Main technical characteristics of the TCL 20 R 5G:
Design
The design of the TCL 20 R 5G smartphone is quite classic. It offers rather average dimensions for a mobile phone that is still 8.99 mm thick, which automatically places it among the thinnest on the market. Its shell is entirely made of plastic. There is a very fine texture all over the frame. The edges are rounded just enough to provide a pleasant grip. The back of the device is also plastic. It is equipped with a coating that limits fingerprints.
Still behind, we can notice the fingerprint reader installed a little high but which falls quite naturally under the index finger when it is necessary to unlock the mobile. In the upper left corner, there is the optical block in the height direction. It is in one plane and contains the three lenses as well as the flash for a beautiful harmonization of the whole. The TCL 20 R 5G weighs 186 grams, which is below the smartphone average. For comparison, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G with which it competes directly has a weight of 190 grams. It also shares several features with Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, Vivo Y52 5G, Vivo Y72 5G, Poco M3 Pro and realme 8 5G. Of all these, it is the lightest but not the thinnest because this distinction goes to realme 8 5G, Vivo Y72 5G and Vivo Y52 5G which are 8.5 mm thick.
If we look around the TCL 20 R 5G, we notice the integration of the standby button and the volume button (double) on the right profile. On the upper profile there is the 3.5 mm audio jack connector and a microphone. On the left edge, there is the drawer for SIM cards and memory cards. The mobile supports either two SIM cards, or a SIM card and another for storage. Finally, on the lower profile there is the USB-C connector and the speaker. The TCL 20 R 5G offers mono sound from the single transducer located in the upper part when the mobile is held in a landscape position. It is just enough and we will also quickly plug headphones into the corresponding audio port to enjoy better overall musicality and a little bass. Note the compatibility with the Hi-Res high definition audio standard which is always a good thing.
The fingerprint reader located behind the TCL 20 R 5G is quite satisfactory since it only opened to our tester despite numerous requests. In terms of connectivity, the TCL 20 R 5G is therefore 5G compatible and it also offers Wi-Fi but "only" 802.11 ac while others go further by having Wi-Fi 6 compatibility with more range. and higher throughput. The mobile is NFC which allows contactless payment or instant pairing with a compatible device. It is also Bluetooth. No specific weather or dust protection with this phone. It will therefore be necessary to be extra vigilant to avoid damaging it or getting it wet.
A minimalist screen for the TCL 20 R 5G
For its display surface, the TCL 20 R 5G features the minimum with a 6.52-inch diagonal LCD panel perforated at the top center to house the front camera. The edges are quite thick, especially at the lower part. It displays a low definition of 720x1600 pixels while all its competitors mentioned above are also displayed on 1080x2400 pixels with an LCD panel of a size roughly equivalent to identical, depending on the model. The TCL 20 R 5G gets away with a refresh rate of 90 Hz which allows for smoother than average scrolling. The Redmi Note 10 5G, Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, Poco M3 Pro and realme 8 5G also benefit from 90 Hz while the Vivo Y52 5G and Vivo Y72 5G are limited to 60 Hz.
The screen brightness of the TCL 20 R 5G is barely sufficient for outdoors when there is a lot of sun. A dark mode is available as well as a mode that protects the eyes from blue light. The refresh rate can be automatic, 60 or 90 Hz and that's it for the settings. You must go to the NXTVision menu to be able to modify certain parameters. You can decide to activate the image optimization functions (automatic adaptation of contrast, sharpness and dark details), videos (dynamic contrast optimization). It is also possible to change the color temperature: brilliant, natural or advanced with, for this last option, a slider to precisely adjust towards a warmer or colder image.
An entry-level chipset inside
Entry-level model, the TCL 20 R 5G has the Mediatek Dimensity 700 chip also found in the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G, Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G, Vivo Y72 5G, Vivo Y52 5G, Poco M3 Pro and realme 8 5G. It is associated with 4 GB of RAM, like the Xiaomi, Samsung and Vivo's Y52 5G. This allows it to offer a correct experience for everyday life but which requires a few moments of patience between application changes and even if the launch of some of them is carried out with a certain velocity.
Difficult to play other games than less resource-intensive ones. In order to compare the raw performance compared to other smartphones tested, we subjected it to several measurement tools, of which here are the main results.
A small software overlay on top of Android 11
For the system part, the TCL 20 R 5G embeds Android 11 with a TCL UI software overlay that we had already evaluated during our test of the TCL 20 Pro. The mobile is supplied with several pre-installed applications including of course those of Google but also Facebook, Netflix, NXTVision, OfficeSuite, News, Booking and a game: Modern Combat Rebel Guns. This one is playable and quite fluid which is a good thing. On the other hand, the mobile has more difficulty for Asphalt 9, for example since there are some very slight jerks.
The applications are, by default, arranged by category, but it is possible to find the classic classification in alphabetical order. There is the possibility of displaying a sidebar in order to place your own shortcuts there for certain functions or favorite applications. A game mode is also available to optimize the performance of the device and cut out non-essential features so that the player remains focused on his game. Also note the possibility of locking the mobile remotely. Mini notifications can be displayed in the form of a preview bubble which, by tapping on it, turns into a floating window, above the rest of the interface. Of course, it is possible to navigate the menus with the virtual keys or gestures. Several functions can be associated with the “intelligent” key located on the left profile of the mobile. A cleanup utility is available to optimize system response. The classic options of Android 11 to manage data privacy are provided and in addition TCL adds a privacy protection function with two functions, one of which sends a reminder in case of sensitive permissions and the other when a app uses sensitive permissions secretly.
On set, not the best equipped for photography
For the multimedia part, the TCL 20 R 5G can play video content with HD definition, in relation to its screen capabilities. For photo shooting, it relies on a 13-megapixel main sensor and two more to optimize portraits and take macro mode shots. Compared to the competition mentioned above, it is the weakest photo configuration since the others have main sensors of 48 megapixels for the most part, even 64 megapixels for the Vivo Y72 5G associated with 8 megapixels for shots in wide-angle mode which is also the case of the Samsung Galaxy A22 5G but on 5 megapixels.
The Camera application is quite classic with several image modes available in a banner at the bottom: Auto, Video, portrait and Panoramic. You can add the other modes grouped on the left (whereas on the other applications, this menu is available on the far right of the others): Pro, frame by frame, slow motion, light trace or super macro. The Google Lens option is immediately available, next to the virtual button to take the photo. It is convenient.
The mobile does not offer optical zoom but digital magnification which can go directly from 1x, 2x to 4x. You can also navigate between these values with fairly good precision since by removing your finger from the virtual scale to zoom, the value does not change, which can sometimes happen, making the operation delicate. With the TCL 20 R 5G, do not expect to obtain extremely successful shots. Indeed, with its 13 megapixel sensor and photo processing, the mobile produces images that are a little too dull in colorimetry and lack detail. The sharpness is not really there even if we can appreciate a fairly good management of the whites. Prefer maximum lighting conditions to take photos with this mobile because if the brightness is lacking, the results are more delicate. Indeed, the device has an annoying tendency to smooth out everything which takes a lot of details. The grain is also particularly present, for photos taken at night or indoors.
Autonomy
With its 4500 mAh battery, the TCL 20 R 5G allowed us to use it for a good day, which is quite satisfactory, especially since we pushed its use in mode rather intensive. Compared to competitors, be aware that it still charges 500 mAh less than all with a capacity of 5000 mAh. The TCL smartphone could stand out by offering a sufficiently fast charging speed, but unfortunately this is not the case since it caps at 10 watts in this area.
Our opinion on the TCL 20R 5G
Offered at a price of less than €200, the TCL 20 R 5G is therefore the gateway to access to 5G at TCL. In addition to a fairly large screen that benefits from the minimum refresh expected today, with 5G, these are its main assets because the rest is average without being glamorous. The mobile can be quite suitable for a first equipment for a young audience looking for an entry-level smartphone pleasant enough to use on a daily basis but who should not be asked too much either. The competition offers superior autonomy and better photo skills and the TCL 20 R 5G has a hard time distinguishing itself from them.