TCL's newest Android phones will arrive at T-Mobile and Verizon this month and quickly be forgotten - Android Police

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CES 2022 isn't going quite as we'd hoped, but even if the on-site events have been curtailed, there are still plenty of announcements. TCL rolled out the 20 Series last summer (including the TCL 20 Pro 5G), and now it's moving on to the 30 Series. It's starting with a pair of phones that will launch on Verizon and T-Mobile this month. Later, the 30 Series lineup will expand considerably.

First up, TCL will release the TCL 30 XE 5G and TCL 30 V 5G on T-Mobile and Verizon, respectively. TCL's approach here seems like a flashback to the early days of Android when carriers would dictate what they wanted in a phone, and that's what OEMs would make—everyone might get their own 30 Series eventually. Here's what Verizon customers can expect from the 30 V.

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 ultrawide, 2MP macro; 16MP selfie camera
Software	Android 11
Measurements	6.53” x 2.99” x 0.36”, 7.07 oz
Carrier	Verizon

Verizon's phone doesn't appear to have anything groundbreaking. It's nice to see a Snapdragon chip in this phone, which will assuredly sell for a budget-conscious price, but being stuck on Android 11 four months after Android 12's launch is annoying. I doubt TCL will be alone in this shortcoming as CES unfolds. TCL hasn't said anything about releasing this particular device on other carriers, but you won't be hurting for 30 Series phones elsewhere. Verizon will announce pricing soon.

T-Mobile's 30 XE 5G phone will also be available on Metro this month, but the phone is also slated to appear on other carriers in the coming months. Here's what you get.

TCL 30 XE 5G

SoC	Dimensity 700 5G
RAM	4GB
Storage	64GB
Display	6.52-inch 720p LCD @ 90Hz
Battery	4500mAh, 18W charging
Cameras	13MP primary, 2MP depth, 2MP macro; 8MP selfie
Software	Android 11
Measurements	6.46” x 2.95” x 0.335”, 6.88 oz
Carrier	T-Mobile, Metro, more announced later

The 30 XE is a decidedly less powerful phone. It has a mid-range MediaTek chip instead of a Snapdragon, and the screen is a step down despite the higher refresh rate. The camera module adopted the standard "cheap" phone arrangement of primary/macro/depth as well. Like the 30 V, the carriers will announce pricing soon. If this phone doesn't do it for you, there will be more 30 Series phones, but we don't have details beyond the names seen in this teaser. Yeah, there will be a lot of them.

TCL has a few other mobile devices and accessories, though not all will come to the US. There's a new NXTPAPER 10S tablet, which is supposed to look and feel more like paper than your average slate. There will also be a new generation of TCL's AR glasses, the NXTWEAR AIR. Like the last version, these glasses still require a wired connection to your smartphone, but they can project large video displays for a private cinematic experience. Or so TCL claims—we may or may not get a chance to test them in the US, but they do look less dorky than the originals.

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Ryan Whitwam (7134 Articles Published)

Ryan is a tech/science writer, skeptic, lover of all things electronic, and Android fan. In his spare time he reads golden-age sci-fi and sleeps, but rarely at the same time. His wife tolerates him as few would. He's the author of a sci-fi novel called The Crooked City, which is available on Amazon and Google Play.