CES 2022: TCL’s newest smartphones bring 5G and affordability to US carriers | ZDNet

While CES isn’t typically the home to smartphone announcements — Mobile World Congress (MWC) is — display maker TCL joins Samsung by unveiling a series of new mobile devices. The 30 Series, which builds upon the successes of last year’s
20 Series

, features the TCL 30 V 5G and TCL XE 5G, a duet of 5G-enabled Androids set to arrive at Verizon and T-Mobile stores, respectively.

TCL 30 V 5G

The TCL 30 V 5G will be a Verizon-exclusive device, boasting a 6.67-inch display with a 1,080 by 2,400 resolution. The big screen smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 chip, 4GB of RAM, and a 4,500mAh battery, all of which TCL hopes will provide day-long usage. At the back of the device is a fingerprint sensor and a camera module that houses a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 5MP super-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The front-facing selfie camera sports a 16MP lens. Flanking the side is a microSD card slot, expandable up to 1TB of storage, in case the internal 128GB doesn’t suffice. With support for Verizon’s 5G bands, you can expect the TCL 30 V 5G to cost anywhere between $300 to $500, making it a solid mid-range option if you’re on the network.

See also: The best cheap 5G phones in 2022: Flagship quality at affordable prices

TCL 30 XE 5G

T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers can exclusively look forward to the TCL 30 XE 5G. The device differentiates itself from Verizon’s 30 V model with a smaller 6.52-inch display at 1,600 by 720 resolution, and a 90Hz refresh rate at that. We’re continuing to see a trend of budget smartphones sporting higher refresh rate displays, which make the overall viewing and scrolling experience smoother. The TCL 30 XE 5G is also equipped with a Mediatek Dimensity 700 chip, 4GB of RAM, and a triple camera setup consisting of a 13-megapixel primary camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. (Basically, the phone shouldn’t be your go-to if mobile photography and video is your passion.) Again, there is a microSD card slot that lets you expand from the existing 64GB of storage up to 512GB. And like Verizon’s 30 V model, the phone houses a 4,500mAh battery. However, the charging speed — a feature that has become a selling point for affordable 5G devices — was not disclosed by TCL, nor was the actual pricing of the device. 

TCL says that the two phones will begin to arrive in Verizon, T-Mobile, and Metro by T-Mobile stores in the US starting in February. Hopefully, that means we can get more details on pricing and availability soon.