Chris InglisOver the last couple of years, I have come to appreciate the value and quality of TCL’s android mobile handsets compared to other brands. The TCL 30 SE reviewed in 2022 was a very affordable phone and gaming device. More recently TCL launched the TCL 30 5G handset, but this phone also comes bundled with a set of TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 True Wireless Headphones. With a combined price tag that’s under AUD600, I was keen to see the improvements and was pleasantly surprised.
Inside the box is the TCL 30 5G handset, a clear silicone cover, power adaptor, USB-C cable, and the TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 True Wireless Headphones. Valued at AUD249 on their own, the earbuds are compatible with both android and iOS devices. The phone handset weighs 184g, is 165mm tall and 7.74mm thick. It’s physically bigger than my iPhone 12 yet feels slightly lighter, even though the iPhone 12 is 164g. This review unit is the Dreamy Blue version (also comes in Tech Black), and the back cover is scratch resistant. It feels light yet solid and durable. Like on the TCL 30 SE, having all the buttons on the one side is a preferred configuration helping to avoid incidental button presses when holding it. The speakers at the bottom gave me similar issues with hand placement when playing games or watching videos in landscape. It’s not a deal breaker, just something that you quickly adjust when you hear the muffled sound.
Setting up the phone was very easy with Google connectivity, face recognition, and fingerprint scanner on the side for security. The default apps installed on the phone are ample without any excessive advertising apps. The phone’s 128GB of storage had 23GB used for system files and default apps, leaving plenty of space for games, apps and photos. The TCL 30 5G comes with a 50MP AI Triple camera (including 2MP depth and 2MP macro cameras), and the front selfie camera is now 13MP (increased from 8MP on the 30 SE). I was impressed with the number of options available when taking photos from cat and dog options to food, flowers and plants, there will be options to help enhance the quality of photos taken by everyone.
After playing some games and watching some videos, I found there was no improvement to speaker sound quality over the 30 SE model. It’s still lacking bass and depth for gaming but is acceptable for watching YouTube. However, being able to use the included TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 wireless headphones changed the game. While the earbuds have 32 hours of battery life with active noise cancelling off (24 hours with ANC on), this equates to active audio listening time of 8 hours with ANC off and 6 hours ANC on. These gave me that immersive sound quality that I was looking for and were comfortable in the ears for long periods.
While they are not as noise cancelling as a set of fully enclosed gaming headphones, it was decent enough in an office setting to mitigate the background noises during phone conversations. When I opened the headphones pod, it displayed the battery power of each earpiece and the charging pod on the phone which was very useful as a quick check. This package also comes with four sets of differing size earpieces to get the comfortable fit for the individual. I was very impressed with the quality of sound produced, and glad to have them packaged with this handset as I feel the sound quality is the only let-down for TCL’s last few mobile models. The headphones work with Google Assistant voice prompts, and they will stop playing your audio if you take them off, then resume it when you put them back on.
The 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display is crystal clear, providing 2400 x 1080 resolution and vivid colours This is helped by the NXTVision options which were all enabled to give me the best quality output, while still working to protect my eyes from blue light at night. I installed Diablo Immortal and Asphalt 9, and the graphics were very well detailed. In the case of the fast-paced racing action of Asphalt 9, the driving was super smooth without too much jaggedness in intense turns or vehicle crashes. I also had no problems using the phone controls to play Diablo Immortal and the small text for character names and in the game menus were easily read without eye strain.
The biggest advantage for the TCL 30 5G is the 5010mAh battery which is far and above the iPhone 12 (2815mAh) and iPhone 14 Pro (3200mAh). For a mix of gaming, YouTube videos and messaging for a couple of hours each day, I only had to charge it every few days. Charging while plugged in to USB-C used slow charging mode whereas plugging into power gives faster 18W charging for before work or your next meeting.
Overall, the TCL 30 5G bundled with the TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 True Wireless Headphones is a near-perfect package for the avid Android phone user looking for long-lasting battery power and immersive audio quality. Without the headphones the sound quality is not the best for gaming, but to have a handset and earbuds for under AUD600 is once again excellent value compared to other brands.
This review utilised a loan unit provided by Closer Communications and the TCL 30 5G 128GB is available to purchase from JB HiFi, currently on special for AUD496.
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