The TCL 20 Pro 5G is the most advanced member of its family; it is part of the second generation of TCL-branded smartphones. Launched with the TCL 20L and 20L Plus, and shortly after the 20 SE and 20 5G, this is arguably the most luxury phone TCL has released under its own brand, but it faces little competition.
The majority of worthwhile mid-range phones offer premium specifications but take costs in the design arena; we frequently see powerful phones with ugly bodies or great camera phones with plastic shells that feel cheap. The TCL 20 Pro 5G, on the other hand, takes a somewhat different approach; its processor and camera are merely OK, but its fascinating design and outstanding display technology make it worth considering.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is the most attractive phone at this pricing. When placed beside more expensive devices such as the OnePlus 9 Pro or the iPhone 12 Pro, the TCL 20 Pro 5G fits right in. TCL deserves praise for designing a gadget with excellent aesthetics and ergonomics. The enormous 6.67-inch display on the TCL 20 Pro is surrounded by minimal bezels, and the screen is even curved with palm rejection settings that can be adjusted to suit your needs.
The front-facing camera is located in the centre of the display’s upper edge, giving the TCL 20 Pro an initially Samsung-like appearance. On the back of the phone, the cameras are arranged vertically along the left edge. My review unit is the Moondust Grey model, which appears to be somewhat unremarkable. Marine Blue, the other possible hue, is absolutely stunning. On the phone’s top are a headphone jack and an infrared blaster. The included IR remote software allows you to attempt to connect to a wide number of TVs, but my old Toshiba office TV did not work. If you own a TCL television or one manufactured within the past few years, you can likely programme the remote.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G offers a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with an FHD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution. Although the lack of a high refresh rate is significant, this is TCL’s bread and butter as it is primarily renowned as a display producer. The comparably priced Galaxy A52 and OnePlus Nord N200 5G both feature a 90Hz refresh rate.
The processor is one of the indicators that the TCL 20 Pro 5G is a mid-range phone; its Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G is an improvement over last year’s Snapdragon 765G, but it is nowhere near as powerful as the Snapdragon 888. Combined with 6GB of RAM, the processor is more than adequate for general work and even gaming. The 256GB of storage is impressive for a device in this price bracket, and there is a microSD card slot for those who require additional space.