Smartphones

TCL 30 SE : test / review / price

Published on: 25-02-2022 / Modified: 22-07-2022
I try to test as many products as possible, but as I work alone, I can't test more than twenty phones a year. So I have to make choices and that doesn't leave me much room for products from lesser-known brands. However, I try to set aside time to find interesting products from lesser-known brands and this, among other things, allowed me to discover the TCL brand. I first tested an excellent smartphone (the TCL 10 Pro) and then I tested a tablet (the TCL 10 Tab Max) and now I'm back to an entry-level smartphone with the TCL 30 SE.

The prices of telephones have risen sharply over the past 6 months and faced with this price increase, the entry level takes on all its interest. Besides that, there's an audience for simple smartphones that aren't all about performance or anything like that. I think that this TCL 30 SE will undoubtedly find its audience at the crossroads of the search for price and simplicity.

Launch offer

The TCL is going to be available in many stores but for the launch I have the following links:
TCL 30 SE on Aliexpress (149/159€)
TCL 30 SE on Cdiscount (149/169€)

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 30 SE

The list below shows the prices for the TCL 30 SE 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.

The above links are affiliate links from companies such as Amazon, Gearbest, Aliexpress,... If you appreciate my work, I would be grateful if you could purchase these products through these links. It costs you absolutely nothing but I get a small commission that allows me to buy the material I test. Thank you very much!

Timeline

February 17, 2022: reception of the phone, the test can begin.
February 24, 2022: Phone launch.

Why this phone?

As I write in the introduction, I was positively surprised by the TCL 10 Pro that I tested two months ago and I was eager to be able to test other products from the brand. I then had the opportunity to test a tablet that is worth the detour and it is now the turn of the TCL 30 SE.

I tested other entry-level phones like the Redmi 9C or the Oukitel C21, these phones have a real reason for being because they are real smartphones that are not limited only by their lack of performance but they offer everything you would expect from a smartphone for a much lower price. The TCL 30 SE offers the same level of performance as a Redmi 9A with more memory, better screen, better battery, better camera and more for around 150€. On paper, this TCL 30 SE therefore has great potential ahead of it.

Unpacking

After having tested more than forty telephones in 3 years, I must note that the shape of the boxes and their contents have become highly standardized. All the boxes look alike and all contain more or less the same thing. So I was quite surprised by the box of this TCL because it looks like no other. The box is designed in a thick cardboard and looks more like a complex assembly of cardboard slices that fit together. I don't know if this choice responds to an economic problem or if it's a choice to stand out, but if that was the reason, it's a success. The box contains the smartphone, a manual, a charger and its cable and wired headphones. It's been a long time since I've seen headphones in a box and even less on the entry level!

First configuration

The TCL 30 SE is marketed under Android 12, it is one of the first phones under Android 12 that I am testing. The configuration procedure does not really differ from what I have seen on Android 11, some screens have been added by TCL for in particular the configuration of the colors on the screen (with NXT Vision, as on other phones and tablets from this brand). TCL won't try to sign you up for any service during the start-up process even though later you can sign up with TCL, so they won't force your hand. Some applications will be pre-installed but I don't know if it's a choice of TCL, there are notably LinkedIn, Tiktok, a browser and some other utilities.

Finish

The TCL 30 SE is an entry-level phone and like other phones in this price bracket, the phone is mostly made of plastic. This does not prevent this phone from having good finishes. At the back we find a plastic with a metallic effect which is only interrupted by a fingerprint sensor and a photo block which barely stands out by a few millimeters. The level of finish of the Redmi 9A was much more brutal than this one, the TCL is much more elegant.

The photo module is made up of 3 sensors, including a 50 million pixel Samsung sensor as the main sensor. This photo module is relatively well integrated into the back of the phone.

On the right we find the usual volume buttons and the ignition button. These buttons are also plastic and only stick out a millimeter or two on the right side. These buttons are placed quite high, higher than what I'm used to seeing on other brands.

On the other side we find the sim drawer with the possibility of installing two sim cards and a memory card. The drawer is therefore quite long.

Below there are two sound grids but only one is used, so the sound is in mono. The audio output jack is on the top of the phone.

The selfie sensor is placed at the top and in the middle of the screen, it is integrated in a teardrop shape, it's been a long time since I've seen this format, it was fashionable there at 2 years old.

The bottom border is quite thick, which is often the case on entry-level phones.

Specifications

The information below comes from the Device Info HW application. The application provides detailed technical information about the tested phone. I tested the 4Gb/64Gb version of this smartphone, you will find all the characteristics of the phone in the following screenshots. I did not notice anything unusual, the phone is equipped with basic functionality.

CPU / GPU Performance

The TCL 30 SE takes up the basics of the Redmi 9A that I tested two years ago. It uses a Mediatek Helio G25 CPU and an IMG PowerVR GE8320 600MHz GPU, these are entry-level components that do not offer very high-level performance. This phone is therefore not designed to play 3D games and there is a noticeable latency when switching from one screen to another or when loading an application.

Benchmark Antutu/3DMark

No surprises in terms of the Antutu score, I got just over 100,000 points, I haven't tested such poor performance phones for a long time but this phone's vocation is not to break records anyway . This phone is designed for basic use of smartphone functionality.

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 30 SE is not a phone designed for gaming but that does not mean that you cannot play with this phone. Most small, simple games will work like they do on most phones, but bigger games might work too if you have the option of lowering the level of detail. I played PUBG Mobile in this video and the gaming experience is quite correct, there are of course some slowdowns here and there and the fluidity is not exemplary but unless you are a hard core gamer , this shouldn't be a problem for you.

Network performance

The TCL 30 Se offers fairly average but sufficient frequency coverage to be used anywhere in Europe. B28a and B28b frequencies are supported.

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

I performed 567 measurements to assess the quality of the 4G signal of this phone and obtained an average signal of -92.85 dBm. In parallel I obtained an average signal of -92.11 dBm with my probe at the same time and over the same duration. The values are very close and this indicates that TCL 30 SE has good network sensitivity and this is expected from a phone that is not performance oriented.

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 -27dBm near the router and an average signal of -76dBm at a distance. These are unfortunately quite mediocre results, so the TCL 30 SE will have to be used in an area where the wifi is of good quality to be able to take advantage of it properly.

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 accuracy of the GPS signal, I use two positioning applications to evaluate the difference between the actual position and the position indicated by the phone. This test is done outdoors with nothing to obstruct the signal. An accuracy level of up to 3 meters can easily be corrected by an application (e.g. Google Maps).

The TCL 30 SE uses a Mediatek GPS chip which gives it an accuracy of around 1 meter, it is a very good level of accuracy and in addition it quickly reaches this level precision.

Battery range

To test battery life I developed an application that measures the battery level minute by minute until the battery is empty. This application consumes about ten percent of the phone's resources and I do a test with 100 brightness. This test aims to reproduce a contemplative use of a phone (e.g. surfing the internet, reading articles, spending time on social networks). These results are not valid for intensive gaming/streaming use.

The TCL 30 SE has a fast charge of 15W, it's a little below what we find on the market today except that in this price range, it is not necessarily Standard. It took me 172 minutes to charge the battery from 1 to 100% with my UGREEN 100W charger. The charging speed is linear up to around 80%, the charging speed drops sharply. It takes about 30 minutes to load the first 20 percent, it takes more than 50 minutes to load the last 20 percent.

I got a battery life of 1225 minutes with the screen on at 50%, it's a good level of autonomy that should allow you to last 2 to 3 days without having to recharge (in normal use) . The autonomy that I measured does not seem linear, however, the curve changes inclination several times and the last 20 percent fly away faster. It is therefore better to know this so as not to think that you have a margin once you reach 20%, you should on the contrary have a charger at hand.

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

The TCL 30 SE is equipped with a 50 million pixel Samsung S5KJN1 main sensor, this sensor is also present in other phones like the Nokia G21, Redmi Note 11, Motorola G31 or the Samsung Galaxy A13. This photo sensor isn't the best on the market but it's far from being the worst, I'm even quite surprised to find it in an entry-level phone like this.

The phone has two other sensors but I don't have any technical information about them.

Photo quality

Photo quality (indoor/studio)

The studio test is carried out under the same conditions so that the results can be compared on an equal basis. I calibrate my lighting for each test to obtain the same brightness and colour temperature. This test is a preliminary analysis of the technical qualities of a camera. Most phones fail this test, so you should also read the results of the other tests in the following paragraphs.

The photo test of the TCL 30 SE is going to be a little faster than usual because I only have one sensor to test and it is a sensor that I have already tested in other phones. The photo taken above is a photo taken in manual mode which demonstrates that this sensor is capable of doing some interesting things and is able to do better than the basic settings which result in a darker photo. With the automatic mode, I get this:

The pro mode makes it possible to obtain a fairer exposure even if there are missing gradations in the settings and the RAW mode is not available. The result in automatic mode follows somewhat the same trend as the other phones tested by producing photos that are a little too dark under artificial light. The sharpness is average, the colors are influenced by the exposure but I notice that the photo is quite noisy, this is something that I had not noticed with other phones using the same sensor.

On this photo we can better see the sharpness, in the center it is good, the Canadian banknote is very well detailed and the small text at the bottom of the banknote is perfectly readable. This sharpness decreases on the periphery, I will have to do a technical test to measure exactly the impact of this decrease.

This Samsung S5KJN1 sensor is able to take good pictures when the conditions are good, it's not the best in its category but in this price range, it does its job properly.

Photo: technical test

I was inspired by industrial technical tests to create my own technical test to evaluate the technical quality of a camera. This test is an objective assessment of a camera's ability to render a scene correctly.

I test the following elements:
- centre sharpness, peripheral sharpness
- colour fidelity based on 24 reference colours
- level of chromatic aberration
- dynamic range (ability to capture dark and light areas without loss)
- distortion

The technical evaluation may differ from the subjective evaluation as the feeling of a photo will be influenced by the processing provided by each manufacturer.

Outdoor photo quality

The light was not very good when I went out to take these photos, I took advantage of a lull in the storm Eunice but the sky was dark and the scenery was rather muddy. Despite everything, I was positively surprised by this photo sensor because even if the photos are a little too dark, there are not too many overexposure/underexposure zones. The processing of the sharpness is clearly visible on the branches, it does not pose a problem if you do not zoom in and on the scale of the screen of the telephone, it is not visible at all.

I had not had such bad conditions to test other phones with the same sensor, so this adds a little value to this photo sensor which does better than what the usually found in the entry level.

Test photo / night

Not yet available / tested

Video quality

Stabilisation

Like the vast majority of phones in this price range, the TCL 30 SE is not capable of stabilizing videos, vibrations are very visible.

Video normale conditions

The TCL 30 SE is capable of filming in 1080p with 30 frames per second. The quality of the videos produced is good for this type of device. Focusing is fast, exposure jumps are noticeable but not problematic, and I find the dynamic range to be quite good. The video is a little too dark like the photos, I had already noticed this point with other phones using the same sensor, it's a question of settings rather than a technical inability.

Video low light

Not yet available / tested

External audio quality

This test is intended to give you an overview of the volume and sound quality during calls and when listening to music through the external speakers.

The TCL 30 SE is equipped with a single loudspeaker placed on the lower edge of the phone. This loudspeaker produces a sound of medium power and this sound is very focused on the treble as is often the case for this type of configuration. So it's not a phone for those who like to listen to music without headphones, but I think it's an assumed choice for this kind of phone.

The sound quality in communication is correct, here too I find that the sound is quite high-pitched. The volume with the listening loudspeaker is not very high, on the other hand the volume is average with the external loudspeaker.

Audio quality (headphones)

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.

The sound produced by the headphone output of this phone is relatively powerful but this power causes significant distortion, so you have to lower the volume a few notches to hope to return to sound of acceptable quality. If I analyze the frequency coverage, I see that the TCL does not reproduce the sound correctly at full volume. I compared it here with a Redmi Note 11 and we see that the white line of the TCL does not stop jumping where that of the Redmi remains very stable on all frequencies. The differences don't seem to be significant but they are audible.

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 other two TCL products I tested had a very good screen, I wondered if that would also be the case with an entry-level product. Yes and no. Yes, because at the entry level, you don't find extraordinary screens and this one is probably above average. No because at Redmi there is better. I obtained a dE of 3.11 on average which in itself is not bad but I have a significant gap on the white. In brilliant mode (in NXT Vision), I have a dE greater than 10 for white and in natural mode, this dE drops to 5.7 and that's still a bit too much. White is slightly too warm with a color temperature of 6246K where it should ideally be 6500k.

Brightness / Contrast

I measured quite a high contrast ratio in natural mode and with NXT Vision optimization I've never had such high contrast (2108:1) on an IPS LCD screen.

Natural light is good as I measured 465 cd/m² and flooding the sensor with light and with adaptive light I measured 565 cd/m². So you will be able to use this phone under the sun without having to strain too much to read the screen.

Biometry

The TCL 30 SE is equipped with a fingerprint sensor on the back, I no longer test many phones with a sensor there but I find that it is still one of the most suitable places for this kind of sensor . This sensor works well and is quite responsive.

Operating system

This TCL runs Android 12, it's one of the first Android 12 phones that I tested. Beyond the operating system, TCL has brought some additional elements to personalize your phone. TCL has added a few more apps but these aren't as intrusive as Xiaomi's, so the overlay is lighter. For some of these apps, I'm not even sure if they are from TCL because they may be natively available in Android 12.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

Accessories TCL 30 SE

Compare TCL 30 SE with the others

Test / Review conclusion

Before going into the details of my conclusion, I just have to remember that this phone is an entry-level phone, so it cannot compete with a 250€ phone, but in its niche around 150€ it is very good. positioned against the competition.

The TCL 30 SE is mainly made of plastic but it manages to stand out from the entry level with a good level of finish, it is sober and elegant. The Redmi 9A/9C that I tested over a year ago were much more basic. The TCL 30 SE is aimed at a wide audience looking for a smartphone with all the basic features without breaking the bank. With its introductory price around €150, it must be noted that with the increase in the price of telephones, there is not much left in this price zone. The TCL 30 SE provides sufficient performance for normal use, I just find there is some latency when interacting with the phone. If you come from a faster phone, it will be seen, if on the other hand you have never had a faster phone, you probably won't see it.

The TCL camera is the same as in the Redmi Note 11, although this one costs a little more. It is an entry-level camera that is capable of producing good quality photos for this price range. If the photo is important to you, the Redmi Note 10 is probably a better alternative (but it is more expensive).

The TCL 30 SE offers a large screen with good entry-level colorimetry and excellent contrast (one of the best) thanks to NXT Vision optimization. The screen has a slightly lower resolution than Redmi, but the image is of good quality.

4G network sensitivity and GPS accuracy are two other strengths of this phone, these are basic features that we tend to forget when choosing a phone but TCL has not forgotten it. The TCL 30 SE will lose the 4G signal less quickly than the average phone, this is undoubtedly an important criterion for those who call a lot with their phone.

On the other hand, I was quite disappointed with the wifi, I didn't manage to get a good signal or a good download speed, the two are often linked. The sound quality is also not extraordinary, the small external speaker is not very powerful and produces high-pitched sound. The sound with headphones could also have been a little better too, the frequency reproduction is not among the best.

Strengths

4G sensitivity
GPS accuracy
Screen contrast
Finish
Price/performance
Photo quality (entry level)

Weaknesses

Wifi sensitivity
Speaker sound quality
Sound fidelity with headphones
Buttons a little too high

Alternatives to this product

Not yet available / tested

LAURENT WILLEN
Head of myself on this blog

I share my passions on my blog in my free time since 2006, I prefer that to watching nonsense on TV or on social networks. I work alone, I am undoubtedly one of the last survivors of the world of blogs and personal sites.

My speciality? Digital in all its forms. I have spent the last 25 years working for multinationals where I managed digital teams and generated revenues of over €500 million per year. I have expertise in telecoms, media, aviation, travel and tourism.