TCL Is Bringing Three 40 Series Smartphone Variants To The US
Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL has been trying to boost its presence in the U.S. for a long time now. The company manufactures and sells a wide range of consumer electronics goods, ranging from televisions and smartphones, to audio products and home appliances.
In the U.S., the company has been focusing its efforts on the entry-level smartphones space by selling devices under the TCL and Alcatel brand names. While the company is still a small player in comparison, TCL smartphones have gained a reputation for offering good value for money, having features that are typically found on more expensive devices.
TCL has historically used expos like CES and MWC to announce new products and the 2023 MWC won't be an exception. On February 26, 2023 — one day before MWC 2023 kicks off — the company has revealed three new smartphones. All three announced by the company are part of TCL's mid-tier 40 series. Besides featuring entry level hardware specifications, all three devices are notable for being priced under the $200 mark — with one device also dipping below the $150 mark.
The three handsets announced today include two 5G ready phones — the TCL 40 XE 5G and the TCL 40 X 5G — and one 4G smartphone called the TCL 40 XL. A common thread with all three devices is the fact that all of them use MediaTek's entry-level and mid-range chips.
Everything to know about TCL 40 Series announced at MWC 2023
The TCL 40 XE and the 40 X are near-identical devices, with the key difference being a better primary camera on the TCL 40 X — consisting of a 50MP primary sensor, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP macro sensor. The primary camera on the TCL 40 XE, on the other hand, uses an 8MP sensor. In addition to the higher resolution camera, the TCL 40 X also has two biometric options (face unlock and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner) for security.
Both handsets get a 6.56-inch, 90Hz, HD+ display with a touch sampling rate of 180Hz, and also get an 8MP front-facing camera. Both phones use MediaTek's tried-and-tested Dimensity 700 chipset, come with 64 GB of storage (expandable via microSD card), and feature 4 GB of RAM. Thanks to the large 5,000 mAh battery, consumers can also expect both devices to offer excellent battery life.
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In addition to these two phones, the company also announced the TCL 40 XL. This phone is the lowest-priced of all three handsets: It features a 6.75-inch HD+ display, and borrows the 50MP+2MP+2MP camera setup, as well as the biometric unlock options from the TCL 40 X. The phone uses the MediaTek G37 Octa-core 5G processor, and uses the same 5,000 mAh battery. Surprisingly, this handset gets higher internal storage (128GB) compared to the other two models as well.
The TCL 40 X and the 40 XE will go on sale starting June 2023, and will be priced at $199 and $169, respectively. The TCL 40 XL, will be on sale a month earlier in May 2023, and will retail for $149.