First solo offering from TCL impresses
Just before going to press, I got my hands on a flagship smartphone from a manufacturer that usually concentrates its efforts on making handsets for other companies, such as Alcatel, BlackBerry or a handful of own-brand models from mobile operators like Vodafone.
But now, TCL is standing on its own merits. And looking at what’s in my hand as I type, the specifications and design are right up there. As well as a Snapdragon 675 processor, the new 10 Pro device has 6GB of Ram, 128GB of storage (with room for expansion using a memory card), a 6.5-inch Amoled screen and a larger-thanaverage 4,500mAh battery.
It also has a relatively high-end rear camera setup with a 64-megapixel main lens and a 16-megapixel ultra wide camera. There’s no dedicated zoom lens, though — TCL relies on the high megapixel count of its main camera as a substitute.
Unlike almost every highend rival, this phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
With no bezels and the glass curving away at the sides, it’s almost indistinguishable from the very latest Samsung or Huawei flagship phone on first inspection.
It feels great in the hand, too, with fingerprintresistant casing on the back and metallic chamfers on the sides, top and bottom.
But this device costs less than half of either mainstream rival.
A fuller review will come over the coming days. But with the apparent quality on offer here, at this price, I expect this to strongly appeal to One Plus buyers.