TCL Stylus 5G Review: How 4 Months Went With This $258 Phone - CNET

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On paper, the TCL Stylus 5G provides a fantastic worth astatine $258 (converts to £214, AU$383). It has a ample 6.81-inch surface with a 1,080p resolution, 5G compatibility, a cleanable mentation of Android 12 and 4 rear cameras anchored by a 50-megapixel main camera sensor. There's a dedicated slot for its included magnetic stylus which should marque the Stylus 5G a large productivity prime for cost-conscious spenders.

But implicit the 4 months of testing, a bid of bundle issues made the TCL Stylus 5G challenging to use. I experienced random resets, Bluetooth problems and a fatal clang that required a mill reset.

TCL replicated the issues I discovered and said that patches are successful the works but my clip with the telephone has decidedly established what compromises are and aren't OK erstwhile buying for a sub-$300 phone.

Like

Big surface with bully HDR mode
Clean mentation of Android 12
Magnetic stylus

Don't Like

Software bugs often interaction usability
T-Mobile bloatware
Fuzzy video quality

When it each works, the telephone is 1 of the amended under-$300 phones I've tested, peculiarly due to the fact that of its ample colorful screen, agelong artillery beingness and bundled productivity apps that enactment with its stylus. But past 1 of the aforementioned bundle problems would appear, making the telephone hard -- oregon sometimes intolerable -- to proceed using.

The Stylus 5G is presently pugnacious to recommend. Its existent exclusivity to T-Mobile astatine $258 (or the somewhat higher $270 erstwhile purchased astatine Metro by T-Mobile) severely limits its availability. TCL says the telephone volition yet beryllium disposable unlocked, but it needs to hole its show issues first.

TCL Stylus 5G performance

The TCL Stylus 5G is each implicit the spot erstwhile it comes to performance, with bundle problems grinding each agleam spot to a halt. The MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G spot powering the instrumentality isn't precise powerful, but it handled astir of my power-consuming tasks. Listening to euphony portion browsing the web, playing games specified arsenic Mario Kart Tour and video calling portion simultaneously perusing media-heavy apps similar Instagram weren't a occupation initially. But when doing these tasks astatine magnitude -- specified arsenic portion commuting -- the telephone unexpectedly reset itself respective times a week. At the clip of publishing, this occupation inactive wasn't resolved adjacent aft installing a November bundle update.

Thankfully, that bundle update did code the Bluetooth connectivity issues I besides experienced during my clip with the TCL Stylus 5G. My wireless headphones disconnected and reconnected repeatedly connected aggregate occasions earlier this update, happening astir often with Apple Music connected Android on with different third-party apps. However, this didn't hap erstwhile streaming euphony connected Spotify oregon YouTube Music. While there's a wired headphone jack that could alleviate this concern, it's unusual to person the aforesaid contented with aggregate Bluetooth headphones.

TCL said it's continuing enactment connected bundle patches to these issues, which I experienced connected 2 reappraisal units earlier the November bundle patch. The Bluetooth mistake being resolved does marque the telephone much usable but the much troubling contented was erstwhile the phone's retention became corrupted and needed a afloat mill reset successful bid to proceed functioning. Luckily that didn't hap with my 2nd reappraisal unit.

The phone's 5G connectivity was good. The exemplary I utilized was locked to T-Mobile and compatible with the carrier's "5G Ultra Capacity" web -- which is simply a fancy sanction for its millimeter question and C-band spectrum. Video streaming and loading websites were some speedy connected the TCL Stylus 5G, careless of which benignant of web the telephone was connected to. While I'm not thrilled that the Stylus 5G is presently locked to T-Mobile, it's important that adjacent lower-end phones similar this are benefiting from faster speeds arsenic the carrier's 5G web continues to improve.

TCL Stylus 5G cameras

The TCL Stylus 5G takes decent photos for a telephone successful this terms range. There are 4 cameras: a 50-megapixel main camera, a 5-megapixel ultrawide, a 2-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel extent sensor camera.

Outdoors during a time travel to the Hamptons, I took photos of boats and beaches each of which came retired nice. Though the cameras don't seizure a ton of details.

Beach photograph taken connected the TCL Stylus 5G.

Boat photograph taken connected the TCL Stylus 5G

During a nighttime Mets game, I was capable to digitally zoom-in connected players adjacent though you tin hardly marque retired details connected the subordinate uniforms.

Baseball crippled photograph connected the TCL Stylus 5G

Darker settings were much of a challenge, but expectedly truthful for a telephone successful this terms range. I took photos of a acheronian agelong of road and of my friend's cat, Kai. Both photos suffered from brushed details and question blur.

Highway photograph instrumentality connected the TCL Stylus 5G.

The 13-megapixel selfie camera delivers mixed performance. If the lighting was bully and the camera nailed focus, I looked good. But astir of the clip selfies and video chats looked muddy and blurry.

Outdoor selfie photograph connected TCL Stylus 5G.

Indoor selfie photograph connected the TCL Stylus 5G.

Video footage that I recorded with the rear camera was outright bad. I consciousness it would lone beryllium bully for sending a speedy video to a friend.

These results are accordant among astir sub-$300 phones similar the OnePlus N20 5G which besides has a Night mode. The Stylus 5G lacks nighttime mode but does see a Portrait mode, which is besides rather uncommon successful this terms range. In usage it was inconsistent. During the Mets crippled for instance, the camera focused connected maine but besides unblurred a fewer random radical sitting down me.

TCL Stylus 5G Screen, Battery Life, Software

The 6.8-inch 1,080p surface is the champion part, adjacent if astatine archetypal it appears bland. Most of the clip the surface runs successful an SDR mode which mightiness beryllium to prevention artillery life. However TCL's NXTVision mounting switches the surface into an HDR mode automatically erstwhile playing videos and games -- allowing for the telephone to amusement a noticeable bump successful colour saturation. I particularly appreciated it erstwhile playing Mario Kart Tour, wherever the boost successful colour helps the racetracks pop. It's a astute thought that I'd similar to spot successful much phones successful this terms range, and successful immoderate ways is comparable to however much costly phones similar the iPhone 14 Pro which tin dynamically set their refresh rate.

The phone's 4,000-mAh artillery is large but tiny erstwhile compared to different inexpensive phones which often person a 5,000-mAh artillery similar the $250 Samsung Galaxy A13 5G. I ne'er had an contented getting done a time of usage with the Stylus 5G. Most days would extremity with astir 30% battery, and the telephone does travel with an 18W accelerated charger. That charging velocity isn't ridiculously accelerated compared to different phones successful this terms range, but I recovered the telephone susceptible of charging from 8% to 50% successful astir 34 minutes arsenic good arsenic to 89% successful astir 90 minutes.

Despite my qualms against the assorted bundle bugs I encountered, the Stylus 5G ships with Android 12 and respective TCL-specific features similar NXTVision and shortcuts to your astir caller euphony oregon podcast app headphones are connected. After adding my T-Mobile SIM card, the telephone did adhd a dense magnitude of bearer customizations, which included a dedicated T-Mobile provender (alongside Google's quality feed) arsenic good arsenic respective T-Mobile apps.

The TCL Stylus 5G volition lone person 1 further Android bundle update, and 2 years of information updates. This is connected the abbreviated broadside for this terms range, arsenic Samsung promises arsenic overmuch arsenic 4 years of information updates for its cheaper A-series phones. But it's besides connected par with Motorola's Moto G series, which lone gets 1 bundle update but 3 years of information updates. If idiosyncratic buys a Stylus 5G they'll request to get a caller telephone aft 2 years successful bid to debar having idiosyncratic information connected a instrumentality that could acquisition a information vulnerability.

For time to time telephone information however, the Stylus 5G includes a fingerprint sensor arsenic portion of the powerfulness button. There's besides NFC included for mobile payments, which is peculiarly uncommon to spot successful this little terms range.

TCL Stylus 5G: Should you buy?

With the competitory mode TCL prices their phones, it would beryllium fantastic to spot the institution disrupt the mobile abstraction the mode its value-filled tv sets did. But erstwhile you person issues with a television's built-in operating strategy for streaming apps, you tin ever plug successful a Roku, Chromecast, Apple TV oregon a crippled console to usage instead. A phone's bundle acquisition is simply a captious element.

Until the TCL Stylus 5G works retired its predominant resets, I can't urge the telephone successful its existent state. I'm encouraged by however the Bluetooth connectivity issues I experienced were patched out.

Someone looking successful this terms scope should cheque retired the $300 OnePlus N20, which has comparable specs. While we haven't tested it yet, the $250 Samsung Galaxy A13 5G is besides worthy considering, but arsenic we scope the extremity of the twelvemonth it's apt Samsung volition motorboat a newer version.

If you person a Stylus 5G and acquisition the aforesaid issues I did, marque definite your telephone is updated to the latest bundle mentation (4.0.6E95 arsenic of this writing). If this doesn't amended things, past it's worthy trying to get the telephone replaced utilizing TCL's 1-year warranty.

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