- Great screen for price
- NFC support
- Decent multitasking
But there are trade-offs. For instance, the 50 XL’s display isn’t bright enough to be visible outdoors on a sunny day — even when I set it to 100%. It’s an issue that we’ve seen on more expensive budget phones like Google’s Pixel 6A and can be crudely dealt with by waiting to use the 50 XL until you’re indoors or under some shade.
The TCL 50 XL’s 5,010mAh battery, while big, is power-hungry and drained quickly in my tests compared to similar phones. During a 45-minute battery endurance test, where I put the TCL through a mix of activities like a video call, YouTube streaming, texting and social media, the phone got warm to the touch. Admittedly I had the phone’s refresh rate set to run at a constant 120Hz, which is more demanding than the phone’s default “smart” mode that swaps between 60Hz and 120Hz. But this is still the first time I managed to physically heat up a phone that costs under $200 through normal use.
The TCL 50 X 5G can be set to a consistent 120Hz refresh rate, an adaptive mode or a consistent 60Hz.
TCL 50 XL 5G’s screen, features, battery life
As the “XL” in the name implies, this is a big phone. The 6.78-inch display dwarfs the $349 Nothing Phone 2A‘s 6.7-inch display. But what’s particularly unique about the 50 XL is how at $160 it includes a 1080p resolution-panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, which helps make Android animations and graphics in games look smooth.
The large display was ideal when I played games like Dead Cells, helping make the on-screen controls easier to use. When I streamed season 6 of Netflix’s The Circle, the high-definition stream showed off the reality show contestants’ colorful apartments. Colors are further emphasized through TCL’s NxtVision setting, which adds more saturation when I watch videos or play games.
I’m not wild about the speakers, though. While it’s seemingly a plus that there are two, my ears couldn’t clearly pick out audio details when cranking the volume higher. I should note that most cheap phones have only a single speaker. I preferred to either connect my Bluetooth headphones or make use of the 3.5mm headphone jack instead.
TCL 50 XL 5G 698 1,881 338; 2.03fpsTCL 40 X 5G 719 1,883 332; 1.99fpsMoto G 5G (2024) 845 1,851 297; 1.76fps
- Geekbench 6.0 Single Core
- Geekbench 6.0 Multi Core
- 3DMark Wild Life Extreme
The TCL 50 XL 5G includes a headphone jack in addition to Bluetooth audio support.
Despite this noticeable drain, I was generally able to get through a day of use when using the 50 XL, however someone playing intensive games or media should probably consider setting its display to the “Smart” refresh mode or to the less-intensive 60Hz in order to extend battery life.
On the software side, the TCL phone runs on Android 14 that includes the company’s TCL UI skin, which adds largely decorative touches. Then there’s the bloatware with T-Mobile itself including unwanted software and apps by default. While the 50 XL’s T-Mobile exclusivity likely helps the phone hit its cheaper price, it’s distracting to see the carrier brand itself into the Google Now feed by including its own T-Mobile Play feed. This issue however isn’t limited to just this TCL phone, and it is possible to deactivate the T-Mobile Play feed by diving into the phone’s settings menu and disabling the app.
The takoyaki being cooked at the Karl’s Balls vendor at a street fair.
I took the TCL 50 XL 5G to a street festival in order to try out the takoyaki made by Karl’s Balls, a food vendor I follow on Instagram. Since it was a sunny day, the 50 XL did a decent job. My photos showed the browned exterior of the large takoyaki balls I ordered matching the color they looked like in real life. However, photos of the creamy interior had muddy, almost blurry details. Color accuracy is good, take a look at this photo I took of the fried octopus ball cut in half, but the details like the shiny texture of the filling is largely nonexistent.
This wider shot of the booth fairs better, with the TCL 50 XL taking a clear photo despite there being a lot of movement from the crowds and from the workers cooking.
And here’s a selfie I took on a cold, cloudy Saturday. It’s me, yes. But the image looks flat with me blending in with the dreary weather in the background.
An evening street photo taken on the TCL 50 XL while walking.
The rear camera captures video at 1080p at 30 frames per second, and the quality isn’t much better than photos. You can get a functional video for a quick share, but it’s going to have a fuzzy look to it since it struggles with details.
It’s still worth noting that for a $160 phone, camera quality is usually the most notable feature that gets sacrificed. Compared with the $200 Moto G 5G, there is a noticeable improvement to how Motorola’s phone takes photos. In my camera test that uses a grass wall in CNET’s office, the Moto G 5G’s photo shows more color depth and detail than the TCL image.
The grass wall at CNET’s office taken on the Moto G 5G.
These issues aren’t necessarily deal breakers for calculating whether a cheaper phone is worth the price, but it’s important to be realistic that we’ve yet to use a $200 phone that takes photos you’d be dying to get printed or videos that you’d want to edit into a YouTube vlog.
| TCL 50 XL 5G | Moto G 5G (2024) | TCL 40 X 5G | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.78-inch, 2,460 x 1,080 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate | 6.6-inch LCD; 1,612 x 720 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate | 6.56-inch; 1,612 x 720 pixels; 90Hz refresh rate |
| Pixel density | 396 ppi | 269 ppi | 269 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 6.6 x 2.9 x 0.32 in. | 6.5 x 3 x 0.3 in. | 6.47 x 2.97 x 0.35 in |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 167.6 x 73.6 x 8.1mm | 164.4 x 75 x 8.2mm | 164.46 x 75.4 x 8.99 mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 195g (6.9 oz) | 194g (6.84 oz) | 195 g (6.9 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 14 | Android 14 | Android 13 |
| Camera | 50-megapixel (main), 5-megapixel (ultrawide), 2-megapixel (depth) | 50-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (macro) | 50-megapixel (main), 2-megapixel (macro), 2-megapixel (depth) |
| Front-facing camera | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel | 8-megapixel |
| Video capture | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 | MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| RAM/Storage | 6GB RAM + 128GB | 4GB RAM + 128GB | 4GB RAM + 64GB |
| Expandable storage | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Battery/Charger | 5,010 mAh | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Side | Side | Side |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Special features | NFC, 5G connectivity, TCL NxtVision, 18W wired charging, RAM Extender | 18W wired charging, Dolby Atmos, NFC, water repellent, gesture controls, Moto Secure, RAM Boost | 5G, 18W wired charging, TCL NxtVision |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $160 (128GB) | $200 (128GB) | $180 (64GB) |
| Price (GBP) | Converts to £128 (128GB) | Converts to £159 (128GB) | Converts to £145 (64GB) |
| Price (AUD) | Converts to AU$242 (128GB) | Converts to AU$303 (128GB) | Converts to AU$275 (64GB) |
