Editor's note: Since its debut, the TCL 20 Pro 5G has been surpassed by new TCL models. We've checked the below to ensure accuracy and relevance, though pricing and availability will differ from when we first reviewed this device.
You may not be familiar with the TCL brand, but the company built cell phones for years under both the Alcatel and Blackberry brands. The new TCL 20 Pro 5G gives consumers premium features for the price of a midrange smartphone.
WhistleOut covered the launch event for the TCL 20 lineup at CES 2021. Our first look shows that the new TCL 20 Pro 5G adds more powerful hardware and Canadian 5G network compatibility. Throughout the review process, we continuously found new features to love.TCL 20 Pro 5G at a Glance
What we love
- Fast performing hardware
- Sleek case, AMOLED display, and no camera lens bump
- Long-lasting battery under normal use
- Universal IR remote!
What we don't like
- 3D gaming is okay but eats up battery life
- Camera app is slow
- 5G underperformed and no Wi-Fi 6
Is the TCL 20 Pro 5G a Good Phone?
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is a good choice for many Canadians who want something visually impressive with above-average performance and would rather save money than splurge on a premium gaming smartphone. The big screen is a bit tall for some consumers to use comfortably, but videos look fantastic on its huge AMOLED display.
The battery lasts the whole day under moderate use. Gamers may want something more powerful. The TCL 20 Pro 5G is fast enough for most uses and offers 2x the storage space as most phones in its price range, but 3D gaming performance can’t compete with premium smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21. TCL’s flagship smartphone is future-proof with 5G connectivity and Bluetooth 5.1, but home networking is limited to the older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) standard.
What Are the TCL 20 Pro 5G Specs?
TCL 20 Pro 5G Plans
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#1
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Telus
Unlimited 75 5G+ Can-US
$85/mth
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#2
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Fido
$50 Data, Talk & Text Plan with 60GB
$85.17/mth
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TCL 20 Pro 5G Performance
The TCL 20 Pro 5G prioritizes power efficiency to ensure long battery life, but we found that it’s still pretty fast. Inside the phone is a Snapdragon 750G CPU and 6GB of RAM, making it powerful enough to load and switch between apps quickly, play 3D games, and stream full HD videos. Applying camera effects in real-time was slow, and there was often a long wait before taking a second photo. We go into more detail about camera performance below.
There’s generous space to store your apps, music, and more with 256GB of onboard storage and a microSDXC slot allowing up to 1TB more room for your stuff. Out of the box, the phone runs Android 11, and the TCL UI intelligently sorts your apps into categories.
TCL 20 Pro 5G Cameras
You might really love this phone if you take a lot of selfies with friends and on vacation. The 32MP front-facing camera captures a lot of detail, then combines pixels to create sharp 8MP photos with accurate colour detail. We were impressed by the selfie camera’s ultra-wide-angle lens that captures the beautiful landscape behind you or all your friends by your side.
It’s worth noting that there’s no camera bump on the back—something quite rare among smartphones in 2021. There’s a slight ridge on the flash, but it’s nice to set the phone down on a tabletop without it wobbling back and forth.
The primary camera takes 48MP pictures then combines pixels to create colour-accurate 12MP photos. There is a “High Pixel” mode that allows you to take photos at full resolution. On the back, there’s also a 16MP ultrawide lens and 5MP macro lens for extreme closeup pics. The last lens in the rear quad camera array is a 2MP depth sensor for more accurate software effects processing.
The camera defaults to Auto mode, but other common features like video recording, portrait mode, and Super Night mode are easily accessible. The manual camera mode is powerful and intuitive with haptic feedback giving the illusion of using a real dial to adjust the shot. Although the interface is clean and intuitive, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is somewhat hindered by the camera speed. Shutter response time is good for the first click, but slow image processing often results in a wait before taking the next shot.
TCL 20 Pro 5G Display
The screen on the TCL 20 Pro 5G is big, bright and beautiful. The 6.67” Dotch display sounds like a behemoth, but the phone sits comfortably in your hand thanks to a 93% screen-to-body ratio and curved edges. The “Dotch” moniker comes from the dot-shaped camera hole poking out the top-middle of the screen. It features full HD+ resolution, AMOLED, and HDR10 support, so this is a great phone for watching Netflix movies or playing games. A fast refresh rate is noticeably absent from the TCL 20 Pro 5G, which displays at a more traditional 60Hz.
Older media that isn’t optimized for HDR can still look great thanks to TCL’s NXTVISION software that simulates the HDR effect. After turning it on, the contrast and saturation of any video, photo, or video game are vastly improved. You do sacrifice subtle details, so it’s not the best choice when editing photos you plan to post online.
TCL 20 Pro 5G Battery Life
With moderate use, the battery lasted well into the second day. Casual gaming doesn’t drain the power too fast, but you’ll want a charger nearby if you’re into 3D or online gaming on your smartphone. The TCL 20 Pro 5G includes a generous 4500 mAh battery that fully charges in about two hours with 18W Quick Charge 3.0 or wirelessly at up to 15W. Unlike other smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung, TCL still includes a charger with its new flagship smartphone.
In our tests, a half-hour of charging only adds around 30% to the battery life no matter if you charge using a wired or wireless connection. Make sure this phone is plugged in well ahead of leaving the house and the large battery should hold you over for the day.
TCL 20 Pro 5G Connectivity
The new TCL 20 Pro 5G is officially supported on Telus 5G, Rogers 5G, and Videotron 5G. The technology is compatible with Bell 5G, but there’s no guarantee that it will connect faster than 4G LTE. Our testing found that the TCL 20 Pro 5G easily connected to 5G networks. While downloads were fast (up to 500 Mbps), speeds were not significantly faster than concurrent testing on 4G LTE devices.
We’re impressed that the TCL 20 Pro 5G supports new Bluetooth 5.1 devices, which helps extend battery life in supported devices like the Earfun Free Pro true wireless earbuds. On the other hand, TCL’s flagship cell phone uses older Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) technology to connect with wireless networks. As more Canadians are working from home, an upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 would have helped alleviate network noise.
Music lovers will appreciate the variety of listening options over 3.5mm analog headphone jack, USB-C 2.0 port, or its booming speaker. We were able to get clear audio playback from across the room with the loudspeaker on the bottom of the phone. The bass is understandably weak and there’s no stereo, but TCL’s speaker technology performs on its own pretty well if you are without a premium Bluetooth speaker.
TCL 20 Pro 5G Additional Features
The TCL UI looks like a basic Android interface at first, but we found a lot of useful customizations and features. The app drawer automatically sorts apps into categories, and moving apps around is easy and intuitive. There are a lot of unnecessary apps pre-installed, but some features are surprisingly useful. Alongside the right side of the home screen is the Edge Bar, which reveals quick access to frequently used apps, contacts, a real-world ruler, and remote control.
This was the point when we suddenly discovered the TCL 20 Pro 5G includes a universal IR remote control. It’s a hardware feature largely absent from smartphones since 2017. It’s always useful to have quick access to your TV when the remote goes missing, but it’s a weird feature to include as we move towards a world where we can control our whole home with voice commands. Even so, we like it.
TCL added a programmable “Smart Key” button on the right side to activate NXTVISION, open any app, activate the Google Voice Assistant, and more. Your choices aren’t unlimited, but it is the most customizable hardware button I’ve seen on any smartphone. You can program up to three actions for quick access at any time with a single tap, double tap, or press-and-hold. The in-screen fingerprint reader tested poorly. Even after retraining the sensor, it would often fail to unlock the device.
Verdict:
The TCL 20 series is the company’s second round at releasing self-branded smartphones in the Canadian market. Previous to that, TCL designed and manufactured Android-based Alcatel and Blackberry devices. That experience is shown in the TCL 20 Pro 5G’s refined design, which performs on par with some of the best smartphones from companies like Google and LG. The large display stands out when watching videos or playing games. Performance and battery life are good enough for most consumers and comparable to other smartphones in the same price range. The multi-camera array suits most needs, and all without an ugly lens “bump” on the back.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is great for Canadians who want a sharp-looking smartphone that is great for watching videos and connects to 5G networks. You’ll get a user interface that is easily personalized, includes some nice surprises (like a universal IR remote control), and some not-so-nice surprises (no Wi-Fi 6 or high refresh rate).
WhistleOut Canada Rating: 78/100
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