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At CES 2022, TCL announced a few different smartphones that aim to bring 5G connectivity and some versatility to those looking for more budget-friendly smartphones. The TCL 30 XE 5G is a great example of this with its 6.5-inch 90Hz display, triple camera setup, classic features like a microSD card slot, and 3.5mm headphone jack.
While the phone was introduced back in January, availability details have been scarce until now. The company has confirmed that the 30 XE 5G is coming to T-Mobile and Metro for just $198, giving everyone another option if you want a 5G phone that doesn’t break the bank.
- Display: 6.5-inch (1600 x 720)
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 700
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Front Camera: 8MP
- Rear Cameras: 13MP (main) / 2MP (ultra-wide) / 2MP (depth)
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Software: Android 11
- Extras: 90Hz Refresh Rate / 180Hz Touch Sampling Rate / Bluetooth v5.1 / 18W Fast Charging / 3.5mm Headphone Jack / Rear Fingerprint Scanner / microSD Card Slot
Under the hood, the 30 XE 5G is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 chipset and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. While that may not seem like a lot of storage, especially in 2022, TCL is including a microSD card slot that can house up to a 512GB card.
Moving to the back of the phone, we have a triple camera setup housed in a traditional rectangular bump. There’s a 13MP main camera, along with the over-used 2MP depth sensor and 2MP macro lens. Luckily, TCL isn’t ready to adopt the under-display fingerprint scanner, instead providing a more-traditional rear-mounted sensor instead. The 30 XE 5G also offers Face Unlock for those who want to add another layer of biometric security, albeit a less-secure option.
Battery life should be an absolute beast thanks to the combination of the HD+ resolution and 4,500mAh battery. You won’t find super-fast wired charging, and there isn’t any wireless charging anywhere. But TCL is still including 18W charging speeds to get you juiced back up in less than 2.5 hours.
The only real catch here is that the phone ships with Android 11 out of the box, but TCL did not provide any specifics as to whether it plans to bring Android 12. As noted by XDA, Verizon is still selling the TCL 10 5G UW that shipped with Android 10 back in 2020, but has yet to receive Android 11. If this doesn’t really matter all that much to you, then you can head over to your local T-Mobile or Metro locations and pick up the TCL XE 5G starting on Friday, February 25.
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