just under a week ago.
All three phones will be available throughout Europe and select regions around the world in the coming weeks, while the US and Canada will get the TCL 20 Pro 5G and a phone similar to the 20L+ (named TCL 20 S) this summer.
Alongside the new phones, TCL presented an interesting concept phone which is not just foldable, but also rollabe. The TCL Fold ‘n Roll, as it’s been named, looks like a typical smartphone at first, but can fold out into a phablet and additionally roll out further, into a full 10-inch tablet.
Let’s look at TCL’s new 2021 phones and what they have to offer, starting with the most affordable one in the bunch and making our way up to the aforementioned concept phone.
From a design standpoint this 229 EUR phone looks sleek and modern, with a shiny glass back and a fingerprint sensor built into its power key. On the front, it has a centered 16 megapixel selfie camera.
It runs Android 11, with TCL aiming to provide regular security updates and at least a year of OS updates.
Out of the box the TCL 20L will not only come with the usual charger and USB Type-C cable, but also a TPU case.
TCL 20L specs summarized:
- Display: 6.67″, 1080 x 2400, 20:9 aspect, 395 PPI
- Memory: 4GB or 6GB of RAM depending on region, 128GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662
- Rear cameras: 48MP main, 8MP ultra wide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth, video capture up to 1080P at 60 FPS, has Portrait Mode
- Front camera: 16MP, video capture at 1080P at 30 FPS, has Portrait Mode
- Audio: Dual speakers (earpiece serving as the second one), has 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, EU version charges in 2.5 hours via USB Type-C
- Color variants: Eclipse Black, Luna Blue
TCL 20L+
This is TCL’s better spec’d but still good-value phone, at 269 EUR. It’s not notably different in design than the 20L, but packs double the base storage, 6GB of RAM and a better camera.
Other than that, we’re looking at the same processor, same display and same features. Still only up to 1080P at 60 FPS (frames per second) video recording from the main camera, but the front one is bumped up to 60 FPS from 30.
And while the TCL 20L will come with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM depending on region, this one will only come with 6GB of RAM, so considering that and it’s higher storage, it’s probably worth the extra 40 EUR for most users.
TCL 20L+ specs summarized:
- Display: 6.67″, 1080 x 2400, 20:9 aspect, 395 PPI
- Memory: 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662
- Rear cameras: 64MP main, 8MP ultra wide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth, video capture up to 1080P at 60 FPS, has Portrait Mode
- Front camera: 16MP, video capture at 1080P at 60 FPS, has Portrait Mode
- Audio: Dual speakers (earpiece serving as the second one), has 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery: 5,000 mAh, charges in 2.5 hours via USB Type-C
- Color variants: Milky Way Gray, North Star Blue
TCL 20 Pro 5G
TCL’s flagship 20 Pro 5G changes things up, offering an even nicer design with no camera bump whatsoever and, as the name suggests, 5G connectivity. It also notably has a curved 6.67-inch AMOLED screen, a 48-megapixel main Sony camera with OIS (optical image stabilization) and promises superior performance thanks to its Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G processor.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G costs 549 EUR (about $653) in Europe and, as mentioned earlier, will also make its way to the US and Canada this summer. We’re yet to know the official prices for those markets.
Like all on this list, this smartphone employs TCL’s NXTVISION screen technology, which promises to deliver improved colors and contrast, but the TCL 20 Pro 5G’s additional HDR10 support and AMOLED display suggest that it will be the best one in the bunch for watching movies or enjoying other content. Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t pack dual stereo speakers, which would’ve helped the experience, but has a single speaker. On the upside, despite being a flagship, it still has a headphone jack.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G also stands out by having wireless charging at 15W.
In terms of software, like the other new TCL phones in the 20 series, the TCL 20 Pro 5G comes with Android 11, but will get longer OS update support of at least two years, with regular security updates. It’s also notable that this phone is Android Enterprise Recommended, which again applies to the other TCL 20 phones also, meaning it’s safe for both business and private use security-wise.
TCL 20 Pro 5G specs summarized:
- Display: 6.67″, 1080 x 2400, 20:9 aspect, 394 PPI
- Memory: 6GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, expandable via microSD
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G
- Rear cameras: 48MP Sony OIS main, 16MP ultra wide, 5MP macro, 2MP depth, video capture up to 4K at 30 FPS or 1080p at 60 FPS, has Portrait Mode, 2X lossless zoom, dual LED flash, Video Bokeh and more
- Front camera: 32MP, video capture at 4K, 30 FPS or 1080P at 60 FPS, has Portrait Mode, LCD flash, Video Bokeh
- Audio: Single speaker, Hi-Res Audio certification, has 3.5mm headphone jack
- Battery: 4,500 mAh, charges in 2 hours via USB Type-C, also has 15W wireless charging
- Color variants: Gray, Blue
TCL Fold ‘n Roll
TCL’s surprising Fold ‘n Roll takes the best of folding phones like the Huawei Mate X2 and combines it with the rollable phone concept we’ve been seeing from the likes of the LG Rollable. Indeed, the TCL Fold ‘n Roll is not only meant to fold out from a seemingly standard 6.87-inch phone into an 8.85-inch phablet, but can additionally roll out further to become a 10-inch tablet.
The idea here is that this device, if it’s ever produced, will be a step forwards in the phone industry’s chase for bigger displays in a pocketable form factor, potentially replacing our need for tablets. Why carry two devices when one can do the job, right?
TCL informed us that it’s still undecided on the Fold ‘n Roll’s technical specs and is to include hinges and mechanisms not yet seen in folding phones. It’s not a stretch to speculate that rollable phone technology might not be quite ready yet for the mass market, which would explain why we’re yet to see a finished rollable phone. Regardless, we’re still expecting to see rollable phones start making their way into our homes this year. We know the highly anticipated LG Rollable is unlikely to ever make it, but there are other contenders, including TCL here, who should be able to get it done.
In any case, right now the TCL Fold ‘n Roll is just a fun concept, showing us what the company is currently experimenting with and how it might be envisioning the future of smartphones. There’s no information on its potential release date, because, as mentioned earlier, TCL hasn’t even decided on its specs yet, with the hinge and rolling mechanisms being plenty enough of a challenge to overcome first and foremost.
