Back when I reviewed the TCL 10 Pro, I criticised it due to the strange choice of chipsets, placing a mid-range 4G SoC on the most expensive phone while using the new powerful 5G Snapdragon 765G on a lower-priced model.
It looks like TCL may have realised this and the phone is already 12.5% cheaper than the initial launch taking it down to £350.
With the recent launches of the Realme X50 and OnePlus Nord, the choices TCL have made may actually make sense. The TCL 10 5G is priced roughly the same as the OnePlus Nord and all three phones have similar specs.
The phone is due to launch next week, so I thought it would be worth seeing how it stacks up against the existing competition.
My full review of the phone should go live on the 4th of August
TCL 10 5G vs Realme X50 vs OnePlus Nord Specification
The main differences are:
- TCL has a glass front, back and aluminium frame, Realme is plastic on the back, OnePlus uses a plastic frame.
- TCL has the lowest spec display being IPS 60Hz 1080p, the Realme is also IPS but 120Hz while the OnePlus has an AMOLED 90hz display
- TCL can expand storage via a microSD
- TCL has the best specced rear camera with a 64MP lens with a 1/1.72” sensor while the other two have 48MP with a 1/2.0″ sensor.
- TCL has the worst selfie spec, but the benefit is that it only has single punch hole on the front, which I much prefer.
- TCL has a 3.5mm headphone jack
- TCL has the biggest battery but slowest charge.
| TCL 10 5G | Realme X50 | OnePlus Nord | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 163.7 x 76.6 x 9 mm (6.44 x 3.02 x 0.35 in) | 163.8 x 75.8 x 8.9 mm (6.45 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 158.3 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm (6.23 x 2.89 x 0.32 in) |
| Weight | 210 g (7.41 oz) | 194 g (6.84 oz) | 184 g (6.49 oz) |
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front, plastic back | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame |
| Type | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Fluid AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 6.53 inches, 104.7 cm2 (~83.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.57 inches, 104.2 cm2 (~83.9% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.44 inches, 100.6 cm2 (~86.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Display | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~395 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~401 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~408 ppi density) |
| 450 nits average brightness (advertised) | 120Hz refresh rate | 90Hz refresh rate | |
| OS | Android 10, TCL UI | Android 10, Realme UI 1.0 | Android 10, OxygenOS 10.0 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm) | Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm) | Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G (7 nm) |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) | Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) | Octa-core (1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) |
| GPU | Adreno 620 | Adreno 620 | Adreno 620 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 6GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM |
| Rear Camera | 64 MP, f/1.9, 26mm (wide), 1/1.72″, 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF | 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS |
| 8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm | 8 MP, f/2.3, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm | 8 MP, f/2.3, 119˚ (ultrawide) | |
| 5 MP, f/2.2, (macro) | 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) | 5 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | |
| 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro) | |
| Features | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps; gyro-EIS | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, gyro-EIS |
| Front Camera | 16 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm | 16 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm | 32 MP, f/2.5, (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm |
| 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth) | 8 MP, f/2.5, 105˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm | ||
| Features | HDR | HDR | |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30/120fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No | No |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| GPS | Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QSS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS | Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, SBAS, NavIC |
| USB | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector | 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, USB On-The-Go |
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Po 4200 mAh battery | Non-removable Li-Po 4115 mAh battery |
| Charging | Fast charging 18W | Fast charging 30W, 70% in 30 min (advertised) | Fast charging 30W, 70% in 30 min |
TCL 10 5G vs Realme X50 vs OnePlus Nord Price
The Realme X50 is the most affordable at just £299, then the OnePlus Nord is £379.
Pricing for the TCL 10 5G has not been 100% confirmed yet I don’t think but back in April the press release stated €399/£399. This was before the Realme and OnePlus launches, so it will be interesting if they adjust that price.
TCL 10 5G vs Realme X50 Benchmarks
Same chipset, same performance more or less. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G is a superb chipset giving you oodles of performance at an affordable price point.
I will post the full benchmarks when my review goes live.
Initial Thoughts
Even though I criticised the specification choices made by TCL in my previous reviews, I like the TCL 10 5G.
I think they face an uphill battle when faced against the cheaper Realme X50 and the very popular OnePlus Nord, but they are do a good job of trying to keep up.
In particular the camera specification is superior to both the Realme and OnePlus on the rear, and I much prefer the single punch hole selfie over the pill shaped hole both Realme and OnePlus use.
It also has the biggest battery, albeit the slowest charge.
TCL also have one massive advantage over the other two when it comes to US residents. It is the only option. Rumours suggest the OnePlus Nord launch in the US, but with a Snapdragon 690.
However, the Realme is considerably cheaper and you don’t sacrifice much by opting for this phone. The OnePlus is around the same price but has a far better specced display, better brand recognition and OxygenOS is generally regarded as one of the best user interfaces for Android.
