TCL 20 Pro 5G review: Just another pretty face

TCL has spent most of the modern smartphone era making phones under brand names like Alcatel and BlackBerry, but it recently emerged from the shadows to brand phones under the old “TCL” name. There have been a few mid-range devices released over the past year, but the TCL 20 Pro 5G is the most ambitious device yet. It has a high-quality OLED screen, quad cameras, and a very attractive design. However, TCL is also asking more for this phone, and the $500 price tag puts it up against capable phones from Samsung, Motorola, and others. When you look at all the mentioned specs (as you can below), the TCL 20 Pro 5G looks like a reasonable deal. However, integrating a phone into your life takes you beyond the specs, and there’s nothing to like beneath the surface. The TCL 20’s software is buggy and inconsistent, and the cameras are average at best. Even 5G connectivity, which is supposed to be a big selling point for this phone, was disappointingly spotty. TCL is making progress, but I’m not sure it’s enough.

Specifications

Goodness

Not very good

Design, hardware and what’s in the box

Based on looks alone, the 20 Pro 5G is the most beautiful phone TCL has ever made. It looks like a premium piece of hardware, especially on the back. The phone has the glass back of other similarly priced phones, but TCL has given the panel a smooth two-tone finish. The side containing the camera sensors is glossy, while the rest has a matte texture. There’s still enough of that matte glass to reduce fingerprint buildup and improve grip. I also like the way all four camera sensors are lined up under the glass panel, that’s right, no camera hump.

The screen has a strong curve on the left and right edges, which is roughly the same radius as the Samsung Edge phones from two years ago. I personally don’t like curved screens because they make the phone less comfortable to hold and the edge touches aren’t completely eliminated. However, the curve seems intentional and well integrated into the design. The back glass panel has the same degree of curvature at the edges, allowing the two panels to meet symmetrically with the aluminum frame between them. The metal band is a bit narrow, but it’s smooth and offers a respectable amount of surface area for grip. I wouldn’t call this a comfortable phone to hold.

As for the panel itself, TCL must have spent some money on OLED because this is a much better display than I expected. It is a 6.67-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 with HDR support. Color reproduction is excellent, viewing angles are consistent, and it gets bright enough to use outdoors. It won’t reach the Galaxy S’s sunlight reading levels, but it’s better than I expected. However, TCL’s “Sunlight Display” feature that boosts brightness comes at the cost of lower contrast, which can make the screen look muddy. The only spec it’s missing is the refresh rate, which is just 60Hz. There is a punch-hole camera at the top center of the screen, and the hole is a a little Bigger than you’d see in a true flagship phone.

There’s a fingerprint scanner under the screen, which I found very low – it’s in roughly the same place as the OnePlus 9. The sensor is a little slower and less accurate than a phone like the OP9, but it’s not unusable or too frustrating. It’s just a case of “you get what you pay for”.

The USB-C port, SIM tray and mono speaker are located at the bottom edge, and at the top we have two noticeable surprises. There’s a headphone jack (yay) and an infrared blaster, the latter of which is not very common in US phones these days. The power and volume buttons on the right edge are sturdy and tactile, and I like the red inlay on the power button. On the other side, there’s a programmable button you can use to launch apps, summon Assistant, turn on the flashlight, and more.

TCL includes the usual guides and SIM ejector tool with the phone, but you also get a clear plastic case. It’ll probably look bad in a few months, but it will make the phone easier to hold until you can find something that works for you. The charger reaches a maximum of 18W and comes with a USB-A-to-C cable.

Software, performance and battery

The TCL 20 Pro 5G runs on a Snapdragon 750G chipset, which is not very common in the US. For starters, this is an 8nm octa-core chip with two high-power cores and six efficient cores. I found performance on this phone to be generally excellent. Apps open quickly, and navigating between them is easy (unless the quick switching gesture is activated, which is the case sometimes). The experience is very smooth, at least as much as it can be at 60Hz. TCL has also added some animations to make the phone look a little faster.

You get Android 11 out of the box, along with TCL’s signature TCL UI. This isn’t a UI that completely replaces style, but it does make a lot of (mostly unnecessary) changes. TCL also has an issue with bloatware, which is surprising for an unlocked phone. It includes its own apps for music, weather, files, video, and more. Additionally, TCL has included icons that look like apps but actually link to settings pages. I’d rather there not be any of this phone clutter. The app drawer also shows your apps divided by category, but of course it doesn’t know anything about most apps. So, there’s a huge mass of “other” at the end, which makes it a pretty stupid default.

The problems go beyond bloat – TCL’s software experience is clearly a step down from the likes of Google, Samsung or OnePlus. Many of the custom features in TCL UI are buggy or just bad ideas. Features like the Samsung-eque Edge Bar and Fingerprint Quick Launch are poorly implemented and not worth using. TCL has also locked Do Not Disturb mode to hide your notifications as well. You can change this setting on other phones, but not here. The TCL 20 Pro also has the option to adjust the color temperature based on ambient light, which I usually appreciate. However, the changes are so sudden that they distract you. I also experienced connectivity issues which sometimes required a phone restart.

TCL promises two OS updates, which is solid for a device in this price range. On the other hand, security patches are only guaranteed for two years as well. For $500, there should be at least a third year of security updates.

With its compact 4,500mAh battery, longevity was solid but not good enough to stand out from the crowd. I spend an average of six or seven hours in front of screens with heavy usage. This phone won’t last you two days, but you should be able to get one comfortably. It charges at 18W, which is acceptable. But again, at $500, I’d like to see OEMs push the envelope with a little more charging speed. I’m glad to see 15W wireless charging included.

Cameras

What I like most about the camera array is how it looks on the phone. Performance isn’t great, though. At this price, I’d expect OEMs to put a little effort into the camera setup, even if it means an unsightly camera hump. However, TCL’s picks for this phone will be more suitable for a device that costs half the price. There’s a 48MP primary camera, a 16MP ultra-wide camera, and a tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum camera for smartphone photography: a depth sensor (2MP) and a macro camera (5MP). Both are useless.

The 48MP primary camera takes 12MP shots, but more often than not the results are disappointing. In bright outdoor light, I got some photos that I really liked, but I want to focus on them Just a few. The camera is slow, and even OIS can’t save you from blurry shots indoors. Colors appear a bit washed out even in good lighting, but the effect is more noticeable when the light isn’t perfect.

My wife rarely comments on image quality when I share shots with her, but she went out of her way to tell me that she didn’t like the images from the TCL 20 Pro 5G. No one will ever be happy taking photos with this phone, but there are times when you won’t be completely disappointed.

Should you buy it? Rating 7/10

TCL 20 Pro 5G

Maybe not. It looks like the TCL 20 Pro 5G should be priced at over $500, but looks aren’t everything. The camera sensors that blend seamlessly into the body aren’t very capable, and the software could use the work. The phone is also not very comfortable to use with that very curvy display complete with occasional touches on the edge.

For $500, I’d like to see longer update support, a higher update screen, and software that doesn’t feel so stuck together. What matters to me is this: You shouldn’t spend $500 on a phone with bad cameras in 2021.

This is a good phone, but there’s nothing special or interesting about it. I would suggest anyone looking to get a device in this price range to wait a few months to see what the Pixel 5a has to offer. Alternatively, there’s the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, which has a better OLED display, longer updates, and better camera performance. Or…just buy the Pixel 4a. It’s not pretty, but it’s better than the rest.

Buy it if…

• Having a phone that looks expensive is important to you.
• You don’t take a lot of pictures.

Don’t buy it if…

• You want a reliable camera.
• You can buy a Pixel or Galaxy device.

Where to buy

• Amazon