty hassle-free manner.
Design and Display
Unlike most TCL phones, the TCL 30 5G attain a pretty standard and plain design layout. Although most mid-range might feel identical due to this factor, the camera module is something worth noting about this phone. Aside from this, you will also notice the branding at the bottom of the back panel.
Though it’s a plastic build back panel, it looks elegant and simple. Besides this, the company switches the position of the fingerprint scanner from the back to the side panel. In short, you are getting a snappy fingerprint experience. Moreover, the phone feels lightweight and arrives with a 7.7-mm thickness. So, the overall holding experience is superb, not too heavy.
Moving to the front screen, you are getting a standard 6.7-inches AMOLED panel. It’s a great feat that the company is pushing its limits and providing the best specs in the market. Following this, you will also attain 900 nits brightness support. However, if you are looking for an advanced refresh rate or HDR support, you won’t get that here.
Memory and Internal
The hardware section is not behind the competition and brings the Dimensity 700 5G chipset that works great in almost every aspect of performance. The 5G networks also work seamlessly and smoothly with the Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. With this setup, the TCL 30 5G can reach up to 2.2GHz clocking speed, while the gaming experience would be average.
Although the phone didn’t offer any cooling setup, so it’s inevitable to face heating issues while playing long gaming sessions. Hopefully, you are getting a decent TCL 4.0 UI system that customized the interface features according to your requirement with the latest Android 12 OS on top. Even some phones of Xiaomi and Oppo don’t have the latest android version.
Apart from the software end, you have to rely on the 4GB RAM for multitasking. It’s a good thing that company delivers two storage variants of 64GB and 128GB space. Both of them are a great choice, but if you don’t want to clean up storage, again and again, the 4GB RAM with 128GB internal storage is possibly a great option. Aside from this, you will also attain a dedicated secondary storage unit.
Camera
The key highlight in the camera section would be the primary 50MP main camera. With this lens, you can capture decent daylight photos with accurate colors and saturation, while the raw images look good with natural lights. Following this, you are also gettings a duo to 2MP macro and 2MP depth lens to add up the dynamic range features to the camera modules.
But they are just a gimmick until you show directly those macro and depth lens features on the native camera app. Apart from the primary lens setup, the company also renders a water-drop notch 13MP ultrawide selfie camera. The selfie photos come out with vibrant colors with the added touch of AI software. However, low light photography is one of the factors where the camera is lacking.
Though the image processing software provides apt results, the same thing can’t be said for the video recording because you won’t be able to record stable videos unless you stay still. Moreover, there’s no info about the optical image stabilization factor, so the overall videography experience with TCL 30 5G would be mediocre.
Battery and Others
The battery life is the backbone of every phone, and TCL 30 5G arrives with a colossal size 5000 mAh battery capacity that will render 5+ hours of screen time in regular condition. Besides this, the company also delivers 18W fast charging support. So, the phone charged in less than an hour. However, you won’t get any reverse charging feature onboard.
Aside from this, you can rely on the sensors, comms, and other attributes without any problem. While the sound quality experience is great, the Wi-Fi sensor could have been better. Anyway, let’s talk about the main topic. The TCL 30 5G cost roughly $280 (Rs 21,000 in India) approx for the starting variant. For the features and specs, the price point is good. But it can’t consider a deal-breaker.
TCL 30 5G Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the TCL 30 5G smartphone.
| Specifications | TCL 30 5G | TCL 30 4G |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G | 2G, 3G, 4G |
| Announced | February 2022 | Same |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Same |
| Dimensions | 6.48 x 2.96 x 0.30 inches | Same |
| Weight | 184 g | Same |
| Size | 6.7 inches | Same |
| Display | AMOLED 650-900 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~393 PPI density | Same |
| Protection | No | Same |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | Same |
| OS | Android 12, TCL UI 4.0 | Same |
| Chipset | 7nm – MediaTek MT6833 Dimensity 700 5G | 12nm – Mediatek MT6765V/CB Helio G37 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 | Octa-core 4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 | PowerVR GE8320 |
| Card slot | Yes (dedicated slot) | Same |
| RAM | 4GB | Same |
| Internal | 64GB, 128GB eMMC 5.1 | 64GB eMMC 5.1 |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps | Same |
| Selfie | 13 MP (ultrawide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps | 8 MP (wide) HDR Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes (dual Speakers) |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Same |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Same |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | Same |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS | Same |
| NFC | Yes | Same |
| Infrared port | No | Same |
| Radio | No | Same |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | Same |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass | Same |
| Battery | Li-Po 5010 mAh Fast charging 18W | Same |
| Colors | Tech Black, Dreamy Blue | Same |
| Expected Price | $280 (Rs 21,000 in India) approx. | $200 (Rs 15,990 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
The TCL 30 5G smartphone exiled all the barriers that their previous-gen phone has faced and presented a great deal in the affordable 5G segment. You can purchase the TCL 30 smartphone for a better screen, camera, and battery life. But the performance section is something that leads down everything. However, what you can expect from the mid-range phone is the first to keep in mind.
The company has to cut corners to keep the price attractive to interested buyers. But at the same time, there’s no denying that it feels like an overpriced phone and you can check out other alternatives present in the same price range. As an alternative option, you can check out the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro which comes with a better screen, camera, and battery configuration at almost the same price. But make the final decision as per your needs and budget.
