The full launch comes at the trade show Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is a frequent launch spot for phones – but rarely do we see a new range consisting of eight devices at once – and that’s not even touching on the new Android tablets and foldable concepts the company is also showing off in Barcelona this week. TCL clearly recognises that, so is focussing on five of them: the TCL 30 5G, 30+, 30, 30 SE, and 30 E – with the 30 XE 5G and 30 V5G already out and exclusive to the US, and the 306 already available in Europe. “The TCL 30 Series portfolio is our way of giving consumers around the world the freedom to showcase their unique style through feature-packed technologies and connected experiences, inspiring them to get the most from life,” said Aaron Zhang, CEO at TCL Communication. Many of the models support 5G, but the entire range has AMOLED screens which is impressive for cheaper phones, with rivals often using lower grade LCD panels. The 30 5G, 30+ and 30 all have 6.7in displays while the 30 SE and 30 E are smaller at 6.52in. TCL says the range is equipped with ‘pioneering NXTVISION technology’ to safeguard users’ eyes. The 30 5G, 30+ and 30 are all TÜV-certified for low blue light reduction of 30%. There are good photography credentials on paper with the TCL 30 5G (shown below), 30+, 30 and 30 SE all featuring an 50Mp AI triple camera array. The 30 E has still has a 50Mp main camera but with just a secondary rear lens. At the front it’s the 30 5G and 30+ that get ultrawide selfie shooters. The AI camera app can supposedly detect up to 22 different scenes and features AI HDR video, Low Light HDR and One Shot to provide “different image types from one snap”. Batteries are all around 5000mAh, but the differentiator is the fact that the 30 5G, 30+ and 30 all support 18W charging. TCL calls it fast but that’s not really the case by modern standards, although it is quicker than some rivals. All the TCL 30 Series phones ship with Android 12 but the firm is only promising one OS update and two years of security updates. It’s a complicated range of phones with similar specs and TCL explained in a briefing that this is largely to enable various networks to have exclusive models. Here’s the full pricing and availability of the TCL 30 Series:
TCL 30 5G: from €249, availability in Europe in April 2022, coming to select regions TCL 30+: from €199, available now in Europe, coming to select regions later TCL 30: from €179, available now in Europe, coming to select regions later TCL 30 SE: from €149, available now in Europe, coming to select regions later TCL 30 E: from €139, availability in Europe in April 2022, coming to select regions later
Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
