TCL shows 20-series phones at CES: TCL 20 5G and TCL 20 SE

This story is part of CES, where our editors will bring you the latest news and the most popular articles from the all-virtual CES 2021.

After launching its smartphone line of the same name in 2020, TCL is charging full steam with its range of phones.

The Chinese company, better known in the US for its excellent TVs, quit last year 10-series with at least five new phones that will form the next generation 20 series. Two budget-friendly phones, the TCL 20 5G and the TCL 20 SE, were announced on CES 2021 Monday, with the remaining three to be unveiled ‘in the coming weeks’.

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TCL unveils its new 20-series phones

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“This year, our TCL mobile devices emphasize an increasing focus on strengthening our TCL ecosystem by making 5G connectivity more affordable and accessible to people around the world, without compromising the premium features and design associated with TCL to harm, “Aaron Zhang said. CEO of TCL Communications.

Of the two devices, the TCL 20 5G is the higher-end unit, starting at 299 euros, which converts to around $ 360, £ 270 or AU $ 470. It is already available in Italy, ahead of a wider implementation in Europe starting in February is expected. US pricing and deployment were not announced for either phone at the time of writing.

As you can see from its name, the 20 5G 5G connectivity, along with what TCL calls ‘Smart 5G’, includes a fairly common feature that allows the device to intelligently switch between 4G and 5G bands for the life of its 4500 extend mAh battery. . The 20 5G also has a 6.7-inch screen and second-generation TCL’s NXTVision display technology, which is supposed to do things like increase color accuracy and better convert content into HDR. A Snapdragon 690 5G chipset runs the show, and there is a triple camera module on the back.

The cheaper 20 SE, meanwhile, has a larger 6.82-inch screen, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 460 disc set and four cameras on its back (details on the chart below). There are also some premium touches like rear-loading and a dual stereo speaker system. No 5G on this one, but it’s a 4G only phone. The 20 SE starts at 149 euros, which converts to around $ 180, £ 135 or $ AU235.

Read more: TCL boasts CES 2021 with new 20-series phones plus tablets, portable headphones and a pet tracker

Although TCL is a relatively new kid on the smartphone block, the company has a long history of designing, manufacturing and marketing phones under brands that are not its own: TCL has manufactured phones called Alcatel, the once popular BlackBerry brand and even the small palm phone. In fact, along with the announcement of the 20-series, TCL has introduced three new phones under the Alcatel brand.