Newsletter
TCL is ready to follow up on its 10-series at CES 2021 with a brand new 20-series, starting with the TCL 20 5G and TCL 20 SE. The company also says it has plans to launch three more series in the range, including one more 5G handset. Details on those phones are not forthcoming. But TCL has already provided more than enough information about the two phones it’s launching now.
TCL 20 5G is more than just a worthy successor to the company’s 10 series
As indicated by its branding, the TCL 20 5G is TCL’s next-gen 5G handset for CES 2021. And, as with last year’s TCL 10 5G, this is a phone that puts heavy emphasis on its screen technology. It may not have the latest flagship chipset. But its octa-core 8nm Snapdragon 690, backed by 6GB of RAM and up to 256GB expandable storage, is set behind a great display.
In fact, the 6.67-inch FHD+ panel, rated at 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, could be one of the best in the industry. And that’s not because of its high resolution or its HDR10 support either. This screen is unique in that it utilizes NXTVISION 2.0 for SDR-to-HDR real-time conversion.
That same tool manages display calibration to control color accuracy, brightness, color temperature, and more in real-time. All to ensure the best quality picture around, in any lighting, and for any media. And this time around, that’s all been improved alongside the addition of new features. For instance, the screen will utilize AI to ensure there are fewer false touches.
5G is being managed by AI this time around too. As are the cameras. With Smart 5G technology, the TCL 20 5G will be the first phone in the series to automatically jump between bands to help battery life. Specifically, it’ll automatically jump between 5G and 4G, depending on the users’ data needs. And that should, TCL says, “stretch the built-in 4500mAh battery” further.
On cameras, the TCL 20 5G packs a triple-camera managed by AI in order to enhance auto-focus and video image stabilization. It also helps manage low-light and high-resolution shots from the 48-megapixel primary snapper. So this should be the best camera yet from TCL.
How does the TCL 20 SE stack up to its 20-series counterpart?
If the TCL 20 5G is the company’s upper-mid-range handset, the TCL 20 SE is its budget offering at CES. It’s also shipped with Android 11, while the TCL 20 5G starts with Android 10 and updates to Android 11. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t be worthy of bearing the branding. In fact, the TCL 20 SE packs the same screen features found in the TCL 20 5G. But that’s packed into a larger, albeit lower resolution at 720 x 1640 resolution, 6.82-inch display. And TCL is looking to take full advantage of that larger size too.
For example, TCL 20 SE comes with NXTVISION, as noted above. That includes SDR-to-HDR real-time conversions, just like its more. But it also comes with Hi-Res Audio certification and a dual-speaker design that doesn’t allow the speakers to be blocked when held.
Additionally, TCL 20 SE features a new-to-TCL feature dubbed Smart Floating Window. That lets users browse the web or reply to messages during video playback. By swiping to the left or right corner, users can effectively create an intelligent floating window that’s resizable and moveable.
Those experiences experience driven by a Snapdragon 460 chip and a 4,000mAh battery. That battery supports fast charging and reverse-charging.
On the camera side, the multi-camera system is led by a 48-megapixel snapper, just like its more expensive counterpart. And that’s managed by AI as well. Up to and including AI-powered color portrait and sky enhancement features and a new AI Object Eraser. The former detects intended subjects automatically and adjusts the background. The latter takes that further to allow objects or people to be removed from the background.
Specs
For those who need just the pure specs for the 20-series, those have been provided below as presented by TCL at CES 2021.
| TCL 20 SE | TCL 20 5G | |
| Screen | 6.82-inch V-notchdisplay HD+ Display (720 x 1640 resolution) Screen-to-body ratio: 90%1 20.5:9 display ratio 1500: 1 contrast ratio (typical) 263PPI, 16.7M colors (TBC), NTSC 71%, 450 nits brightness (typical) Capacitive touchscreen |
6.67-inch Dotchdisplay FHD+ Display(1080×2400 resolution) Screen-to-body ratio: 91%1 20:9 display ratio 1500: 1 contrast ratio 395PPI, 16.7M colors, NTSC 82%typ, 450typ brightness Capacitive touchscreen HDR10 playback supported |
| SoC | Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 610 |
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 619L |
| RAM | 4GB RAM | 6GB RAM (LDPPR4X) |
| Storage | 64GB (eMCP)/128GB ROM (UFS2.1) Supports micro SD Card up to 256GB |
T781K: 256GB ROM (UFS 2.1) T781H: 128GB ROM (UFS 2.1) Supports micro SD Card up to 256GB (FAT32) |
| Front Cameras | Front Camera: 13MP/8MP front camera- 13MP: FF, sensor size 1/3’’, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.2, 79.8° field of view, 5P lens 8MP: FF, sensor size 1/4”, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.0, 80.6° field of view, 4P lens Video capture: 720P @30FPS Video playback: 1080P @30FPS Features: LCD flash, Face Beautification (photos), Portrait Mode, Face detection, HDR, movideo, Stop motion Resolution: 8MP Autofocus Video capture & playback:1080P @30FPSFront Camera: Resolution: 5MP Fixed focus Video capture & playback: 1080P @30FPS |
8MP front camera: FF, sensor size 1/4”, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.0, 78° field of view, 4P lens Video capture: 1080P @30FPS Features: Face Beautification (photos), HDR selfies, photo filters, Portrait Mode |
| Rear Cameras | 48MP/16MP main camera: 48MP: AF, sensor size 1/2“, pixel size 0.8μm, aperture F2.0, 79° field of view, 5P lens 16MP: AF, sensor size 1/2.77”, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F1.8, 77° field of view, 5P lens 5MP wide-angle camera: FF, sensor size 1/5“, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.2, 115° field of view, 4P lens 2MP macro camera: FF, sensor size 1/5“, pixel size 1.75μm, aperture F2.4, 83° field of view, 3P lens 2MP depth camera: FF, sensor size 1/5“, pixel size 1.75μm, aperture F2.4, 83° field of view, 3P lens Video capture: 1080P@30FPS Video playback: 1080P@30FPS Features: Dual LED flash(single tone), 4x digital zoom, HDR, Snapshot in video recording, Night mode, Super-resolution, Face detection, Scene detection 2.0, Google lens, Pro Mode, Panorama, Photo filters, Light Trace, AI color portrait, Wideangle mode, Depth Bokeh, Super Macro, Portrait Mode, Low light video, Slow |
48MP main camera: PDAF, sensor size 1/2 “, pixel size 0.8μm, aperture F1.8, 79° field of view, 6P lens 8MP wide-angle camera: FF, sensor size 1/4“, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.2, 118° field of view, 5P lens 2MP macro camera: FF, sensor size 1/5“, pixel size 1.75 μm, aperture F2.4, 83° field of view, 3P lens Video capture: 4K@30FPS, 1080P@60/30FPS Video playback: 4K@30FPS, 1080P@60/30FPS Features: 10X digital zoom, Google Lens, EIS, HDR, in-recording snapshots, LED flash, Light Trace Mode, Panorama Mode, photo filters, Panorama Mode, Portrait Mode, Pro Mode, real-time bokeh, scene detection, Slo-Mo Mode, Super Macro Mode, Stop Motion Mode, Super Night Mode, Super Steady Mode, Wide-Angle Mode |
| Sensors & Features | Location: GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) Other sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, light, e-compass Authentication: Face key, Fingerprint sensor(rear)Other features: torchlight, FM Radio, M3 HAC Rating |
Location: GPS, A-GPS, BeiDou, Galileo, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS)Other sensors: Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, ambient light, e-compass Authentication: Face key, Fingerprint sensor(side)Other features: torchlight, FM Radio, M3 HAC Rating |
| Connectivity | 2G Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 3G Bands: EMEA/APAC: B1/2/5/8 LATAM: B1/2/4/5/8 4G Bands: EMEA/APAC: B1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41 (2540-2640) LATAM: B1/B2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/26/28/662G data: GPRS/EDGE 3G data: HSPA+ (42M bit/s DL, 5.76Mbit/s UL) 4G data: Cat 4 (150Mbit/s DL, 50Mbit/s UL)Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct 4G Mobile Hotspot, VoLTE, VoWiFi Bluetooth 5.0, Type-C USB 2.0, NFC 5Dual SIM model: 1 4FF Nano + 1 4FF Nano or 1 TF Card Single SIM model: 1 4FF Nano SIM + 1 TF Card |
2G Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 3G Bands: B1/2/5/8 4G Bands: B1/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/32/38/40/41(120M) 5G Bands: n1/3/5/28/41(full)/78 4×4 MIMO(DL) B1/3/7, n78 (It doesn’t support B1&B7 4×4 in one combo. Only Support 2×2 MIMO in 2CA_n78.)2G data: GPRS/EDGE 3G data: HSPA+ (42Mbps DL, 5.76Mbps UL) 4G data: DL: 1.2Gbps, Cat18 UL:150Mbps, Cat13 5G data: DL: 2.7Gbps UL:700MbpsWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Supports 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi or 5 GHz Wi-Fi Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Casting 4G/5G Mobile Hotspot, VoLTE, VoWiFi Bluetooth 5.1, Type-C USB 2.0, NFCDual SIM model: 1 4FF Nano + 1 4FF Nano or 1 TF Card Single SIM model: 1 4FF Nano SIM + 1 TF Card |
| Audio | Audio playback format: AAC, AMR, AWB, MP3, AAC+, Vorbis, FLAC, APE, eAAC+, PCM Dual-mic noise cancellation, HD Voice Speakers: 1 * Speaker + 1 * mini speaker Supported headsets: LRGM |
Audio playback format: AAC LC, AAC+, enhanced AAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, FLAC, MP3, MIDI, Vorbis, PCM/WAVE Dual-mic noise cancellation, HD Voice Number of speakers: 1 Supported headsets: LGRM Hi-Res Audio certification Support SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptXTWS+, LDAC Bluetooth audio codec. Super Bluetooth: connect up to 4 Bluetooth devices to play audio simultaneously 3.5mm audio jack |
| OS | TCL UI, Android 11 | TCL UI, Android 10 (upgradeable to Android 11) |
| Colors | Nuit Black, Aurora Green | Mist Gray, Placid Blue |
| Dimensions | Length: 6.774 in (172.08 mm) Width: 3.037 in (77.14 mm) Height: 0.358 in (9.1 mm) |
Length: 6.543 in (166.2 mm) Width: 3.023 in (76.8 mm) Height: 0.358 in (9.1 mm) |
| Weight | 206g | 206g |
| Battery & Charging | Battery: 5000mAh (typical) Up to 18w, 9V2A charger Type-C USB 2.0 Charging time: 3:20:00 DOU Value: >17.5 hours |
Battery: 4500mAh (typical) Up to 18W Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0+ Type-C USB 2.0 Charging time: 100% ( 5V2A charger: 2.5 hours / 9V2A charger: 2 hours) DOU Value: 12 hours |
Where and when to buy the new TCL 20 series
Now, if you happen to be in Italy, you don’t even have to wait for CES to be over to pick up the TCL 20 5G. That’s available now for just €299. That puts its cost at right around $363, making it one of the highest-value offerings on the market. And it will be rolling out across other, undisclosed countries starting next month. The phone comes in Mist Gray and Placid Blue.
For the TCL 20 SE, as shown at CES, buyers everywhere won’t need to wait quite as long. TCL’s second handset will start at just €149 — roughly $181 — and will be available across several regions this month. Buyers can pick up the TCL 20 SE in Nuit Black and Aurora Green.