Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
I am loving the TCL 30+ Smartphone that was sent to me this week! I am usually an iPhone user and have been for about 10 years so having never tried an Android phone before, I didn’t know what to expect.
Firstly, the phone looks like a smartphone. Its screen is 16cm height and 7.5cm wide whilst less than 1cm thick, comparable to other smart phones and at 184g it’s lightweight too. The screen isn’t too big for my little hands (and they are little!) and like other smartphones, it’s touchscreen.
If, like me you don’t like reading instructions and just want to get started with setting it up, then it’s easy. You don’t need a SIM card to get started and luckily the phone is already slightly charged so you can take it out the box and start the settings straight away. It doesn’t take that long to set up either. The phone asks you which wi-fi network you want to use so I chose my home network just to get started. Using the QR reader on the phone, it set up and sync-ed with my wifi easily. Next, there was the security which included a ‘pattern’ to open the phone and then the fingerprint recognition. This takes a few minutes as the phone has to build up your profile slowly. You can choose to open the phone with a PIN or face recognition though if you prefer.
Other settings which you can choose are your search engine preferences, G Pay (so you can checkout with your phone for payments), other additional apps like YouTube, Google Drive etc and setting up your Gmail account. It also makes it easy for you to transfer your old apps and data (including photos) from an old device to the TCL 30+.
I particularly liked the ‘Hey Google’ voice recognition. I used this a few times when my hands were full to do things like set up an alarm (the alarm noise was surprisingly soothing!) and ask questions which I was easily able to do from a distance.
Once the phone was set up, I started using it to see how it compared. There are actually 3 cameras; the main camera (50MP), plus two more cameras on the back to give a wider field of view. There’s also a video lens with features such as Steady Snap, Portrait Mode, Movie Mode, Stop Motion and various Filters. Additionally, there’s a 13MP ultrawide camera at the front of the phone, for taking selfies and video. It has features such as Face Beautification, Auto Capture and Touch to Capture.
The cameras are great quality, and to test them, I took the same photo (below) on both the TCL 30+M and my iPhone X. There’s not much difference, you can see that the quality is similar although perhaps slightly better on the iPhone when it comes to detail. The colours are less saturated on the TCL too.
There is 128GB of memory on the phone (which is the same as the new iPhone 13 Pro) and the ability to add a MicroSD card up to 1TB. If you prefer not to use a card though, the phone can link up with your Google Drive and you can store all your photos, files and apps on the cloud so there isn’t a huge need for an SD card unless you really want one.
There are so many features that it takes a while to find your way around all the apps etc but once you do they work brilliantly. The box contains a charger and Type-C cable which are the quickest way to charge the phone. The battery life is much longer than my iPhone too, lasting days instead of just 1 day so there isn’t a big need to keep charging it. The phone also comes with a clear plastic cover, a SIM card pin and a device bag.
If I had never owned a Smartphone before, then I would be overwhelmed by all the apps and what was on offer, but I think I would get used to using it very quickly. As much as I hate to admit it though, I can see why people prefer the Android over an Apple iPhone. A lot of the work is already done for you, it’s consistent (and I think easier to use) with a PC and all the modern features you want with a phone are there. You don’t even need to buy extra accessories like a phone cover.
As with every product, there are pros and cons. This is not an exhaustive list, but just a few things I’ve noticed after using the TCL 30+ for a couple of weeks:
Pros
- The battery charges quickly and lasts for days!
- Easy to set up
- Lots of cameras with filters already installed
- Already installed with loads of apps including Google apps and social media
- More in-depth apps like Weather that also features satellite images, news etc
Cons
- Not 5G
- Takes a while to register fingerprint security when you pick it up
- Response time is slower than I would like when using apps – they take a while to load up or to load more information
At a fraction of the price of an iPhone (currently £159 on Amazon) there are few reasons not to use it, especially if you prefer Androids or aren’t already a Smartphone or Apple user. This would make a fantastic Christmas gift for a teenager, or for anyone who wants to be able to access all of the apps, features and smartphone technology we’ve all come to expect!
The Review Studio 