A smartphone with an affordable price is not hard to find on the market. The TCL 30 LE review can be put as one of the considerations to be your new device.
The TCL 30 LE was launched in August 2022. It is one of the on-budget smartphones you can find on the market. It costs below $100, a nice price range for people who need an affordable smartphone with many advanced features and functions.
This smartphone is packed with several impressive specifications that fulfill the current standards. But, it takes some pains for a low price. There are some drawbacks we’ve found on the phone which pop up a question, “is it worth the price?”
With the TCL 30 LE review, we try to reveal all of the phone’s features and functions, the pros and cons. After reading this article, you can have a wider and better knowledge about the device and decide whether it’s a no or a go.
Page Contents:
Specifications
TCL 30 LE key specifications:
| Weight | 172g |
| Dimensions | 156.2 x 73.8 x 9.4mm |
| OS | Android 12 |
| Screen size | 6.1-inch |
| Resolution | 720 x 1560 |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio A22 MT6761V |
| CPU | Quad-core (4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A53) |
| RAM | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB |
| Battery | 3,000mAh, Removable |
| Rear camera | 13MP |
| Front camera | 8MP |
| Features | Face Recognition |
Design
From the look of it, you can instantly recognize the TCL 30 LE smartphone is supposed to be an entry-level smartphone. The appearance is basic and represents the typical look of a smartphone. To be honest, we don’t get a ‘wow’ effect from the overall design.
The dimension is 156.2 x 73.8 x 9.4mm, and it is coupled with a weight of 172g. It is considered small compared with today’s smartphone. If you are unfamiliar with a small smartphone, it will be uncomfortable to hold.
The TCL 30 LE comes in a Prime Black color. It is matte, and if you notice, the back’s case has dotted textures. It makes the device easier to handle even when your hand is sweating. On the back, you will see a single rear camera and the LED flash at the top left.
At the front, there is a 6.1-inch display screen with minimum bezels around it. The main buttons are already placed inside the screen, which is convenient enough to navigate the screen. The front camera is placed at the top with a tear-drop style.
Read also: TCL 30 LE User Manual
Display
The TCL 30 LE comes with a standard 6.1-inch display screen. However, it is enough, and the content is still readable for users. Strolling around the screen with this size is also quite optimal. Our fingers can still reach the top part of the screen without stretching too much.
This screen has a 720 x 1560 resolution, decent enough for an entry-level smartphone. The quality is still crisp, and the colors are vibrant, also. You can expect to use the device for different activities comfortably.
To accommodate a better view experience, the TCL 30 LE is equipped with adaptive eye modes. This mode greatly increases readability, filters harmful blue light, and reduces visual strain in different situations. The NXTVISION feature also gives the photos and videos better color, contrast, and clarity.
Camera
Unfortunately, the TCL 30 LE camera consists only of a single rear camera. Meanwhile, the other smartphones in the same class may already have more than two cameras. The TCL 30 LE camera’s resolution is 13MP, slightly better for an entry-level smartphone.
The front camera is essential for a smartphone, and the TCL 30 LE provides its users with an 8MP camera. Decent megapixels for showing your best selfies. Moreover, you can capture more beautiful pictures with Portrait Mode and Face Beauty features.
The camera doesn’t only do any justice for taking pictures. Recording a video also still has good quality. With this, you can produce a 1080p camera and make a unique video type with a stop-motion feature.
Storage
The TCL 30 LE has a reliable camera. Still, this smartphone wasn’t generous enough to store the content with its users. The TCL 30 LE has 32GB of internal capacity to store users’ personal data and save their apps. As we said, it is not large enough. Even worse, there are only 13GB left for users after all of the device’s junk.
Fortunately, there is a solution to every problem. The TCL 30 LE lets users expand their storage by adding a MicroSD card of up to 512GB. Even though you need to spend more to get this privilege, it’s worth every penny, especially if you are a heavy smartphone user.
Read also: Alcatel Glimpse Review: On-Budget Daily Smartphone
Performance
The TCL 30 LE smartphone is equipped with a 2.0GHz Quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 MT6761V. It is such a typical processor you will find on every entry-level smartphone. With the help of this processor, this phone could be a reliable smartphone but with minimum energy. However, don’t expect the device to be extremely fast. It is still far from that.
Those CPU specifications are coupled with a bare minimum of 3GB RAM. This is a perfect combination to run basic applications. It runs smoothly, whether switching between applications or opening multiple windows simultaneously. But watch out; the device can be exhausted if you’re over-multitasking.
We tried to open social media and browse a website with the TCL 30 LE. It’s impressively fine, but the device starts showing delays when we start playing heavy games. The phone’s performance hits the bottom rocks. We advise you to use the device wisely by not operating high-consumed apps.
Moving on, we’ll talk about the device’s operating system. The TCL 30 LE has Android 12 as its brain, and we’re impressed by this choice. As you may know, Android 12 is the latest version of Android that has been released. It contains a lot of advanced and improved features over its predecessors.
Android 12 is the most personal version ever. It is responsive to users’ behavior by transforming the overall experience based on users’ chosen wallpaper. The user interface becomes more spacious, pleasing to the eyes, and very comfortable to access. We are happy to experience the Android 12 with the TCL 30 LE smartphone.
The TCL 30 LE has several sensors that you’ve found in most smartphones. Includes the accelerometer for detecting users’ every movement and the proximity to prevent unwanted touches to your phone’s screens. The TCL 30 LE is only provided with a face unlock instead of a fingerprint reader for the security sensors.
Connectivity
You won’t see 5G connectivity in the TCL 30 LE smartphone. Instead, as an entry-level smartphone, this phone relies heavily on 4G LTE connectivity as its main network. Besides, a 3G and 2G network are also available here. But we recommend you stick to the 4G LTE since it’s the most stable and dependable network in most areas.
Wi-Fi technology is also coming in the TCL 30 LE as an alternative network for users who don’t have data connections. Or, you can even turn your smartphone into a mobile hotspot and let other people with up to 10 devices join your network.
Bluetooth and USB Type-C are other connectivity available on the TCL 30 LE smartphones. These two have the main purpose; of transferring files to other devices. The difference is that Bluetooth uses wireless connectivity, while USB Type-C uses a wire.
Battery
Lastly, let’s talk about the TCL 30 LE battery’s side. This phone uses a 3,000mAh of removable battery capacity. Not a decent size, but it could be a good pair for entry-level smartphones, which aren’t supposed to do some heavy activities.
The TCL 30 LE promises its users the battery will last up to 19 days in standby time and up to 18 hours in talk time. However, we can expect the battery to last until the end of the day as long as it doesn’t have extreme usage.
A removable battery is an outdated type that doesn’t meet our standards. This type of battery could be a pain because it’s inconvenient for modern users.
Verdict
The TCL 30 LE is indeed an entry-level smartphone. It can be seen in their offered features and functions that are a bare minimum for our standard. The single-camera with average quality, low storage capacity and low battery size are the most highlighted features we’ve not satisfied enough.
However, it offers us the most undeniable selling point; an affordable price. With only $70 to cost, the TCL 30 LE still could be a reliable smartphone for you who doesn’t need heavy-duty apps. The Android 12 also catches our attention really well!
TCL 30 LE Pros:
- Affordable
- Android 12
- Reliable
TCL 30 LE Cons:
- Single camera with average quality
- Low storage capacity
- Low battery capacity
Alternatives
Is the TCL 30 LE not convincing enough for you? Then we will give you another option by providing these two alternatives; the Nokia C200 and AT&T Maestro 3.
Nokia C200 has similar features but is equipped with a bigger 4,000mAh battery capacity. The AT&T Maestro 3 also has similar features and a bigger battery size but comes better with a dual rear camera.
