Affordable Ultra Wideband 5G
After years of manufacturing phones for BlackBerry and Alcatel, TCL started releasing phones under its own name from 2020, though the offerings were run-of-the-mill and only stood out for their low price tag. At CES 2022 earlier this month, the company announced two new smartphones: the 30 V 5G and the 30 XE 5G. Both budget-oriented and packing modest specs with the key highlight being 5G support. Starting today, you can purchase the TCL 30 V 5G exclusively on Verizon’s network in the US for $300 unlocked.
The 30 V 5G specs are nothing to write home about, with a 6.67-inch FHD+ LCD, 4GB RAM, and a 4500mAh battery with 18W fast charging. It does come with a triple-camera setup, though, including a 50MP primary shooter. Despite its mediocre specs, the TCL 30 V 5G supports Verizon’s Nationwide and Ultra Wideband 5G networks, thanks to the Snapdragon 480 chipset and its built-in 5G modem.
TCL 30 V 5G
| SoC | Snapdragon 480 5G |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB + microSD slot |
| Display | 6.67-inch 1080p LCD @ 60Hz |
| Battery | 4500mAh, 18W charging |
| Cameras | 50MP main, 5MP ultra wide, 2MP macro; 16MP selfie camera |
| Software | Android 11 |
| Measurements | 6.53” x 2.99” x 0.36”, 7.07 oz |
| Carrier | Verizon |
The only potential bummer is that the phone runs on Android 11 out of the box and there’s no word from TCL on when the Android 12 update will arrive. Nonetheless, this can be overlooked given the $300 price tag, making it among the cheapest 5G smartphones available for purchase on Verizon’s network. Besides buying it outright, you can also pay just $10/month for the device over 30 months.
TCL is working on more powerful mid-range phones that will presumably launch later this year, including the TCL 30, 30 SE, and the TCL 306. Last year’s TCL 20 Pro 5G looked great but faltered in many key areas, and it remains to be seen if the company will address these issues with its 2022 smartphone lineup.
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