TCL 30 SE review 2024: highly affordable phone

Even though TCL is best known for its TVs, the Chinese company has been making its own brand of smartphones since 2020. Its devices are on the lower end of the price range for Android. For example, its 30 series of phones for 2022 all cost less than £250. This includes the TCL 30 SE, which is the second-cheapest TV in the 30 line after the TCL 30 E and before the TCL 30, 30+, and 30 5G.

At £139.99, it has a strong 5000mAh battery, a big 6.52in LCD screen, and a 50Mp main camera lens that seems to be pretty good. Does it work well enough for the price? The answer is yes, but there are a few things to keep in mind. In this review, we’ll look at how the TCL 30 SE looks and how well it works, as well as how it rates to other Android phones in the same price range.

TCL 30 SE specifications

TCL 30 SE review: Design and Screen

The TCL 30 SE looks different from other cheap phones, which is the best thing we can say about its style. It’s not a big deal, but the way its thick dull plastic rim wraps around the back of the phone and frames a shiny plastic back cover that looks like glass is a little bit different. It feels good in your hand, thanks to its big 165.2 x 75.5 x 8.9 mm body and healthy 190g weight. My Space Gray model picks up fingerprints easily, but I like how, based on the angle, it goes from dark to light. It also comes in Glacial Blue and Atlantic Blue.

TCL 30 SE: Software

There is also a Super closeup mode and a 2MP closeup lens. When used in the right setting, this takes very nice close-ups. The colors stand out well, and the phone can tell what kind of object you’re taking a picture of (if it’s a “archetypal” object, like a plant or tree).

The phone does not always do well in less than ideal situations. There is no specific night mode, but the auto mode will use the phone’s flash to make sure that photos taken in low light have (mostly) enough clarity. On the other hand, I took a few shots at night where the flash and processing made some objects in the background disappear or turn white.

TCL 30 SE: Cameras

The camera on the TCL 30 SE is likely its best selling point. The back of the phone has three lenses, but the main 50Mp lens does most of the work. The 2Mp depth and closeup lenses add some variety.

It’s a shame that the 30 SE doesn’t have an ultrawide lens, especially since these lenses are becoming more popular. But most cheap smartphones don’t have good ultrawide cameras, so leaving this lens out gives TCL more room to make the main camera better.

TCL 30 SE: Performance

The fact that the TCL 30 SE runs on simple tech shouldn’t surprise you. Don’t forget that this phone costs £140. Still, the phone’s MediaTek MT6762G Helio G25 chip is very limited. In the Geekbench 5 multi-core test, it got a poor average score of 877. That’s even worse than the Moto G22 and the Oppo A16s, whose performance didn’t really blow us away.

It’s about half the score of phones like the Nokia G50 that use the low-end Snapdragon 480 processor. When you look at the GPU, things don’t get much better. We couldn’t even get the TCL 30 SE to run our usual 3DMark Wild Life tests, and the less demanding Sling Shot tests aren’t very impressive. With the Moto G22, scores of about 854 for Sling Shot and 484 for Sling Shot Extreme bring it down.

TCL 30 SE: Battery life

The TCL 30 SE has a 5000 mAh battery, which is one of the phone’s best features. When combined with the processor’s average performance, the low-resolution screen, and the phone’s limited performance, the battery should last moderate users a long time, especially if they only use the phone for communication and occasionally stream media. The phone can only charge at 15W speeds, so it doesn’t charge very quickly.

Final Words

At this point, we’ve already established that the TCL 30 SE is a low-cost phone for people who want an Android phone that’s easy to use and only does the most important things. Even though the screen resolution, camera, and general performance speeds aren’t great, tried-and-true features like expandable storage, a big battery, and even extras like face unlock are great at this price.

TCL 30 SE review: the good and the bad

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