Hands-On Review Of The Super Affordable TCL 40 XE 5G Smartphone

There’s no question that smartphones have become an indispensable part of our lives, making us wonder how we ever lived without them. Whether to simply call or text friends and family, check your e-mail, browse the web, or keep tabs on your favorite social media sites, most of us rely on our phones on a daily basis and can’t live without them.

But over the years, we have seen smartphone prices continue to rise, with some of the flagship models setting you back $1,000 or more! So what do you do if you can’t afford to spend that kind of money on a new phone? Thankfully, TCL has the perfect solution, a budget-oriented smartphone that’s big on features but low on price.

Introducing the TCL 40 XE 5G, the brand’s most affordable 5G smartphone to date. Coming in at an impossibly low $119.99, this smartphone does it all without breaking the bank. Enjoy TV shows, movies, and sports on its brilliant 6.56″ HD+ display. A MediaTek Dimensity 700 2.2GHz Octa-core 5G processor plus 4G of RAM makes short work of any tasks. And with a massive 5000mAh battery, there’s plenty of juice to last you all day, even for the most active of users.

Since taking quality photos and videos are so important, TCL has equipped the TCL 40 XE 5G with a triple rear camera system – A 13MP main camera, 2MP depth, and 2MP macro lenses. There’s also an 8MP front camera that’s perfect for selfies and video calls. And with 64GB of ROM (expandable up to 1TB via MicroSD card), storage space isn’t an issue one bit.

Now I will admit that I wasn’t expecting much in the photography department from a “budget” phone, but some of the photos I took rivaled those taken with my iPhone 13 Pro, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell between them at first glance. It’s honestly really impressive what they’ve been able to do with this camera. That said, if you’re a photographer, this probably won’t cut it. But for 95% of people out there, this is more than adequate.

Physically, the phone feels good in your hand. It’s slim and lightweight (6.9 oz), yet it feels sturdy and well-built. There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor to unlock your phone, or you can use Face Unlock to open your phone with a simple glance. I also appreciate the fact that they’ve included a headphone jack on the bottom of the phone, as that’s a rarity these days.

Lastly, the TCL 40 XE 5G is loaded with Android 13, so you can get the most from your device with suggested responses, actions and more intuitive gestures. Hopefully TCL will continue to roll out updates for some time, but regardless it’s nice to have, especially at this price point.

Overall, TCL has done am exceptional job with the 40 XE 5G. The large 6.56″ display delivers stunning clarity, color and contrast. With 180Hz touch sampling rate and a 90Hz refresh rate, you get a smoother user experience while gaming and scrolling. The camera is great for taking photos (videos.. not so much). And battery life with the 5000 mAh battery is great, I easily got 24-36 hours of use out of it depending on what I was doing. All of this for just $119.99!

The TCL 40 XE 5G is available for purchase now in Verizon stores and on verizon.com, and you can find more information on the phone here.

What do you guys think of the TCL 40 XE 5G?

Specifications:

• 🖥️ Display: 6.56-inch HD+
• 🏃‍♂️ Refresh rate: 90Hz
• 🙌 Touch sampling: 180Hz
• 📸 Camera: 13MP camera
• 🤳 Selfie: 8MP selfie camera
• 🔋 Battery: 5,000mAh
• ⚙️ Processor: Mediatek MT6833 Dimensity 700
• 🐏 RAM: 4GB
• 🗃️ microSD card slot? Yes (supports up to 1TB)
• 🗄️ Storage: 64GB
• 🫵 Biometrics: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
• 💰 Price: $119.99