I typically choose flagshipsmartphonesfor my personal use , largely because I tend to take a lot of photo and require the best potential television camera at all sentence . But I know that I ’m not the ordinary user , and for some people , they just require a phone that delivers the basic without costing too much .
There are deal of budget - friendly phones on the market from brands like Motorola and TCL . In fact , TCL evidence off some upcoming new telephone at CES 2024 earlier this class , and a few of them have recently become available — admit the TCL 50 XL 5G.
The TCL 50 XL 5 gibibyte be just $ 160 and is only available in the U.S. through Metro by T - Mobile . If you ’re in the market for a ace - low-priced earpiece , is this one worth piece up ? Let ’s discover out .
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TCL 50 XL 5G: design
The TCL 50 XL 5 G has a relatively boring design , at least on the front . There ’s a moldable frame that hem in the front showing . While the front is pretty stock for a phone in this price range , the back is a bite more interesting .
The fundament of the TCL 50 XL 5 G is covered in a textured textile that feels similar to leather cereal , which I have n’t really seen on a telephone before . This cloth even has a form of metallic sheen to it , affecting how it look depending on the slant at which light is hitting it . Aside from having a supercool effulgence to it , the textured material also adds a bit of grip to the phone , which is nice .
Unfortunately , the TCL 50 XL 5 G has no information science rating , so it ’s not a phone you want to have near any sort of crap or water . This is not unusual for a phone in this price range .
Christine Romero-Chan. / Digital Trends
The back of the telephone has a unique textured stuff with a metal sheen that I ’ve not really seen on phones before .
Like most phones these days , the TCL 50 XL 5 G has a flat edge anatomy design with the volume and top executive clitoris / fingerprint sensor on the correct edge . The bottom has a 3.5 mm headphone jack ( pant ! ) , USB - C charging port , and verbaliser . On the top - left edge is where you ’ll find oneself the combination SIM carte du jour and microSD card time slot , which can take cards up to 2 TB .
On the back of the TCL 50 XL 5 thousand is a large , circular camera module with an light-emitting diode flash . Though it looks like a triple lens television camera organization , it ’s a bit lead astray . Two of the lenses are a 2 - megapixel depth detector and a 5MP ultrawide photographic camera , alongside the 50MP main television camera . I ’m not sure why the camera module has to be so big , look at the non - flagship hardware spec . It also appears a small off - center , and honestly gets in the way when holding the phone in landscape orientation .
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There ’s only one color for the TCL 50 XL 5 grand : Slate Gray . Given that most budget phones do n’t give you a slew of color options , this also is n’t surprising , but is still a bit unsatisfying .
TCL 50 XL 5G: display
For a phone that just cost $ 160 , the TCL 50 XL 5 G actually has a pretty decent show , thanks to TCL ’s NXTVISION technology .
The TCL 50 XL 5 GB has a 6.78 - column inch LCD board with a 2460 x 1080 pixel resolution and about 396 pixels per inch ( ppi ) concentration . TCL also find this one up to a 120Hz refresh rate ( its forerunner only had 90Hz ) . As far as brightness , the utmost it reaches is 500 nits , which means it ’s hunky-dory indoors , but you ’ll have some issuing in bright sunlight . At the top of the display is a hole - punch cutout for the selfie tv camera .
In my time with the TCL 50 XL 5 G , the showing bet middling honorable , all thing moot .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
There are bezel on this phone due to the scurvy price , and they are detectable . The TCL 50 XL 5 G has uniform bezel along the top and sides , but the bottom features a slightly fatheaded bezel to form the “ chin . ” While it may be annoying at first , you finally get used to it .
In my time with the TCL 50 XL 5 constant of gravitation , I found the show to search fairly good , all thing considered . gloss are nice and vivacious , specially when the NXTVISION enhancements are plough on in the setting . textual matter appears sharp and sharp .
I always appreciate having a phone with a 120Hz refresh pace . Though it may not be as noticeable for everyone , I do appreciate the smooth scrolling and animations when switching between apps . It guide to a honest overall experience while using the phone , so to have 120Hz on a $ 160 phone is quite nice .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
The only big takings I have with the size of the showing is that it precede to the phone being quite grandiloquent . This make it unmanageable to attain the top of the telephone set ’s screen with a single deal , so unless you have really large hand , then this is unquestionably a two - handed earphone .
TCL 50 XL 5G: software and performance
Inside the TCL 50 XL 5 G is the MediaTek Dimensity 6100 + chip , which is an octa - substance chipset . It ’s paired with 6 GB RAM and 6 GB practical RAM elaboration . Though it only has one storage capacity , 128 GB , you could use up to a 2 TB microSD posting to amplify the storage .
The TCL 50 XL 5 G comes with Android 14 and TCL UI 7 out of the boxful . Unfortunately , it will only obtain one major Android OS update to Android 15 , so there ’s not much longevity here . As for security updates , you ’ll only get two years ’ Charles Frederick Worth .
TCL UI 7 is the company ’s own fork of Android with some unique customizations . For one , app icons are polish squares , and the quick options panels are rounded rectangle . It ’s slightly different from other Android phones like theGoogle Pixel 8a , but still noticeable .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Since TCL use NXTVISION for the TCL 50 XL 5 G , you get a standalone NXTVISION app . From here , you may toggle enhancements for photos and video , as well as games . These setting provide good direct contrast , sharpness , profundity , details , and graphic .
Performance is adequate enough for a phone at this Leontyne Price point .
There is also a reading material modality that you may toggle systemwide or on a per - app footing , which commit the CRT screen a book - comparable appearance that ’s easier on the middle . Other modality like Eye Comfort , a darker display mode , and even a sun display mode will adjust the screen to better improve usability in certain condition .
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Trends
Another TCL - exclusive app is the Smart Manager , which gives you a quick way to free up RAM and do other optimisation to the gadget to make it run smoother . TCL also has its own unique multitasking mode with a float app windowpane in add-on to received split - screen .
And for sometime - school radio auditor , there is a standalone receiving set app , but you must use a twosome of wired earphone for it to in reality work . Why ? Because the wire headphones serve as an antenna .
For the most part , the TCL 50 XL 5 G run fine — it ’s not the fastest carrying into action , but it ’s not the worst either . Performance is decent enough and in reality unspoilt than theMoto G ( 2024)that I reviewed a few month ago , though that was n’t a very high bar . The TCL 50 XL 5 gravitational constant handles my basic everyday tasks , which include check email and social media , have photos , and telecasting streaming .
I do notice a tiny spot of stutter sometimes when going back to the home screen , switching between apps , or just voyage through the telephone set . It ’s very pocket-sized compared to the stutter and interim I got on the Moto G ( 2024 ) , though , so it ’s by all odds not as bad . For a phone that does n’t even be $ 200 , it could be a lot worse .
TCL 50 XL 5G: cameras
I ’m not expect much from a $ 160 speech sound in terms of television camera quality . After all , to make a speech sound that tawdry , you have to make compromises somewhere , and that ’s typically with the cameras .
But I was shocked at how , well , unimpressive the photograph I took were , despite having a 50MP chief tv camera . I thought it would at least do OK when there ’s a lot of light , but even then , the photos just do n’t turn out great .
I could hardly get any full photos in my testing with the TCL 50 XL 5G. coloring material would be too vivid , to the gunpoint where they seem blown out . Some aspects get washed out and look pale , while others would appear splotchy or have soft contingent , etc .
Compromises need to be made for phones at this price , and it was clearly the television camera quality that took a hit here .
And even though the earpiece has a “ tops macro ” mode when you really want to get up nigh to something , those effigy reverse out jolly bad , too . Selfies look OK for an 8MP lens of the eye , but again , the colors in everything but the pelt tone are a mo off .
TCL 50 XL 5G: battery life and charging
The TCL 50 XL 5 G has a 5,010mAh barrage fire inside . Though that is a pretty large capacity , the phone does n’t do particularly well when it come to power efficiency .
With comparatively loose exercise , I note the battery draining pretty quickly , even though I was n’t doing anything particularly resource intensive . Just the basics , such as reading the news , checking email and messages , social networks , and take some picture . I did not play any game or stream a lot of video , and the stamp battery level fall about 1 % every few minute . For a phone with this much capacity , it ’s disappointing that it ’s not go to last more than a day with heavy use .
Despite having a big battery , the force efficiency is n’t heavy .
commit the TCL 50 XL 5 GB is also a moment of a bother point . It only supports up to 18 - W fast charging , which by today ’s standards is pretty slow . But at least TCL provides a great power adapter in the box .
And for wireless charging ? leave about it . The TCL 50 XL 5 G does not fend for wireless charge at all . That ’s not at all look from a $ 160 phone , but it ’s worth bring up .
TCL 50 XL 5G: price and availability
The bounteous drawback for the TCL 50 XL 5 gibibyte is its limited market . It ’s presently only available in the U.S. and it is also carrier locked . The only provider that sell it is Metro by T - Mobile . The TCL 50 XL 5 gigabyte only comes in Slate Gray with one storage form alternative for $ 160 .
Even at this cost pointedness , there are other options that are better than the TCL 50 XL 5G. For one , there is the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G , which has a retail price of $ 200 , though you’re able to easily find it for less with patronage - in deals and other specials . The Galaxy A15 has a honorable AMOLED presentation , though the refresh rate is only 90Hz . It is a bit more achievable thanks to its 6.5 - in size and takes unspoilt photos . Plus , Samsung will put up it for more than one class , which already makes it a good overall economic value .
TCL 50 XL 5G: verdict
For the toll , the TCL 50 XL 5 G is not a terrible phone ( that honor goes to the Moto G 2024 ) , but it ’s also not astonishing .
It definitely has a unequalled design with the textured textile on the rear and a distinctive sheen that I do n’t typically see on smartphones , let alone one at this terms . The display is n’t too shabby for an LCD , as color are burnished and intense , with textual matter being astute and frizzly . NXTVISION ’s visual enhancements are also a nice bonus . The 120Hz refresh charge per unit does provide smooth scrolling , but the midrange chipset does have a little snatch of stammer every now and then .
It ’s also prissy to see a headphone that still has a 3.5 mm phone jack and expandable storage . These features bear on to be a rare mess , so if those are significant to you , this phone is an option .
But that ’s about where the good stuff and nonsense ends . The performance is mediocre and the power efficiency just is n’t really there . The phone will handle introductory project fine , but if you do anything that requires a bit more power , then you ’ll emphatically notice the shortcomings of the chipset . And for such a large assault and battery , it ’s unsatisfying to see it debilitate so fast . It ’s relatively slow to point compared to other options .
For me , though , the television camera is the most disappointing aspect . I was n’t expecting incredible photos , but even in sunny stipulation , the color and details in my photos were mostly a disappointment . I expect something a little fleck better for a 50MP independent photographic camera , even on a $ 160 telephone set . The modified availability for the TCL 50 XL 5 GiB is another drawback . Unless you ’re already using Metro , you ’re almost certainly near off with a earphone that work with your exist newsboy .
