TCL 30 SE Review – The Best Low-Cost Smartphone?

Recently, TCL officially launched its latest budget smartphones as part of the TCL 30 Series, which it calls the TCL 30 E and TCL 30 SE, with economic specifications, and a very cheap price, which makes them among the cheapest phones that run with the new Android 12.
Through this article, we will review in detail the specifications and features of one of its phones, which will be the TCL 30 SE equipped with an economical processor from MediaTek, the main 50MP camera, and a huge battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh, in addition to other excellent specifications.

• Mediatek Helio G25 Octa-Core CPU
• 6.52″ HD+ Mini Notch Display & 720 x 1600 Resolution
• 4GB RAM + 64GB/128GB ROM
• 50MP Triple Rear Camera, 8MP Front Camera
• 5000mAh Battery, 15W Fast Charging
• TCL UI 4.0 based on Android 12
• NFC, Dual SIM + MicroSD, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS

Design And Build Quality

From an aesthetic point of view, the TCL 30 SE is a low-cost phone and like other phones in this price segment, the design of the phone is simple and there is nothing to distinguish it other than that it is made entirely of plastic in gray and blue colors. The screen takes up about 82.5% of the 6.52-inch front panel is large enough to be used comfortably with one hand, with dimensions of 165.2 x 75.5 x 8.9 mm, the average weight of the smartphone is 190g, and thanks to the matte edges, it is non-slip and fits well with the hand.
The front camera is placed in the middle of the upper frame with a teardrop-shaped notch.

From the back and in the upper left corner there is a triple main camera with a flash. The units are placed on a small base made of raw, matte plastic. A fingerprint scanner was placed next to the camera module, the brand logo was placed in the lower right corner, and an artistic mark was placed in the left corner, which is barely noticeable at a certain angle.

However, what is disappointing in the design is TCL switching the fingerprint scanner to the back instead of the usual power button. This is a significant reduction as many users prefer the side-mounted fingerprint reader. But others may see otherwise because, in the end, everyone has their own taste.

The controls are the usual controls for any cheap smartphone, the buttons are plastic and on the right, we find the usual volume buttons and power button. On the other side, we find a sim slot with the possibility of installing a pair of Nano-SIM and a memory card. Below are two speakers but only one is used, so the sound is monaural. There is a 3.5mm audio jack on the top of the phone as well as holes for a microphone. On the other side, there is a USB Type-C charging slot and an asymmetrical hole for an external speaker.

TCL 30 SE – Display Quality

Tcl worked in its phone oriented to the economy category to provide a screen of the best screens oriented to this price category. The TCL 30 SE is equipped with a 6.52-inch LCD screen, with a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, a pixel density of 269 PPI, and a brightness of up to 400 nits. The standard refresh rate is 60 Hz, the aspect ratio is 20:9, and the screen comes with a color gamut of 70% of NTSC colors. Finally, in the system settings, we have several display modes.
The screen is very good, has natural color reproduction (IPS), and offers good readability outdoors in sunny weather. Also taking into account the good viewing angle that we do not often find in products in this category.

So, with the 30 SE I will not say that its the best screen, but in the budget category, you will get the best value for what you pay, a high-quality screen suitable for media consumption, whether you are watching a video, playing games, or browsing the social media.

TCL 30 SE – Cameras

One of the main points of the TCL 30 SE is the cameras. In terms of their specifications, there is nothing to worry about. its tight back casing houses a square camera module that houses an AI Triple-camera system an LED flash.

The TCL 30 E also supports three primary rear cameras with a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL sensor with an f/1.9 lens slot, a second with a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a third camera with a 2-megapixel macro pixel sensor, while the ancestral camera comes with a 5-megapixel sensor, f/2.0 aperture. Video capabilities are also limited, to FullHD at 30 frames per second.

TCL 30 SE Performance

If we talk about performance, TCL 30 SE offers great performance in most of its basic and entertainment uses such as browsing the web, watching videos on YouTube, using social media applications, as everything worked efficiently and without facing any problems with stopping applications or high degrees.

The CPU uses Mediatek Helio G25 octa-core, of which 4 cores are Cortex-A53 with a maximum clock speed of 2.0GHz and the same number of power-saving Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz. The processor is somewhat old, made with 12nm technology, and is the same used in the Umidigi A11 and Umidigi Power 5. It is also powered by IMG PowerVR GE8320 600MHz GPU, these components do not offer high-level performance. As it is associated with 4 GB RAM LPDDR4x and 64/128 GB internal storage, external storage is supported via microSD external memory up to 512 GB.

Of course, it is worth understanding that the TCL 30 SE smartphone is designed for everyday use, and not for gaming. With that said, most small and simple games will work as they do on most phones, but larger games may also work if you have the option to lower the level of detail. Like PUBG Mobile which will give you an acceptable gaming experience, there is, of course, some lag here and there and the smoothness is not ideal but unless Be a strong player, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.

Software

The TCL 30 SE is marketed under Android 12, which is a very important feature because the phone will not need other updates for the next 3 years, and it is based on its TCL UI 4.0 user interface. Which is very easy to use, what is interesting about it is the side panel, where you can set up quick access to the most used applications and contacts. In addition to the presence of NXTVISION which should give a visual improvement to your videos, images, and gameplay. Show navigation gestures and clone apps (FB, IG, Whatsapp, etc.)

There is also a game acceleration utility, a function for quickly exchanging data with surrounding devices, Android Auto, and a number of quick gestures such as flipping the screen to mute the volume, splitting the screen by pressing three fingers from bottom to top, etc. The close menu can be called up by long-pressing the power button, there is quick access to Google Pay, and you can also add various application shortcuts.

Connectivity

TCL 30 SE is a dual-SIM smartphone equipped with a SIM slot that accommodates two 4G nano-sim cards that support all bandwidth offerings of 4G and 3G and so on, so its expected that you will get wide coverage for calls and internet, In addition to having a MicroSD card on the same socket. To connect to WiFi networks, the 30 SE supports dual bandwidths of 2.4GHz, and of course, there is Bluetooth 5.0.

TCL 30 SE Battery And Charging

The TCL 30 SE is powered by a 5000mAh battery with a 15W fast charger (although it has a 10W charger in the box) and charged through a USB Type C port that can power the phone from 30% to 100% it takes more than 2 hours, and a full charge is worth about 3 hours. with this capacity, it can comfortably last for a day or more without problems with average usage.

Final Verdict

Despite the competition, it offers many alternatives in this price range. The TCL 30 SE is a budget solution for the basic user who does not have high needs and expectations from his phone and needs a simple device with modern features. That’s why the 30 SE gives you a beautiful screen, a stylish design, enough performance for everyday tasks, a pleasant user interface, a decent main camera module, and a decent battery life. you get a powerful performance at a low price, so if you are looking for a low-cost phone under $150 at this time, you will not get anything better than TCL 30 SE in this price range.

30 SE Price And Where To Buy

The TCL 30 SE Smartphone is currently available on the AliExpress Store for a very good price So, don’t miss out on this great deal. And to view its price or buy it, you can access the offer by clicking on the store.

Promotion activity

• For Brazil： $143.04（4+64）；$152.64（4+128）
  • Code：farofa30 R$ 400-30；
    farofa45 R$ 600-45；
• For Poland： $141（4+64）；$151（4+128）
• For Spain： $135（4+64）；$145（4+128）

• TCL 30 SE Smartphone
• 5V2A charger
• USB Type-C Cable
• LCD sticker
• PSI, SIM card pin
• Quick guide

Model	TCL 30 SE Global Version Colors: Space Gray, Atlantic Blue, Glacial Blue
Network	SIM Slot Type: 6165H/6156H1: Dual SIM (1 Nano SIM + 1 Nano SIM )+ 1 TF card 6165A/6165A1: Single SIM (1 Nano SIM) + 1 TF card* 4G data: Cat 4 (150Mbps DL, 50Mbps UL) 3G data: HSPA+ (42Mbps DL, 11Mbps UL) 2G data: GPRS/EDGE 4G Bands: 6165A/6165A1 B2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/26/28/66  6165H/6156H1 B1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41 (2496-2690MHz )** 3G Bands: 6165A/6165A1 B1/2/4/5/8 6165H/6156H1 B1/2/5/8** 2G Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Hardware	OS: Android™ 12, TCL UI 4.0 Chipset: Helio G25 (MT6762V/CB) CPU: 4 x Cortex-A53 @ 2.0GHz+4 x Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz GPU: IMG GE8320 650MHz RAM size (GB): 4 (LPDDR4x) ROM size (GB): 64 or 128* MicroSD card (GB): up to 512
Display	Size: 6.52″ with Mini Notch Resolution: HD+ (720 x 1600 pixels) Display ratio: 20:9 Screen-to-body ratio: 89.11%* Contrast ratio: 1000:1 (Typ.) PPI: 269 NTSC: 70%(Typ.) Brightness (nits): 450 (Typ.) Technology: IPS, Capacitive screen
Rear Camera	50MP main camera: PDAF, sensor size 1/2.76″, pixel size 0.64μm, aperture F1.85, field of view 74.4°, 5P lens 2MP depth camera: FF, sensor size 1/5″, pixel size 1.65μm, aperture F2.4, the field of view 86.6°, 3P lens 2MP macro camera: FF, sensor size 1/5″, pixel size 1.75μm, aperture F2.4, field of view 88.8°, 3P lens Video capture: 1080p@30fps Video playback: 1080p@30fps Features: Portrait mode, Macro, Pro mode, High pixel mode, Panorama mode, AI scene detection, Steady snap, HDR, Filter, Gesture Shot, Stop motion, Light trace, Google lens
Front Camera	8MP front camera: FF, sensor size 1/4″, pixel size 1.12μm, aperture F2.0, the field of view 80.6°, 4P lens Video capture & playback: 1080P @30FPS Features: Face beauty, HDR
Language	Multi-Language
Battery & Charging	Charging time: 3 hours 7 minutes (5V2A) Capacity: 5000mAh (Typical) USB wire: Type-C 2.0 (5V2A) DOU Value (Hours): 16.72* Supports 15W charging
Other Features	USB: Type-C 2.0 Bluetooth version: 5.0 Audio jack: 3.5mm audio jack Location: BDS/GPS/Glonass/Galileo, with A-GPS Other: Accelerometer (G sensor), Proximity sensor, Light sensors, E-Compass Face unlock, Fingerprint sensor(back)
Size & Weight	Dimensions (HxWxD, mm): 165.2 x 75.5 x 8.9 Weight: 190g Finish: 2.5D Glass, 2.5D PMMA/PC back cover