MWC 2022: TCL Launches 5 New Android 12-Based Phones

TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, TCL 30+, TCL 30 SE, and TCL 30 E were launched as the latest budget-oriented offerings from the Chinese brand during Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2022. TCL 30 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. The vanilla TCL 30 and TCL 30+ are powered by MediaTek Helio G37 SoCs with 4GB of RAM. TCL 30 SE and TCL 30 E are both powered by MediaTek Helio G25 SoCs. Furthermore, TCL also showed off a concept foldable smartphone – TCL Ultra Flex – at MWC 2022.

TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, TCL 30+, TCL 30 SE, TCL 30 E price in India

TCL 30 5G is priced at EUR 249 (roughly Rs. 21,000), the vanilla TCL 30+ is priced at EUR 199 (roughly Rs. 16,800), and TCL 30 is priced at EUR 179 (roughly Rs. 15,100). TCL 30 SE is priced at EUR 149 (roughly Rs. 12,550) and TCL 30 E is priced at EUR 139 (roughly Rs. 11,700). Out of these, TCL 30 5G and TCL 30 E will be available to purchase in Europe starting April, while the rest have already been made available in Europe.

The upcoming TCL 30 5G will be offered in Dreamy Blue and Tech Black colour options. TCL will offer the vanilla TCL 30 and TCL 30+ in Muse Blue and Tech Black colour options. TCL 30 SE is offered with Atlantic Blue, Glacial Blue, and Space Grey colour options, while TCL 30 E is offered in Atlantic Blue and Space Grey colour options.

TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, TCL 30+ specifications

The three new TCL smartphones – TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, TCL 30+ – will run Android 12-based TCL UI out-of-the-box. All three smartphones sport 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) AMOLED displays with 60Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, 100 percent NTSC DCI-P3 colour gamut coevrage, 395ppi pixel density, and offer 900 nits of peak brightness.

Under the hood, TCL 30 5G features a MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM. The vanilla TCL 30 and TCL 30+ feature a MediaTek Helio G37 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM. The 5G-enabled handset has 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage. Whereas, the vanilla TCL 30 has 64GB of onboard storage and TCL 30+ has 128GB of onboard storage. The storage on the three TCL smartphones can be further expanded via a microSD card (up to 1TB).

The three TCL smartphones also share their camera specifications. They get a 50-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.85 aperture, and two 2-megapixel depth and macro sensors with an f/2.4 aperture. For selfies and video calls, TCL 30 5G and TCL 30+ get a 13-megapixel sensor with an f/2.3 aperture, whereas the vanilla TCL 30 gets an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.

Connectivity options on TCL 30 5G comprise 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth v5.1, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C port. On the other hand, the connectivity options on TCL 30 and TCL 30+ include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB Type-C port. Only TCL 30 and TCL 30+ get stereo speakers.

TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, and TCL 30+ get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner along with facial recognition support. The 4G-enabled variants’ onboard sensors comprise accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, e-compass, GPS/ A-GPS, Beidou, GLONASS, and Galileo.

All three TCL 30 series smartphones pack 5,010mAh batteries with 18W fast charging support. However, only the vanilla TCL 30 gets a 10W charger in the retail box. The three smartphones measure 164.54×75.24×7.78mm and weigh 184 grams.

TCL 30 SE, TCL 30 E specifications

Both TCL 30 SE and TCL 30 E run Android 12-based TCL UI out-of-the-box. Both smartphones sport 6.52-inch HD+ (720×1,600 pixels) IPS LCD display where TCL 30 SE gets a 2.5D curved glass and TCL 30 E gets a flat display panel. Both panels get 70 percent NTSC coverage, 269 ppi pixel density, and offer 450 nits of peak brightness.

Under the hood, both TCL 30 SE and TCL 30 E feature the MediaTek Helio G25 SoC. The former gets 4GB of RAM with up to 128GB of onboard storage and the latter only gets 3GB of RAM with 64GB of onboard storage. Both smartphones support expandable memory via a microSD card (up to 512GB).

For optics, TCL 30 SE gets the same rear camera setup as the TCL 30 5G, TCL 30, and TCL 30+, marked by a 50-megapixel primary sensor and two 2-megapixel depth and macro sensors. However, TCL 30 E gets a dual rear camera setup, headlined by a 50-megapixel primary sensor. For selfies, TCL 30 SE gets an 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, while TCL 30 E gets a 5-megapixel shooter.

Connectivity options on TCL 30 SE and TCL 30 E comprise 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and Wi-Fi direct. Onboard sensors include accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor, e-compass, GPS/ A-GPS, BDS, GLONASS, and Galileo.

Both smartphones pack a 5,000mAh battery. TCL 30 SE supports 15W fast charging but only gets a 10W charging brick in the retail box. TCL 30 E only supports 10W charging. Both smartphones measure 165.2×75.5×8.9mm and weigh 190 grams.

TCL Ultra Flex foldable smartphone specifications (expected)

During MWC 2022, TCL also unveiled a concept foldable smartphone. The smartphone is tentatively named Ultra Flex and can be folded inwards or outwards using a 360-degree rotating hinge. It is touted to get an 8-inch PLP AMOLED display with 2,460×1,860 resolution. The display is prone to breaking as the report mentions it wasn’t able to view a working display during the hands-on event. TCL has not shared any specifications on how the display or the hinge will work as of now.

TCL Ultra Flex foldable concept smartphone said to fold inward and outward
Photo Credit: Cherlynn Low/ Engadget

The Chinese tech giant also mentions that having a dual foldable display has its own benefits. When folded inwards, it will work similarly to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series while folded outwards – like Huawei Mate X – could provide a preview to the camera’s subjects to see how they look before getting clicked. The hands-on device also shows an empty slot which is speculated to include a stylus.