The TCL 20 R 5G is one of the cheapest 5G smartphones at the moment and also has excellent specifications. Does that make it the best budget smartphone you can choose? Techzle tested the device and will update you in this TCL 20 R 5G review.
TCL 20 R 5G
Recommended retail price € 180,-
Colors Gray and Blue
OS Android 11
Screen 6.52″ LCD (1600 x 720, 90Hz)
Processor 2.2GHz octa-core (MediaTek Dimensity 700)
RAM 4GB
Storage 64 GB (expandable)
Battery 4,500 mAh
Camera 13, 2 and 2 megapixels (rear), 8 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 5, GPS, NFC
Format 16.4 x 7.5 x 0.90 cm
Weight 186 grams
Website www.tcl.com 7.5 Score 75 
- Pros
- Complete specifications
- Great update policy
- Prepared for 5G
- Negatives
- Lower screen resolution
- Charging battery takes a long time
- Limited cameras
TCL has been selling smartphones with its own brand name in the Netherlands since the spring of 2021, but has been active here for some time with its subsidiary brand Alcatel. The TCL 20 R 5G costs 180 euros and thus positions itself in the busy budget segment. I have used the smartphone for two weeks and share my experiences in this TCL 20 R 5G review.
Design
There is little that can be said about the design of the phone. TCL opts for a functional housing without bells and whistles, which I can live with. The TCL 20 R 5G is made of plastic, leaves few fingerprints and comes across as sturdy. A fast and reliable fingerprint scanner is placed on the back, although it is difficult to find by touch because it is barely recessed into the housing. At 186 grams, the smartphone is about as heavy as the competition and is pleasant to hold. A 3.5mm audio port is placed on the top, and on the bottom you will find a speaker and USB-C connection.
Lower resolution screen
The screen of the TCL 20 R 5G has a size of 6.52 inches and is therefore difficult to use with one hand. The HD resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels means that the image does not look as sharp. Particularly when reading text, you see individual pixels and photos also appear less realistic. Although there are more smartphones with an HD screen in this price segment, you can also choose devices with a sharper Full HD screen (1920 x 1080 pixels). If you think beautiful images are important, I recommend such a smartphone.
Where the TCL 20 R 5G does score a plus, is the refresh rate of the screen. At 90 Hz, it is higher than usual in this price range (60 Hz). The image is refreshed more often per second, which makes the smartphone appear faster. Tip: In the settings menu, specify that the screen automatically switches between 60 Hz and 90 Hz to save battery. This mode is – conspicuously – not activated by default. TCL’s proprietary NXTVision techniques to improve the screen’s color rendering add less in my opinion than the marketing would have you believe. The colors are fine, but not above average.
Hardware
The TCL 20 R 5G is one of the cheapest 5G smartphones to date. A wonderful marketing argument that is of little use in practice, because 5G internet is not faster than 4G in the Netherlands. The introduction of 5G on the 3.5GHz band is going to change that, but that introduction has been postponed because the government lost a lawsuit against the company that now uses the 3.5GHz band. It looks like smartphones won’t be able to get faster internet speeds over the disputed band until 2023, so don’t buy this TCL phone because of its 5G support.
What remains: a set of specifications that is comparable to the competition. A reasonably smooth MediaTek processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage memory. The latter is enough to store a lot of apps and other media. The 4500 mAh battery lasts about a day and a half and then charges with 10 Watts via the USB-c port. It takes a few hours to fully charge the battery. The device also has an NFC chip and can therefore make contactless payments in shops.
Three cameras
Three cameras are placed on the back of the TCL 20 R 5G, although that sounds more impressive than it is. Two of the three cameras are limited in options. The 2 megapixel depth sensor can only blur the background of your photo on request, nothing more. And the 2 megapixel macro camera shoots pictures from very close by, but those pictures are not so nice and especially in low resolution. Remains a 13 megapixel main camera. It takes usable photos in enough (day) light, but does less well than some competitors. It is clear that TCL has cut back on camera level, although that is understandable given the competitive price of the smartphone. If you only occasionally take a photo to share via WhatsApp, these cameras are enough.
Android 11 and three years of updates
The TCL 20 R 5G runs out of the box on Android 11 and will receive an update to version 12. When exactly is not yet known. TCL also promises to make security updates available for three years, one per quarter. That’s an improvement over TCL smartphones released earlier this year. These models only get updates for two years and are therefore less safe to use.
Competitors such as Samsung, Oppo and Nokia also make regular security updates available for three years for their cheap smartphones. It’s good to see TCL making an effort to improve its update policy. Incidentally, the manufacturer installs a handful of commercial apps on the 20 R 5G, but they can be removed with the exception of Netflix. So nice.
Conclusion: buy TCL 20 R 5G?
The TCL 20 R 5G is a smartphone with a solid housing, a smooth but less sharp screen, complete specifications and three years of software updates. The device does not have any serious drawbacks, although the HD screen is a point of interest because there are also smartphones in this price segment with a nicer Full HD screen. I would have preferred that TCL had also opted for that, instead of (partly) focusing on 5G support, which is of little or no use to you for the time being.
There are plenty of interesting alternatives to the TCL 20 R 5G. For example, Xiaomi sells the excellent and tens of euros cheaper Poco M3 or you can put down a few tens more for the Poco X3 Pro or Poco M3 Pro. The Motorola Moto G 5G and Nokia G20 are also worth considering. In short, the TCL 20 R 5G is a great choice, but it has many daring competitors. It therefore pays to compare the devices so that you find out which one best suits your needs.
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