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TCL 10 Pro: test / review / price

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Published on: 27-10-2021 / Modified: 22-07-2022
I did not know the TCL brand before testing this TCL 10 Pro. However, TCL has existed since 1985 in China and has gradually grown through acquisitions such as the acquisition of Alcatel. TCL markets all kinds of electronic products, so TCL is not limited to the marketing of smartphones. I thought I had done the tour of lesser known Chinese brands but I'm clearly not at the end of the road. I remember Alcatel phones in the 2000s, I don't have very fond memories of them, they were really low end. So I'm curious to see how TCL transformed this Alcatel of the time into something comparable to other more well-known Chinese brands.

The TCL 10 Pro gave me a very good impression when I opened the box (especially if I keep this memory of Alcatel in the back of my head), this phone is m was immediately reminiscent of the Samsung Edge range from a few years ago. For the rest, the phone should be comparable to a Redmi Note 10 for performance and it should be comparable to the mid-range Samsung for photo. So it will be interesting.

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.tcl.com/

Structure of my tests

I test the phones according to a pre-established structure (see below) to provide you with as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this takes a long time. Some tests like network performance tests take several days and for photo tests I sometimes have to wait until the weather is suitable to take pictures in good conditions. I am therefore obliged to publish the tests step by step, so I invite you to come back if the test is not complete at the time of your visit.

Price TCL 10 Pro

The list below shows the prices for the TCL 10 Pro from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

October 27, 2021: I received the TCL 10 Pro from the manufacturer in China, the test can begin.

Why this phone?

I choose my smartphones on the basis of the budget, sometimes making a few variations out of curiosity or to fill my general knowledge. The TCL 10 Pro is a phone released in 2020, I usually test phones faster but this TCL 10 Pro has gone completely unnoticed in the past year and I guess TCL will try to relaunch it this year. Does this phone still have a place in 2021? Everything will depend on the price because Xiaomi has passed the year 2021 with a flattener roll by launching an impressive number of new models at a price that is still so aggressive.

The TCL 10 Pro has a great display with curved edges like what Samsung did on its top of the line a few years ago. TCL uses an amoled panel which occupies 90% of the front panel, we can almost speak of a borderless experience. On the performance side, I'm not expecting much, it is comparable to a Redmi Note 10. For the photo, the TCL 10 Pro uses a Samsung sensor which has been used in many devices, especially the mid-range Samsung. I'm also curious to discover the Android overlay offered by TCL because only the big manufacturers are getting into this kind of thing.

It only remains for me to do all my tests to see if this phone has a reason for being in 2021 and which audience it can address.

Unpacking

The TCL 10 Pro box does not really stand out from other brands, it does not give a clear indication of the positioning of the product. I even find that the photo of the phone on the box doesn't really do it justice, the phone still looks better in real life. The box contains the phone, a charger, a USB type C cable, a manual and a soft silicone protector.

First configuration

The TCL 10 Pro runs on Android 10 and the setup screens are exactly the same as other Android 10 phones down to the fingerprint setup. From the TCL adapted the configuration by adding specific screens to its phones and I found that quite interesting. TCL will ask you if you are left or right handed to adapt the navigation buttons, I have not yet seen this from another brand. TCL will also ask you to choose the screen settings, here again I have never seen this in a startup procedure but I think that TCL especially wants to send a message on the quality of its screen. It is then possible to choose the location of the icons (drawer or not drawer) and the type of customization (TCL or Android).

Finish

As I wrote above, I was positively surprised by this TCL 10 Pro right out of the box and this first impression is not limited to the screen. The screen takes up 90% of the space, which is one of the highest occupancy rates among the phones I have tested. The borders are quite thin as you can see from the different photos in this article. The bottom border is thicker and the screen is just interrupted by the photo sensor for selfies which could have been a little more discreet to still give an even greater immersion.
The other particularity of the screen is to have fairly wide curved edges, I had not seen a screen like this since the Edge range at Samsung and like at At the time, these edges bring a slight discoloration which is accentuated if we look at the screen from one of its sides. This discoloration is very slight and does not interfere with the use of the screen. You just have to get used to the curve of the screen when using a keyboard because the letters on the periphery are on the curve. At the back, TCL has chosen to integrate all the photo sensors horizontally like the Samsung Galaxy S10 + and unlike the Samsung, these sensors are fully integrated in the back of the phone, the back surface is therefore totally smooth. I have not tested many phones with such good integration of photo sensors, this comes at the expense of the thickness which climbs to 9 mm (the Redmi Note 10 is slightly thinner). The back is perfectly smooth over its entire surface with just a small protrusion for the two LEDs. The back is made of glass with a treatment that I think is more effective against fingerprints. At this point in the test, most of my phones are covered in fingerprints. With the TCL I still see traces but they are very light. From an aesthetic point of view, TCL has opted for a gray gradient giving a metallic appearance to the phone and I find that rather successful. Below the phone there is the USB type C port, the SIM drawer (two sim cards or one sim card + memory card) and the phone's only external speaker. The TCL 10 Pro will therefore not be able to produce stereo sound without the headphones.
On the right side, we find the volume buttons and the power button. On the left side there is a button at the same level as the power button, this button serves as a shortcut for Google's voice assistant when I had refused to configure it when starting the phone. I think these buttons are reversed if you choose left mode during setup. What bothers me with this button is that it is placed where it will trigger the Google Assistant by mistake. I had the same problem with some Samsungs a few years ago, it looks like TCL has loosely taken inspiration from Samsung for a lot of things but I would have preferred that they didn't copy the functionality of this button. On the top of the phone, there is the headphone jack output, an infrared sensor and a sound sensor. The TCL 10 Pro has bet everything on its exterior appearance and I think it's really successful, it's a very nice phone and if I hid the logo I'm sure it could be mistaken for a Samsung.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone. I tested the 6Gb version with 128 GB and you will find all the detailed technical characteristics of this phone on the screenshots below.

Here is a summary of what I noticed:
- The TCL 10 Pro runs on a Qualcomm architecture (CPU, GPU, GPS)
- accelerometer , gyroscope, magnetometer
- same wifi component as some Xiaomi
- a lot of material specific to TCL that I have not yet found in other phones
- 60hz screen, no 90hz available
- No info on the sensors even though I know it is a Samsung GW1
- the CPU temperatures go up quite high but I didn't never felt overheated

CPU / GPU Performance

The TCL 10 Pro runs on a Qualcomm architecture and is based in particular on a Snapdragon 675 CPU which has already proven itself on many other phones over the past two years (eg Samsung Galaxy A70, Redmi Note 7 Pro). Although this processor is not of the last generation, it offers a computing power comparable to a Redmi Note 10. It is therefore not a performance oriented CPU but it is sufficient for a smooth experience on a daily basis.

For the graphics part, the TCL 10 Pro is based on a Qualcomm Adreno 612 GPU which has also proven its worth in other phones and here too it is the same GPU as the Redmi Note 10 or the Samsung Galaxy A70. As with the CPU, this TCL's GPU is not performance oriented but unless you are a gamer you shouldn't run into any issues.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

I got a score of 225411 points with Antutu, this places the TCL 10 Pro in the middle of the ranking at the same level as phones like the Redmi Note 10 (it's the same CPU / GPU) or the Redmi Note 8 Pro. With this score you should be able to play most games but you will have to make some sacrifices on the level of detail for the bigger games (ex: Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, ...)





Gaming

To test the performance in game, I download the mobile PUBG game and evaluate the in-game experience, graphics level and depth of vision. This game is quite demanding and should help you evaluating the performance of a phone. The TCL 10 Pro provides a good gaming experience with PUBG Mobile, I have used the HD texture pack and the overall rendering is quite good. The textures don't load very far in advance and I noticed a few slowdowns but it didn't affect my playing experience.

Network performance

The TCL 10 Pro supports most 3G and 4G frequencies used in Europe, so you can use it anywhere.

Signal 4G (before december 2020)

The ability to pick up the network correctly is an essential element for a phone but it is only very rarely measured. To measure a phone's ability to pick up the network, I perform a large number of measurements on the same cells to be able to compare phones under similar conditions. The signal is measured in dBm, a value of -90dBm indicates a worse signal than -70dBm. These measurements are therefore taken under real conditions and not in a laboratory, they are not scientific but give a good indication of performance.



Signal 4G (from December 2020)

I decided to change the methodology for measuring the network because I noticed that the configuration of the mobile network changes over time. This makes it more difficult to compare phones because the conditions are no longer exactly the same.

To overcome this problem, I set up a device that captures 24 hours a day about ten parameters from the mobile network (ex: cell id, rssi, rsrq, snr, frequency,...). I then place the phone next to the device for 24 to 48 hours taking the same measurements so that I can compare them.

Overview of the phones tested with this methodology



To assess the sensitivity of the TCL 10 Pro to the 4G network, I carried out 871 measurements which I then compared with the results of my probe which runs 24 hours a day. As I have never tested a TCL phone before this TCL 10 Pro, I had no particular expectations as to the result. So I was very positively surprised to see that not only does the TCL 10 Pro have good network sensitivity, but the signal remained more stable than with my probe.

I got an average signal of - 94 dBm with the TCL and - 93.43 dBm with the probe, so the difference is minimal. The TCL signal fluctuated between -93 and -95dBm, that's a gap of just 2dBm, I've rarely gotten such small gaps with a phone. The TCL 10 Pro will therefore be placed in the first places of the ranking of the best phones for 4G sensitivity.

On the following graph, the TCL measurements hardly differ from those of the probe because they are so close.


Download/Upload speed

To test the download speed, I have identified some 4G cells offering good performance where I test all my devices several times to see what download and upload speed they can achieve.

Wifi performance

To test a phone's ability to receive the network properly, I take measurements near my router and then remotely (and always at the same place). This gives me an average in dBm where a value of -90 dBm indicates poorer performance than a value at -30 dBm.


Wifi signal

I measured an average signal of - 17 dBm near the router, it is a good signal level which will make the TCL 10 Pro fall into the top 10 of the most sensitive phones to wifi. I got a -56 dBm signal from a distance, again this is a very good sensitivity score.



Download/Upload speed

To test the speed in Wifi, I connect to my router in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz (if available) and use the Ookla application to measure the speed.

GPS performance

To test the quality of the GPS signal I use the Offline Maps application and I make the same train trip in pedestrian mode. Why? In pedestrian mode, the GPS does not artificially correct the signal to stick to the road, it has no markings, so you can see the actual position. I then use an application to measure the accuracy of the signal. The TCL 10 Pro uses a GPS chip from Qualcomm, these chips offer a lower level of precision than Mediatek chips but the result is still quite acceptable. I obtain a level of precision at 3 meters which remains very stable. I have also checked the frequencies used and I only see one per type of network (B1, L1, E1).

Battery range

The TCL 10 Pro is equipped with a 4500 mAh battery, it is a fairly average capacity, today we find many phones with a capacity of at least 5000 mAh. The TCL 10 Pro has 18W fast charging and I measured a charging time of 133 minutes to go from 1 to 100%. This charging time is quite fast at the beginning because it only takes 15 minutes to reach 20% of battery but from 77% the speed decreases sharply. It took me almost an hour to go from 80 to 100%. It is therefore in your best interest to let the battery charge up to around 80% as the rest of the charge is very slow. Charging a battery fully isn't good for battery life anyway.

I measured the battery life with the screen at 100% and 50% brightness, I obtained 465 and 889 minutes. These are fairly average scores, the screen is not super efficient in its energy management, its consumption is linear because I get doubled autonomy with the screen at 50% where for some phones I arrive to triple the autonomy with a screen at 50%.

With normal use, you should be able to get about 2 days of battery life.

Photo camera test

To test the quality of photos produced by a phone, I do a technical test (resolution, sharpness, chromatic aberration,...) in studio (identical conditions) to evaluate the technical part objectively. From the second half of 2020, I built my own laboratory to take completely objective technical measurements. I then take pictures in real conditions to see how the camera performs. I then evaluate these photos according to my criteria but I publish the photos so that you can evaluate the result according to your criteria.

Hardware

To retrieve the technical information of a phone I use an application that will query the Android service layer and in general, I get reliable data. This is not the case for the TCL because the phone indicates the presence of a 16 million pixel sensor as the main sensor while it is a 64 million pixel sensor of the Samsung Bright S5KGW1 type. This sensor has been used in many other phones and is capable of producing very good photos. The secondary sensor (ultra wide angle) is also a Samsung sensor, it is the Samsung S5K3P9. It is a sensor that I have not yet had the opportunity to test.

The phone is also equipped with two other sensors, one sensor for portraits and another for macros.

Default app

I have tested many Xiaomi and Poco branded phones this year, so I didn't complete this section systematically as these phones always use the same app for photos. The TCL photo application uses the same basics with the different photo / video modes at the bottom of the screen but the zoom / angle change is done on the right side of the image. I find that these icons are also not very clear because I did not understand what the icon for the ultra wide angle sensor corresponded to. Most of the usual settings are found at the top of the screen. The basic photo mode is called "auto" in French, it is a rather curious choice.

I have some good news for Gcam fans, the Google app works perfectly on this phone and I actually took a number of photos below with this app .

Photo quality

Photo test / studio

Samsung S5KGW1
I had already had the opportunity to test this sensor on other phones such as the excellent Redmi Note 8 Pro for example. This sensor offers a very good level of sharpness, the level of detail is above average. You only have to look at the texture of the rubix cube or the bricks below the Statue of Liberty to realize this. The exposure level is a little too low but it is always the case for the photos in the studio, it also affects the colors but outdoor tests will show that the colorimetry is much better in daylight. I took a few more pictures with HDR, AI or night mode, unfortunately the result is not always very good

This photo shows how sharp is good, the canadian note in the center is perfectly restored, the texture is easily readable. On the outskirts, the sharpness decreases but the texts and textures are still very readable.

Samsung S5K3P9
Ultra wide angle sensors like this all have more or less the same flaws starting with sharpness. The area of sharpness around the rubix cube and at the foot of the statue is significantly less than what you could see with the main sensor. The loss of information is important. The exposure level is quite similar to the base photo, which is quite a good thing for a sensor of this type. The deformation is important but again for this kind of sensor, it is perfectly normal.

The lack of sharpness is even more visible in this photo, the text of the Canadian banknote is no longer as readable as for the main sensor and on the periphery it is still worse. This is not abnormal, it just allows you to see the differences between the two sensors.

Photo test / sunny

Samsung S5KGW1
I have taken many pictures with this phone and it is generally a good sign. On a 2 hour walk in the late afternoon, I took a hundred photos. The photo above was taken in the setting sun in November, the leaves have a warm coloring, the light is slightly orange and the Samsung sensor manages to reproduce the scene well. I chose this photo because it is composed of very dark areas and very light areas, the Samsung sensor is not however in difficulty because the dark areas are always visible and we can see the texture of the clouds in the sky. This sensor therefore has a good dynamic range. The sharpness is quite good overall, the detail of the leaves is clearly visible.

On this second photo, I pointed the sensor towards the sun to see what it was going to do and the result is really good because apart from a halo white at the level of the sun, I do not have a large area of overexposure. Dark areas are always well detailed. This Samsung sensor is no longer very young, I tested it for the first time two years ago on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it is still today to be classified among the good pupils for the photo.

(photos taken with Gcam have the prefix PXL in the file name, they can be recognized by the warmer coloring)

Samsung S5K3P9
Ultra wide-angle sensors usually don't produce very good photos but this one performs well enough to such an extent that when I ranked my photos by looking at the thumbnails, I ranked several photos of this sensor with the photos of the main sensor. This photo for example offers a beautiful dynamic range, realistic colors and the general atmosphere is well restored. Obviously if I zoom in on the photo I realize that the level of detail is not good but this photo will have had the merit of creating an illusion.

Photo test / cloudy

Test photo / night

Not yet available / tested

Video quality

Stabilisation

In this price range, video stabilization is either absent or of poor quality. I was surprised by the stabilization of this TCL because even if it is not perfect, this 4k video absorbs a large part of the shaking. I think the lack of performance of this phone does not allow it to do better but the result is already quite good. Stabilization is even more effective at 1080p.

Video normale conditions
I made this video under conditions that were not ideal, the other phones I tested at the same time all produced average quality videos except this TCL. The sky is cloudy and partially dark, some areas of the landscape are lit by the sun, others are in the shade, ... The result is nevertheless really good and it confirms my technical test which gives it a very good dynamic range . When I go from the sky to the vegetation, the phone adapts right away, I don't see any exposure jump. The sky does not get lost in an overexposed area, the details remain visible even if I descend below the horizon line. I had good video results with the Redmi Note 8 Pro, it's the same with this TCL 10 Pro.

Video low light

Not yet available / tested

Audio quality

To test the quality of the phone's audio output, I connect the device's audio output to a measuring tool, then play sounds on all frequencies and measure the differences between the original sound and the sound produced by the phone. In this way I measure the phone's ability to correctly reproduce all sounds.

Frequency Response

This test is intended to test the device's ability to correctly reproduce all frequencies. The white line in the middle of the graph is the ideal situation and the other colors come from tests on different phones. A deviation from the reference line indicates a deviation from the ideal situation. To see good sound at all frequencies, it is therefore necessary to get as close as possible to the reference line.
Dynamic Range

This test is designed to test a phone's ability to play sounds at different volume levels. Here too, the phones must be as close as possible to the reference.
Noise Level

This test aims to identify if the device under test is able to reproduce sounds without too much noise. A high score indicates a low parasite rate, a lower score indicates a higher presence of parasites.

Screen quality

To test the screen, I use a colorimetric probe that measures the color accuracy of a screen, as well as other parameters to see if a screen is able to correctly reproduce an image. I also test the brightness level to determine if the screen will be able to display an image in full sunlight.

Colorimetry

The TCL 10 Pro screen makes a good first contact impression because the colors are highly saturated. Unfortunately, this choice has the effect of leading to incorrect colorimetry. I tried to get better colorimetry by playing with the read mode but I couldn't get below a delta E of 6. It is clearly not a very good score compared to the Most of the other phones I have tested this year. The subjective perception of screen quality is positive because color saturation gives more vividness to the screen, but if you compare an identical image on another better calibrated screen, you will notice significant differences in certain colors.

The white temperature is around 6000 Kelvins in read mode, by default this value rises above 7000 Kelvins and therefore colors that are too cold.



Brightness / Contrast

The TCL 10 Pro is equipped with an amoled screen, this type of screen offers almost infinite contrast where black is truly black instead of being dark gray like on an LCD type screen. I measured a brightness of almost 600 cd / m² flooding the sensor with light, this is an excellent score that will allow you to read the screen even under the sun.

Biometry

The fingerprint sensor is located at the bottom of the screen. I say it and I will say it again, I don't really like these on-screen sensors because they are not ideally positioned and they are sometimes a little hard of hearing. The sensor of this TCL works more or less correctly, it is sometimes necessary to do it several times to unlock the screen. I much prefer a sensor on the side of the phone, it's faster and the position is more suitable.

Operating system

TCL has developed a very light Android overlay with some additional features such as a shortcut bar similar to Samsung's. The customization possibilities are pretty much the same as on other Android phones but there are a few more options in the device theme setup. This TCL operating system works really well, I didn't have any problems using it, I just regret the lack of more precise settings for the screen.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories TCL 10 Pro

Compare TCL 10 Pro with the others

Test / Review conclusion

I had never heard of TCL before testing this phone and I wonder how I could have missed this phone when it was released. I test phones as objectively as possible but I also have a subjective feeling and this phone really made a good subjective impression on me. I find this phone to be really beautiful and different from most phones released in 2021. I often have multiple phones at once in my house and I often get confused between them so much the same. I don't have this kind of problem with this TCL, it has a unique and quite successful design.

A beautiful phone is good, but if it works well it's even better. The TCL really surprised me on many points like for example photo. The TCL 10 Pro uses the same sensor as the Redmi Note 8 Pro and two after launching the latter, I realize that this sensor still holds the road well, it doesn't have to be ashamed of newer sensors. The TCL takes very good photos and very good 4k videos.

On the more technical aspects, the TCL also manages to stand out, it has excellent sensitivity to the 4G network and for wifi it is the same. The accuracy of the GPS is also very good. It will probably not shine with its performance but in this price range, it is comparable to a Redmi Note 10. Unless you are a demanding gamer, this phone will offer enough performance for a very large audience.

I didn't find any really problematic weak spots with this phone, I was a little disappointed with the colorimetry of the screen but I'm sure it won't affect the most users. It is sometimes better to have an amoled screen with average colorimetry than an LCD screen with good colorimetry. The TCL 10 Pro's amoled display offers infinite contrast and its brightness is bright enough to be used in direct sunlight. For around 200 €, here you have a phone with a premium finish, average performance, good sensitivity to 4G / wifi / GPS and it produces excellent photos! Are you looking for an alternative to a Redmi Note 10 Pro, you now have one!

Strengths

Finish quality, premium level
Photo / video quality
Sensitivity 4G / Wifi / GPS
Screen brightness

Weaknesses

Colorimetry of the screen and the absence of adjustments to correct it
Access of the letters of the keyboard on the periphery
Access button to the Google Assistant in the wrong place

Alternatives to this product

In the same price range, we find the Redmi Note 10 Pro (or even the Redmi Note 10), this TCL represents a very credible alternative to these two blockbusters from Xiaomi.

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