TCL 40 XE Smartphone Review – TCL unveiled three affordable price-range smartphones for the US-bound market, and these phones are released in MWC. It includes mid-range devices like TCL 40X and entry-level TCL 40 XE and XL. Some of them are 5G connectivity devices, which is quite decent to hear. But at the same time, several brands offer budget-friendly devices.
But what difference the new 40 series is offering would be a mystery till now. But still, there is some hope for the TCL 40 XE as it brings decent connectivity features with the regular specs features. However, the company does tweak a bit when it comes to the overall design layout. Still, we don’t find any major update from the last year’s TCL 30 XE. Let’s head toward the TCL 40 XE review to find out more details about this phone.
Table of Contents
TCL 40 XE Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The TCL 40 XE comes with an HD resolution 6.56 inches IPS LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate.
- As for the hardware configuration, it got Dimensity 700 chipset with 5G connectivity.
- As for the software skin, the phone offers the latest Android 13 on the TCL UI interface.
- A 13MP triple camera module will be seen at the back, while an 8MP selfie lens at the front.
- Last but not least, the phone arrives with a Li-Ion 5000 mAh battery with a standard 18W wired charger.
Design and Display
The TCL 40 XE comes with a Black color option that will give a premium appearance at first, while at the same time, the matte finish gives a grippy experience. Usually, when you are using this phone, you won’t notice that many smudges or stains thanks to the plastic body. Although, the overall built quality does look average.
But we won’t recommend you judge the book by its cover, the phone houses a triple camera module with an LED flash. It complements the overall back panel design. Moreover, the phone is not that heavy and you will find the fingerprint scanner on the power button. With that, you can utilize the biometric scan features and enhance the security of your data.
Speaking of which, the water drop notch does look outdated. But we are talking about entry-level phones, so it doesn’t matter that much. Moreover, the bezels are quite thin on the 720p resolution 6.56 inches panel. The phone used the standard IPS LCD screen that will grant optimal colors and contrast, while the brightness levels are mediocre.
Memory and Internal
Moving to the hardware aspect, the company makes sure that their interested buyer is getting decent 5G connectivity at an affordable price. That’s why, they render 7nm Mediatek MT6833 Dimesnity 700 chipset in TCL 40 XE, which is the most appropriate choice. Although, you may not receive high-end overclocking features. But still, the CPU ensures that you don’t face any significant trouble in your day-to-day usage.
You can expect remarkable multitasking performance with this phone and casual games are possible to play. Although the graphic processing is low, you might not get crisp details. On the other hand, the company added its custom TCL UI with the latest Android 13 configuration. It’s almost the Google Pixel phone’s interface, except there are some TCL system apps.
Apart from this, the phone runs on a 90Hz refresh rate that will push the limits of the touch rating to 180Hz, which is considered great for normal usage. On top of that, the phone arrives with 64GB eMMC 5.1 storage capabilities and offers 4GB RAM support. Though, the eMMC storage is slower so you will notice issues with heavy performance tasks. Hopefully, the company added a MicroSD slot as an alternative for internal storage expansion.
Camera
The TCL 40 XE does cut corners when it comes to the camera module. You will receive a triple camera setup in this phone, which provided 13MP primary lens support. We all know that the camera’s megapixels don’t determine the overall camera quality. There are several factors involved in it, from AI software to the dedicated image processing unit.
In general, the TCL smartphone comes with average camera quality, and it is hard to compete with the mainstream brand’s photos and video results. Hopefully, the 13MP primary sensor delivers good colors and contrast, which is utilized by the native camera app to render decent photos in daylight. However, the lowlight photography fell behind the current standards as noise is noticeable in the background.
Anyway, the company invest in two 2MP macro and depth lenses that will work according to the requirements. But still, they didn’t add that much value in the first place. Aside from this, it also offers an 8MP selfie camera with apt contrast and vibrant colors thanks to the camera app. Last but not least, the 1080p video results hit sufficient markers.
Battery and Others
In TCL 40 XE smartphone you are getting a Li-Ion 5000mAh battery configuration with this phone that will provide robust screen time so that you can effortlessly do your daily activities and enjoy your routine without much hassle. At the same time, the phone can refuel via an 18W wired charger, it will take less than an hour to fill the battery up to 70%.
On the other hand, the phone will provide up to seven hours of screen time at 100% capacity. Alongside this, the sound quality of this phone is decent. But the mono speakers are not that loud and crisp. Hopefully, you will obtain a 3.5 mm jack port to connect headphones. Lastly, the phone is priced at $170 (Rs 13,990 in India) approx, which is pretty robust according to the overall specs.
TCL 40 XE Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the TCL 40 XE smartphone.
| Specifications | TCL 40 XE |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | February 2023 |
| SIM | Dual SIM |
| Dimensions | N/A |
| Weight | 190 g |
| Size | 6.56 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 90Hz 20:9 ratio ~269 PPI density |
| Protection | No |
| Resolution | 720 x 1612 pixels |
| OS | Android 13, TCL UI |
| Chipset | 7nm – Mediatek MT6833 Dimensity 700 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | microSDXC |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Internal | 64GB eMMC 5.1 |
| Camera | 13 MP (wide) PDAF 2 MP (depth) 2 MP (macro) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS |
| NFC | No |
| Infrared port | No |
| Radio | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity compass, gyro, barometer |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5000 mAh 18W wired |
| Colors | Black |
| Expected Price | $170 (Rs 13,990 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
The TCL 40XE is a budget king smartphone that will grant impressive specs and features. Although, there’s no denying that are some shortcomings in this phone, still, it stays strong in the extreme competition of the entry-level 5G phones. You are getting a standard resolution display, average processing power, decent battery life, and good photography.
But still, the average storage capacity, low-resolution display, and mediocre video recording are the core downside of this phone. The company also released an upgraded version of this phone, which is known as the TCL 40 X that offers a 50MP instead of the regular 13MP primary lens. So you can check this phone later on. But for now, the TCL 40 XE is a great deal under the $170 budget. If you are looking for an alternative 5g smartphone then you can check out the TCL 40 X smartphone which comes with 5g support in a decent price range.
