TCL is still best known for its TVs, but the Chinese manufacturer has also produced smartphones under its own brand since 2020. Its devices are located at the cheaper end of the Android spectrum. This includes the TCL 30 SE, which is the second cheapest device in the 30 series after the TCL 30 E. The TCL 30 SE is a presentable phone as far as inexpensive Androids go, even if it is not outstanding.
Its 6.52-inch display features a teardrop selfie camera in the top center with relatively narrow edges on the sides and top, but slightly thicker on the bottom. In the upper left corner of the back is a tidy camera module where the phone’s three rear lenses are arranged in a no-frills vertical line. There is also a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, which highlights the glossy plastic of the device.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]Yes, even though the frame and back of the 30 SE are made of inexpensive plastic, the material has a glass-like sheen that makes it look a bit more premium than it actually is. The plastic could also make the phone more durable than devices made of glass, as it won’t shatter or break if dropped. However, the phone does not have an official IP rating, so users should be careful around water and dust.
The TCL 30 SE has a 6.52-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. This results in a 20:9 ratio and a pixel density of 269 pixels per inch, which is not particularly high, but sufficient for browsing websites and viewing photos. On the other hand, the IPS LCD panel, although classified as an HD screen, does not offer top video quality.
The TCL 30 SE’s equipment is decidedly modest, which is perhaps not surprising for a phone with an official price tag of €140. It’s equipped with a MediaTek MT6762G Helio G25, which uses a 12nm process, unlike chips that benefit from a more efficient 7nm or 5nm manufacturing process. This means that fewer transistors can be installed, which in turn means that it works slower than more powerful processors.
The memory capacity is also quite modest: The base model of the 30 SE only has 64 GB of internal storage. The base model only has 64 GB of internal storage. This can be upgraded to 128 GB, and although the latter model should be more expensive, you can find it for more or less the same price as the 64 GB version if you look around enough. In any case, all versions of the phone have a microSD card slot that can be used to expand the storage to 512 GB.
The camera of the TCL 30 SE is probably its most important selling point. The phone features a triple lens on the back, with the 50Mp main lens doing the lion’s share of the work. The 2Mp depth and macro lenses offer a bit of variety. Certainly, the 30 SE isn’t the best camera phone you’ll find this year, but it’s surprisingly effective for a device in its price range.
The main lens allows for images with a good dynamic range and color balance that are sufficiently detailed and clear for most purposes. Large batteries in affordable phones have become commonplace, and the TCL 30 SE does not disappoint in this area. Its 5000 mAh battery lasts well over a day even with intensive use and can even survive a third day if you only use it for the basics.