The TCL 10L is a good all-around phone that costs less than $100. It has a well-rounded camera array that takes decent photos. It’s a great phone for watching shows or playing games because the screen is great for playing media and the speaker sound isn’t bad either. Even though the 10L has some performance issues and isn’t as polished as phones from companies that have been around longer, its value is clear, and it’s a welcome addition to the budget (but not bargain) market.
The TCL 10L isn’t ugly at all, but it doesn’t have the same level of polish as the Moto G Power. The back panel is made of plastic and feels thin. No one would ever mistake it for glass. The camera stack is big and overpowering, and the black fingerprint sensor right below it almost seems like an afterthought. Even though they are small, they add up. The phone is 6.38 inches tall, 2.98 inches wide, and 0.33 inches thick. It weighs 6.35 ounces.
It’s light enough to hold for a long time, but the extra width can make hands that aren’t as big cramp up. The front of the phone has a 6.54-inch LCD with 2,340 by 1,080 pixels and a small hole for the selfie camera in the top left corner. The screen looks clear, the colours are accurate, and it’s bright enough to see even in direct sunlight. The ratio of screen to body is 91 percent, and most of that comes from the large bottom bezel. The back of the phone is blue, and it looks like a kaleidoscope.
At the top is a horizontal camera patch, and just below it is the fingerprint sensor. Even though the fingerprint scanner isn’t very pretty, it works much better than the many optical sensors that have become popular recently. The top edge of the phone has a headphone jack, and the bottom edge has a USB-C port and a speaker. On the left is a Smart Key that you can change, and on the right are the volume rocker and power button. The buttons click when you press them, but if you have small hands, they might be hard to reach.
The phone’s durability is our main concern. The 10L doesn’t have an official protection rating, and our review unit got scratches quickly. At this price, we don’t expect the Moto G Power to be fully waterproof, but it can at least handle getting wet. TCL gives you a clear protective case in the box, which is a good start, but you’ll probably want to buy something stronger.