The TCL 30+ is one of its new 2022 models that are tangibly better than its previous 10-and-20-series.
TCL Mobile (website and not confused with its TV and home appliances division) handles smartphones, tablets, and AR glasses. TCL also licences the Alcatel brand, although the former seems to have all but disappeared from Australia. In terms of market share, it has only been selling TCL branded phones here for the last three years. As a result, the lack of approved retail distribution (basically Harvey Norman and Officeworks) for the Australian certified models holds this brand back.
It is nice to see a smartphone maker maturing. It is a challenger brand, and our tests on the TCL 30+ and TCL 30SE (TCL 30SE – entry-level mid-range (Review) show generally decent performance and quality. You can compare both TCL gets it right with the value TCL 30+ and TCL 30SE.
It is now in two parts. As this is a low-cost device, we will do a brief summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.
Most section headings have FAIL (did not meet expected standards), PASS (all you can expect) or EXCEED (better than you can expect).
Regrettably, there is a substantial grey market (see Don’t buy a grey market phone – guide), and you need to be ultra-careful if you want an Australian Consumer Law warranty.
The ‘K’ model is for Australia and must have the 2BIZAU12 after it and the RCM C-Tick under Settings>System>Regulatory and Safety. Other versions may not have all AU Telco bands and no NFC. Do not buy H or J versions.
Sorry, but there is nothing exciting about a typical glass slab smartphone as this format is the best way to deliver value, not innovation.
It has a flat glass front, flat PMMA plastic back, tri-camera hump, the important 3.5mm jack on the bottom, and a hybrid dual sim/microSD slot. The power button (with fingerprint sensor) and volume rocker are on the right side.
The most outstanding feature is the bright and colourful OLED screen. However, I am unsure about the light Muse Blue back panel. I like the PMMA (synthetic glass) that resists fingerprints, but it is slippery, so use the supplied bumper cover.
It is rare to find OLED at this price, but frankly, consider the OLED screen more of a bonus. It is bright, daylight readable, saturated colour and being OLED, has a swipe-out Edge screen and Always-on display.
TCL quotes 650 nits HBM (High brightness mode), but the reality is that it is about 400 nits for everyday use, and it is still an SDR (standard, not high dynamic range) screen.
TCL includes its NXTVISION adjustment App, which basically pushes the OLED to its limits. We are not sure if this negatively affects battery life, but it is nice to be able to play with it to suit your tastes.
This is the same processor as the Moto g22 (Motorola g22 – the cheap and cheerful smartphone (review), so we have some benchmarks. Overall, it performed within a few percent of these.
Let’s just say this is entry-level, and you must accept that there will be lag under load, especially with 4GB of RAM and slow eMMC flash drive storage. And, as with many MediaTek SoCs, we were unable to run some key GPU performance tests – suffice to say, video speed is too slow for any popular games.
Throttling was minimal at 10% over 15 minutes.
Summary: It is a three-cylinder, no turbo!
If there is one area we are critical of, it is Wi-Fi 4 N single-band 2.4Ghz tops out at 79Mbps. To put this in perspective, a download takes six times as long as Wi-Fi 5 AC. What was TCL thinking by putting this in a $399 handset when everyone has Wi-Fi 5 AC at 433Mbps?
As it is not a Qualcomm SoC, it does not have aptX sound codecs, which means you are limited to SBC and AAC with 200+ms latency – too high for gamers.
GPS performance is adequate and accurate to <10 metres, but the phone takes a long time to find satellites and recalculate routes limiting its effectiveness for in-car navigation.
As seems typical of MediaTek Helio SoCs, it could only find the nearest tower, albeit at a reasonable 1-3pW signal strength. It is a Pass for capital city users only.
We have had past issues with MediaTek SoCs with GFX Bench and Geekbench 5 performance testing software. We managed to run the Manhattan and T-Rex battery tests but obtained vastly different results over three runs.
We can confirm that it takes over 3.5 hours to charge (claim 2.1 hours) and will video loop for 18 hours (excellent), but this is at odds with the results of the GFX Bench Tests, which are around 9-10 hours.
We expect it should last two days, but that largely depends on your use.
It is stereo – an earpiece and bottom-firing speaker. But the sound is skewed to the bottom speaker, and it fails the white noise generator test by clipping (compressing or cutting out) badly above 4kHz. Add to that lower-than-average volume (72dB), no bass and choppy treble, and it is not satisfying for music. It is OK for voice.
Hands-free has below-average volume. While the dual mics provide some noise-cancellation, you need to hold the bottom mic within 60cm of your mouth if you want to be heard.
SBC and AAC codec means Bluetooth earphones have average volume and stereo sound stage.
TCL offers a 2-year warranty, so we would typically allocate Exceed here. But the chrome finish plastic frame looks cheap, it is pretty slippery in hand, and the lack of any IP Rating (when the competition has IP54 or X4) puts it behind.
One reader who has purchased one could not buy a wallet style cover and tempered glass protector at Harvey Norman or Officeworks. You will need to go online to Alibaba or eBay to find some.
While TCL will update its security patches to December 2023, it won’t be offering an Android 13 upgrade – and that is OK as phones at this price are sell and forget.
I am not yet a fan of TCL UI 4.0X. It is a relatively light touch over Android, and there is no learning curve. But it has a set of TCL apps that double up on Google Apps, and the launcher keeps asking to let these have system permissions. Saying ‘no’ does not impede its operation, but you cannot delete these baked-in apps either.
There is a lot of bloatware – remove: Amazon Shopping, Booking.com, Facebook, LinkedIn, an Office suite (not Microsoft), and non-Google apps to clear up storage.
Apart from Wi-Fi 5 AC, it has everything you need.
In theory, it should be a decent 50+2+2MP camera setup. We know the 50MP Samsung S5KJN1 sensor and what to expect. It is used in more than 100 smartphones, including TCL 30-series, a few Motorola g-series, Samsung Galaxy A13/23, realme 8/9i, Vivo 21T, OPPO A96 and several other 2022 models coming here.
What we don’t know until we test is the level of AI the MediaTek SoC provides (well, we do, as we just completed the Motorola g22 review with the same SoC and 50MP sensor). In short, lower levels of AI means it needs reasonable light levels to get the best out of it.
And that explains why there is no dedicated night mode – all shots are on an auto setting.
There is nothing wrong with the TCL 30+ (let’s be positive – you can’t go wrong with it), but it has one major problem – price.
The $300-399 bracket is the most hotly contested, and apart from its OLED screen, its specs are not class-leading. Read Best Android phones under $500 – some are real gems! (May 2022) to see where it sits.
Unfortunately, its closest competition is the Motorola g22 (same processor and camera) Motorola g22 – the cheap and cheerful smartphone (review). The problem is that this is $100 cheaper at $299 (on special at JB Hi-Fi at $239). We don’t usually comment on price, but the TCL 30+ needs to sit around that mark to be competitive.
And the $399 OPPO A96 – an absolutely perfect $399 smartphone (review) is the class-leader with a way more powerful Qualcomm SD680 processor; 8GB RAM; fast UFS storage; Wi-Fi 5 AC dual-band; a very powerful phone signal strength for use anywhere in Australia; excellent stereo sound; better OS and security patch policy; and the same 50MP lens/sensor that produces far better images.
It is not TCL’s fault that prices are askew – the volatile dollar, COVID supply, factory shutdowns and more all affect costs. But I do suspect we will see a price adjustment soon.
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