16 Jul
Blog

TCL 20 Pro 5G Review: The Rollercoaster Smartphone

The TCL 20 Pro 5G seen from behind, hand-held.

TCL 20 Pro 5G

RRP $ 500.00

"TCL's screen expertise shines through in the TCL 20 Pro 5G, but the rest of the phone – from the camera to the software – does not meet the same standards and falls behind the competition."

advantages

  • Excellent screen for videos

  • Good gaming performance

disadvantage

  • Only 60Hz refresh rate

  • Unreliable software

  • No watertightness

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is designed like a phone that would have pushed a manufacturer's product range to the top a few years ago and would have cost four-digit numbers back then. While the 20 Pro 5G is also at the top of TCL's growing line of smartphones, it costs just $ 500.

That alone got me to try it out, and the more recommendations we can give at this price, the better. However, my weeks with the TCL 20 Pro 5G turned out to be a rollercoaster ride with a shaky start and persistent ups and downs, but it paid off enough to give it a try. The question is, did it completely do it? That's the way it is.

design

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is definitely a piece of smartphone nostalgia, as we've seen phones that look like this before. It's 8.8mm thin and tapers to a relatively sharp point on either side of the slim screen with an aspect ratio of 20: 9. A polished section on the matte black glass back gives it character and repeats a design we saw earlier on the Huawei P30 Pro, but here the camera lenses are flush with the case.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It is not only reminiscent of Huawei's phone, but also older devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro, Oppo Find X2 Pro and various Samsung Galaxy phones including the Galaxy S8. Although the design is very pretty and the width makes it easy to hold and use with one hand, it has the same problems as the phones a few years ago – it's delicate, it absolutely slips off and the sides do it uncomfortable to handle. However, at 190 grams, it's lighter than many modern large phones.

There is a clear TPU case in the box and I felt the need to use it due to the sharp sides and slipperiness of the phone. A 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition, there's a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom of the phone and a single speaker too. The power and volume buttons are thin slivers of metal, plus there's a smart key on the left side of the phone that can be customized to perform actions like waking the Google Assistant, activating the camera, taking a screenshot, or the full Deactivate can perform. I was forced to disable it as I almost always accidentally pressed the button during normal use.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G charging port.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The curve on the screen of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The headphone jack of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smart key on the side of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's hard not to consider the TCL 20 Pro 5G "old" when placed next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 + as it shows how the design has changed since the time the 20 Pro 5G would have looked fresh. The Samsung cell phone is roughly the same size and weight, but is much more comfortable to hold, less slippery and arguably more stylish. Is old something bad? No, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is very pretty indeed, but it's a little frustrating that TCL failed to avoid the pitfalls of similar phones when the design was used in 2021.

software

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone. I set up all of the test phones from scratch with my primary SIM card, but the first time with the 20 Pro 5G it was a disaster. I had problems with screen recognition of taps, auto brightness didn't work, I received almost no notifications, and my battery life was very poor. It got so bad I reset the phone and tried again, but nothing changed, so I stopped using it and asked TCL about incoming software updates.

I reset the phone a third time after waiting but didn't hear any software update news and, oddly enough, the phone has worked a lot better since then. I didn't apply any software updates outside of the reset / setup process. I test a lot of phones and have never come across them. I note because if you buy a TCL 20 Pro 5G and find that it isn't working properly, some resets can cure it.

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone

The phone has Android 11 with the TCL v3.0 user interface which is relatively straightforward and is close to the vanilla Android experience you get with the Google Pixel series. However, the organization of apps in the app drawer is set to Category by default, which is less intuitive than alphabetical in my opinion, and there are various pre-installed apps as well as shortcut icons to services like setting up the smart key, locking the screen, and accessing the TCL support pages.

Notifications are more reliable than when you first started, but the phone tends to just stop showing them on the lock screen and not start again until you unlock the phone. I've also experienced some strange app instability with Outlook refusing to work on a cellular connection but apparently fine when connected to Wi-Fi.

Video playback on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Edge detection is not as good as it should be. For example, I still sometimes accidentally switch from one app to another when I swipe. On the positive side, the system is fast and I really like the different always-on-screen designs, especially the one with the time shown in red on the side of the display. It's so clear and legible, even from a distance. Although the TCL 20 Pro 5G is now working to the point that I can use it on a daily basis, it still has its problems, which, combined with my early experiences, doesn't give me much confidence in it.

Screen and performance

The TCL 20 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution and HDR10 certification, but only with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Inside there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with 6 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage. TCL is a screen expert and we rate their TVs highly, so I had similarly high expectations for the TV on the 20 Pro 5G phone.

TCL 20 Pro 5G screen.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint. TCL's NXTVISION display engine improves colors and contrasts very effectively. I put it next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 +, a phone that costs twice as much with a display that I think looks amazing, and the TCL 20 Pro 5G improves on it. When looking at Carfection's view of the Singer Porsche 911 DLS, the colors are richer and livelier and the shadows are dark, yet rich in detail. It's really beautiful, and it does really well with the iPhone 12 Pro's wonderfully natural palette too.

That's quite a feat for a $ 500 smartphone, so it's a real shame that TCL didn't choose a screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz or higher. This is a feature we see even on the cheapest phones currently available and also on the TCL 20 Pro's main competitor, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. I missed the nice fluid scrolling when using Twitter or Chrome which adds a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen's performance is also hurt by the single speaker, which is easily obscured by the hand and, unsurprisingly, lacks depth and bass.

Asphalt 9: Legends played on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I had no complaints about the speed of the Snapdragon 750G and enjoyed playing on the TCL 20 Pro 5G. I've played both Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact and found the phone very comfortable to hold in landscape mode. It didn't get hot either and the games ran smoothly. The nice contrast and colors of the screen make gaming one of the phone's strong points.

The 4,500 mAh battery offers two days of moderate use, but it doesn't like it when you squeeze the phone even a little harder, especially when you want to take advantage of the screen. After normal usage plus an hour of gameplay, some YouTube, and a video call, the battery would have dropped to 20% by the end of the first day. Charging is done with an included 18W charger, which takes a slow two hours to fully charge the phone.

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint

It has a sub-6-5G connection that works with T-Mobile, but compatibility with AT&T is limited to 4G LTE due to the bands supported by the phone. The WiFi connection has a shorter range than other phones, but the call quality was good.

camera

There are four cameras on the back of the TCL 20 Pro 5G. The 48 megapixel main camera has a f / 1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and is supported by a 16 MP wide angle camera, a 2 MP depth camera and a 5 MP macro camera when you put the phone in the USA buy macro camera has 2 megapixels. You can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second and take selfies with the 32 MP hole punch camera at the top of the screen.

TCL 20 Pro 5G camera lenses.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

For general everyday use, the camera is acceptable, but don't expect it to compete with or be particularly inspired by the Google Pixel 4a or Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. What is clear is that if you want to take a decent sharable photo, stick with using the main camera for stills. The problem is an inconsistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, with the main camera remaining neutral in terms of colors and exposure, while the wide-angle camera over-saturates, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Low-light indoor shots with the camera's night mode are average and don't expose a lot of details, the macro camera (here the 2MP version) is awkward to use as it doesn't have autofocus, and even if you set the distance just right, photos are still not very inspiring. The 2x zoom setting in the camera app accesses a digital zoom and videos look washed out in normal outdoor lighting.

Price and availability

You pay $ 500 for the TCL 20 Pro 5G and it can be purchased through Amazon. In the UK it costs £ 499 and is available through retailers such as Argos. There are two color options, Marine Blue or Moondust Gray (seen in our photos), but only a 256GB storage option is available.

Our opinion

This isn't TCL's first smartphone, but it still feels like TCL hasn't quite gotten going. The screen is the best part of the phone that is the company's specialty, but the rest is broken down into positives and negatives. It gets the design and usability of the software right, but mistakes and inconsistencies destroy my confidence in them. The main camera takes good photos, but wide-angle and video performance lag far behind the competition.

The battery is fine with light usage, but efficiency suffers as you use the phone more intensively, which suggests it needs improvement. While I like the overall design of the phone, many will not like the curved screen and its imprecise touch detection, as well as the sharp sides. This makes the TCL 20 Pro 5G difficult to recommend, especially since there is stiff competition at both higher and lower prices.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. We recommend the $ 500 Samsung Galaxy A52 5G with a 90Hz screen, a pretty design that is more durable due to an IP water resistance rating, the same processor, an attractive screen, and longer software support. The $ 500 Google Pixel 4a 5G is another option with even better software and support, as well as a better camera.

When 5G isn't a necessity, you can spend less and still get a great phone. The $ 350 Google Pixel 4a is still a solid buy, albeit showing its age, as is the much newer OnePlus Nord CE for $ 420 / £ 299 if you live outside the US, and if you want an Apple phone, the $ 400 iPhone SE should be a top consideration too.

How long it will take?

TCL intends to provide two Android version updates and two year security updates for the 20 Pro 5G. That is sufficient, but it stands behind what Samsung offers with the Galaxy A52 5G and behind Apple's support for the iPhone series. The phone is made of glass and has no IP water resistance, so you need to be careful with it. The software update schedule and lack of durability mean that after two years you will likely be ready to upgrade.

Should you buy one?

No. While the screen on the TCL 20 Pro 5G is impressive, the battery life is not very long, it is slow to charge, it is less durable than some of its competitors, and I have concerns about the reliability of the software.

Editor's recommendations



25 Mar
Blog

OnePlus 9 Pro Review: The Dependable Smartphone

oneplus 9 pro rating camera hand

“The OnePlus 9 Pro is as usual for OnePlus, with enormous performance, a breathtaking screen, excellent software and ultra-fast battery charging. Just don't expect the Hasselblad partnership to change the camera yet. "

  • All the power you could want

  • A breathtaking screen

  • Very fast wired and wireless charging

  • Reliable, smooth and fast software

  • Hasselblad involvement isn't that noticeable

  • At $ 969, it faces serious flagship competition

The OnePlus 8 Pro was introduced in April 2020 and is only now being replaced by the OnePlus 9 Pro. A year in the OnePlus world is an absolute age, as the company typically released an updated "T" model six months after a model was used. However, this is not the case with the 8 Pro. All that extra time should mean the OnePlus 9 Pro is very special, right?

It's the first OnePlus phone to come out in collaboration with the super-expensive camera brand Hasselblad, who put their know-how into the OnePlus 9 Pro's camera, and that certainly sounds special. Otherwise, the OnePlus 9 Pro seems to be as reliable as we expect from OnePlus. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but can it also be exciting to be reliable? Let's dwell on that in more detail.

If you're interested in the OnePlus 9, which is cheaper but technically not as powerful as the 9 Pro, read our in-depth review.

design

The OnePlus 9 Pro is less sharp-edged, significantly shinier and more than a little heavier. It looks very different from the OnePlus 8 Pro. The beautiful matte finish of the 8 Pro has been replaced with a high gloss mirror finish that can be seen below in the Morning Mist color, which is silver for you and me. It's more comfortable to grip because the sides are thicker and less tapered (8.7mm), but it feels much stronger in the hand. It weighs 197 grams, with a slight incline towards the camera module, which makes it feel slightly top-heavy.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The built-in fingerprint sensor is at the bottom of the screen compared to most other smartphones. It's in the same position as the Oppo Find X3 Pro, a comparison we'll come back to later in this review when we talk about the screen. On the side is OnePlus's signature and the always welcome alarm slider for muting notifications.

The camera module is located at the top left on the back. It shines with Hasselblad's branding and contains four cameras, a sensor, a flash and a microphone. It doesn't look as individual as the OnePlus 8 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S21 +, but it's pretty flush with the body. It's all neat and undeniably functional, but there's not a lot of character to it. This is an issue with the way the OnePlus 9 Pro looks in general – it's not unattractive, but it doesn't have a lot of identity either.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Maybe this doesn't matter to you, and build quality is more important. You have no concerns here, as the aluminum housing is wedged between two gorilla glass panes and everything is beautifully finished. The glass body has just enough grip but slips around on some surfaces.

I don't mind the style and design of the OnePlus 9 Pro, but it's a bit general. If the only aspect that really tells me it's a OnePlus phone is the alarm controller, you know the rest is too memorable.

screen

OnePlus never really got to the heart of its designs, but it has rarely gone wrong when it comes to the screen. The 6.7-inch AMOLED screen has a resolution of 3,216 x 1,220 pixels for a density of 525 pixels per inch and a variable refresh rate between 1 Hz and 120 Hz. The sides have a less pronounced curvature compared to the OnePlus 8 Pro and clearer bezels (but only straight) to avoid unwanted screen activations. I've still found the screen to be very sensitive to side touches and I often accidentally open the camera app or try to change the wallpaper by simply holding the phone in my hand.

oneplus 9 pro review screen hand "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-screen-hand-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

oneplus 9 pro review screen "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-screen-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's a beautiful screen with rich colors and a natural hue that's warm rather than cold, as well as pinpoint contrast. By default, the resolution is set to FHD +. However, it pays to run out of battery and use QHD + when watching compatible videos. It's just lovely. This K Choreo version of Iz * One & # 39; s Fiesta is full of colors and details on the OnePlus 9 Pro's screen.

How about the 8 Pro, which is not a problem even in the visual department? It's not better or worse, but it's different. The screen of the 8 Pro is a little more vivid, while the screen of the 9 Pro is a little more natural, which adds some softness, which results in the 8 Pro sometimes looking more detailed due to sharper and more defined edges. The 9 Pro's screen is not a step forward from the 8 Pro. When you place it next to the Oppo Find X3 Pro, it looks the same. The positioning of the built-in fingerprint sensor and pinhole camera, as well as specs like 10-bit color depth and HDR10 +, suggest that they're probably the same panel anyway.

camera

In our year of waiting for the OnePlus 9 Pro, the company has been working on the camera, which, while good in the past, has failed to outperform, or sometimes even outperform, the competition. To change that, OnePlus is partnering with Hasselblad, a Scandinavian supplier of mega-expensive cameras, and a company with a very rich photographic history. It's a three-year partnership that begins with the support of the software and will in the future pass to the couple working on the hardware together.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

What does this mean for the OnePlus 9 Pro? The camera has a software-based function called Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad on board, which promises to make the colors "more perceptible", according to the blurb. Hasselblad has also worked in Pro mode, so just like a Hasselblad camera, you get an orange shutter button and a specially recorded Hasselblad-style shutter sound.

The biggest problem for me is understanding what Hasselblad did on camera.

Unchallenged? I'm not blaming you, but this is just the beginning of the partnership and it will be some time before a significant change is made to the OnePlus camera. Hence, we should keep expectations in check. However, the Hasselblad branding is spread all over the camera module and a lot of noise has already been made about the shortcut so it's better to do something. I've taken 100+ photos with the OnePlus 9 Pro to date and the performance will split opinions.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Here are the camera specs. The main camera uses a custom Sony IMX789 sensor with 48 megapixels, an aperture of f / 1.8 and optical and electronic image stabilization. There is also a wide-angle camera with 50 MP f / 2.2 and an 8MP f / 2.4 telephoto camera with 3.3x optical zoom. There's also a 2-megapixel monochrome camera that can be used individually, as well as a dual-LED flash and a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

First off, it's important to say that the OnePlus 9 Pro's camera takes better photos than the OnePlus 8 Pro's, but it's not an instant winner and not everyone will appreciate the changes. The biggest problem for me is understanding what Hasselblad did on camera. The natural color calibration is always active, so that for me, as someone without any experience with a Hasselblad camera, any inherent “Hasselbladness” in the photos is completely lost.

To really see what the OnePlus 9 Pro's camera looks like, I spent more time than usual comparing the photos with those of other cameras. This shows how difficult it is to spot something that makes the OnePlus 9 Pro's photos special. The photos undoubtedly look "natural", usually with a nice tone and balance and sometimes better exposure than other cameras that take the same picture. However, this pursuit of naturalness can make photos look washed out and lack atmosphere.

oneplus 9 pro review main tree "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-main-tree-640x640 .jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 9 Pro standard camera Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

oneplus 9 pro review wide-angle tree "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-wide-angle- tree-2 -640x640.jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAAABAOnePlus 9 Pro wide angle camera Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

oneplus 9 pro review mini main "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-mini-main-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 9 Pro standard camera Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

oneplus 9 pro review mini wide "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://img.dtcn.com/image/digitaltrends/oneplus-9-pro-mini-wide-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7OnePlus 9 Pro wide angle camera Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Trying to determine Hasselblad's appearance is made even more difficult by the massive differences between the main and ultrawide cameras. While the main camera takes on a cool tone, the ultrawide is a lot warmer, which means I have no idea what look Hasselblad is looking for. In the end, it's very difficult to figure out where the OnePlus 9 Pro's camera differs from others because of Hasselblad's involvement, and that's not a good selling point.

I like the photos taken with the OnePlus 9 Pro, but if I didn't know that Hasselblad is working with OnePlus on the phone, I wouldn't look any deeper at all, simply because it's just a good camera and nothing more. It's certainly better than previous OnePlus cameras, but the efforts of the two teams working together have yet to be realized.

Software and performance

OxygenOS version 11 with Android 11 is installed and excellent. It is essentially the same software as the OnePlus 8T. So don't expect new features to come with the new phone. Not that that matters, because OxygenOS is always a joy. Whether it's the new always-on screen, the effective dark mode, the sleek menus, the beautiful fonts and overall design, the clear notifications, or the deeper storage and power management tools, the software is some of the best you can get on an Android device can use smartphone.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor has the performance you could want – there were absolutely no performance issues for me – and there is a choice of 8GB or 12GB of RAM with 128GB or 256GB of storage. It's great for playing. Genshin Impact plays very well, with only a slight drop in frame rate during busy battle scenes, although the phone feels warm to the touch with prolonged gaming. I used the 12GB / 256GB model but can't imagine I would notice a speed difference if I were to use the 8GB model. However, there is no expandable storage space. So you need to consider whether you will need additional built-in storage in the future before buying this phone.

I've noticed that the WiFi range is shorter than some other devices, but the call quality is very good. And even though the built-in fingerprint sensor is set pretty deep on the screen, it's lightning fast. Particularly noteworthy is the feel, which is even more subtle and tactile than the OnePlus 8 Pro.

Battery and charging

It's a 4,500 mAh cell that takes care of all visual, playful and camera functions of the OnePlus 9T. I found it to be good for a day but not much longer as there is a charge every night, almost regardless of the day's activities. Ninety minutes of Genshin Impact drained 25% of the battery, leaving hardcore gamers to charge even more frequently.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The OnePlus 9 Pro uses the proprietary Warp Charge 65T fast charging system, so you have a charger and USB Type-C cable in the box that must be used to get the fastest speeds. OnePlus says it will go from zero to 100% in 28 minutes. So can it? Almost yes. In my tests, it took 31 minutes. I won't argue for more than three minutes. It's still faster than most of the competition. Helpfully, like Warp Charge 65, the Warp Charge 65T block pumps 45 watts into other devices that can absorb this charging power.

wireless charger oneplus 9 pro review

oneplus 9 pro review page for wireless charger

OnePlus' wireless charging system Warp Charge 50 has received a speed boost. However, you have to buy the OnePlus wireless charging dock for £ 70/70 to benefit from it. It promises to deliver a full charge in just 43 minutes, and in my tests it easily manages it. In contrast to the previous version, the USB Type-C cable is not integrated into the charger. However, you need to use OnePlus’s own charging block and cable to get full speed. The cable, not the block, is included, but if it's about a meter long, any added versatility is lost if it's not attached to the charger.

Price and availability

The OnePlus 9 Pro is $ 969 for the 8GB / 128GB model or $ 1,069 for the 12GB / 256GB model. It's available for Pre-order on March 26th and should be released on April 2nd. In the UK, the OnePlus 9 Pro costs £ 829 for the 8GB / 128GB model and £ 929 for the 12GB / 256GB version. The phone is available for pre-order in the UK on March 23rd.

Our opinion

There is both everything I want and everything I unfortunately expected from a OnePlus phone in the OnePlus 9 Pro. Right now there is the best mobile processor, excellent screen, super smooth and reliable software and fast battery charging. That's all I want and what OnePlus can do in my sleep. A camera that almost, but not quite, lives up to expectations, an acceptable but uninspiring design, and a price that is a little higher than I really wish for are aspects that I have come across in the past year or years OnePlus expected so. It works as usual.

When you buy one you will be very satisfied, but you may feel like something really special is missing.

I like the reliability of OnePlus phones. Daily use is completely problem-free. With the combination of OxygenOS and a wide variety of features, today you have a hard time finding a better user experience for smartphones. However, the extent of Hasselblad's involvement in the camera is too difficult to pinpoint right now, so there's not quite that special thing that makes me tingle with excitement while taking pictures, but there is potential for the future.

OnePlus fans will be happy with the OnePlus 9 Pro, and while the camera is definitely an improvement over the OnePlus 8 Pro, everything else is just a small generation step. So it's not really worth upgrading from 8 Pro unless you're really disappointed with its camera. It's harder to sell for those who aren't a dedicated OnePlus fan, as some aggressive pricing from Apple and Samsung this year means better smartphones are available for less. If you buy one you will be very satisfied as it follows OnePlus' proven, reliable phone formula, but you may feel like something really special is missing.

Is there a better alternative?

The OnePlus 9 Pro faces serious competition in the US. At the time of writing, the Samsung Galaxy S21 was Ultra costs $ 1,000 from Amazonand it's a better buy because of its great camera, beautiful screen, and overall performance. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro remains a fantastic buy if not set on an Android device at $ 1,000It's just as affordable as the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In the UK, the phone is a better value as it is cheaper than both of the above and even cheaper than the 950 pound Galaxy S21 + 5G. It's significantly cheaper than the 1,100-pound Oppo Find X3 Pro, but even the 8GB / 128GB version can't keep up with the Xiaomi Mi 11 5G's value at 750 pounds.

How long it will take?

Thanks to the powerful processor, great screen, 5G connectivity, and fast charging of the OnePlus 9 Pro, you can use it for at least two years before you even consider upgrading. Three years is perfectly feasible if you are not a hardcore gamer. The phone has an IP68 rating but is made of glass so you may want to put it in a pocket.

According to OnePlus, the OnePlus 9 will receive new Android updates for two years plus another year of security updates, making it one of the better companies at handling critical software updates.

Should you buy it?

Yes, it's an excellent smartphone, but despite the promise of the Hasselblad partnership, it still lacks something special, especially since the price is higher than some of the best smartphones you can buy today.

Editor's recommendations




04 Sep
Blog

Google Pixel 4a Review: The Best $349 Smartphone Camera

Google Pixel 4a review camera back hand

"The Google Pixel 4a has an amazing camera tucked away in one of the most bleak phone designs of the year."

  • Excellent camera

  • Great software

  • Regular software updates

  • Long battery life

  • Boring, cheap design and materials

  • Disappointed screen

There's a good chance you already know that the Google Pixel 4a is cheap at $ 350, that the Android software is updated frequently and is easy to use, and that the tiny phone is a solid everyday companion. You've probably heard that the camera is good too, but do you know exactly how good it is?

It's so good that it really is the only reason you should consider buying the Pixel 4a. Because here's something else you may not know about the Pixel 4a: Otherwise, it's a little boring. I will explain.

The best part

The Google Pixel 4a camera is incredible for its capabilities, and it messes with cameras on phones that cost two or three times the cost of the Pixel 4a. There is only a 12.2-megapixel camera on the back of the Pixel 4a. It's a no-nonsense sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), and that's about it. There is no wide angle mode, no optical telephoto mode (although it is enlarged by digitally cropping the image) and no fancy features like 8K video recording. Instead, it is based on Google's computational photography expertise, and that is what sets it apart from its capabilities.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

This is not a new formula either, as the Google Pixel 4, Pixel 3a and Pixel 3 have excellent cameras for the same reason: software expertise instead of hardware muscle power. The lack of flashy extras and multiple lenses limits the versatility of the camera slightly, but you can't have it all for $ 349 – and what you get is enough for anyone without an unlimited smartphone budget.

The colors are wonderfully natural, the exposure is just right and the dynamic range is always judged perfectly. Every photo you take will appear the way you want in almost any setting, with no need for editing. Portrait mode offers better edge detection than multi-sensor cameras, and night vision mode is incredible and manages brightness and contrast perfectly for a natural color balance in dark scenes. Removing concerns about the end result increases your creativity and confidence.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Close-ups are shockingly good too. The Nodus Sector watch's images, taken with 2x zoom, show a lot of detail, and even with 7x digital zoom, the photo is not affected by noise or pixelation. The Pixel 4 has been my go-to for close-ups for a while – the close-ups in the G-Shock Frogman test were taken with the Pixel 4.

When I wrote my practical report on the Asus ZenFone 7 Pro, I was on the move and my camera equipment was already packed away in a box. I had to take a picture of the phone so I used the Pixel 4a. The results are excellent in my opinion and only needed a few tweaks before being used in the article. It's not that the photos were good, which is surprising – it's the confidence I had in the Pixel 4a's ability to just grab it and take the pictures. I didn't feel the need to find my main camera when I knew the Pixel 4a would do the job without requiring additional editing attention. I just wouldn't have the same confidence in many other phones at any cost.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's not just the photos – the app and controls are great. Tap to focus and the camera will keep focus while you adjust the position. What is really great is that it shows you this is done on the screen with a moving focus marker. It's a minor matter, but it gives you peace of mind that the photo you are taking will look the way you want it. There's easy adjustment and locking of brightness and exposure, plus a handy horizon indicator that gives a subtle haptic warning when it's straight. It's all so polished, quick, easy, and incredibly capable.

Remember, I just described a camera with a lens on the back of a $ 349 smartphone. Whatever you've heard about the Pixel 4a's camera, it's all of that and a little more. It's the major and for a lot of people. the only reason you buy the phone.

The boring part

The Pixel 4a's camera makes me wiggle my knees, but the design and materials used make my eyes roll. It's as if the entire design budget has been used to bring the on / off switch to a slightly mint green color, as the rest is a snooze dom level. You can argue that it doesn't matter because the camera is so good, but it's not true – the hasty approach you seem to be taking here doesn't keep me using the phone for very long. I'll admit that it looks better than the Pixel 3a from the front thanks to its much smaller bezels, but that's hardly praise.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Black plastic is the most basic material Google could have chosen, and it's as bleak as it sounds. The texture offers some hold, but it tends to get greasy and look ugly. The fingerprint sensor on the back is functional, but very 2016, while to me it looks like the camera sensor and flash have been put in the wrong holes in the drill square module. The buttons on the side just feel cheaper than the black plastic case.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

When you pull the Pixel 4a out of your pocket or put it on the table, you won't feel any emotion at all. It is the unbranded plastic bag in the smartphone world. This is the reminder that it is actually a $ 349 phone.

The fine parts

Other than the great camera and boring design, everything else about the Pixel 4a is just right for you. It's acceptable how everything works, but it's never blind. The 5.8-inch OLED screen is a good size, and on paper the 2340 x 1080 pixels resolution is great for the price, but in reality it can be a little bland and it won't get bright enough. I can't remember the brightness being below maximum at any point and still not being easy to read in bright sunlight or cloudy conditions.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Much is written about Google's version of Android on the Pixel phones, and it's well organized and harmless to the eyes, but it's really the three years of guaranteed future software updates that make the operating system more appealing than blooming. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor with 6GB of RAM is fine, but that's all. The benchmark results show how acceptable the phone is for everyday use, regardless of whether it is used for gaming or browsing:

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 2276 (volcano)

Geekbench 5: 1648 multi core / 551 single core

The only area in which it is possible to rise to the "good" status is the battery. I get two days of this with moderate general usage, although it doesn't respond well to lengthy video calls or other high-energy actions. It takes almost 1 hour and 45 minutes to charge, but we can't expect much else when the phone is cheap. With the clever software from Google, apps that need power can be well managed so they don't cause too many problems.

Price, availability and alternatives

The Google Pixel 4a costs $ 349 or £ 349 and is available through Google's own online store and from Amazon, as well as a selection of vendors. These include Verizon and AT&T in the US and Vodafone in the UK.

Google Pixel 4a review camera module

Google Pixel 4a Review Selfie Camera

If you don't worry about amazing photos and just want a cheap smartphone, the Nokia 5.3 is just $ 200 with a bigger screen, Android One software with regular updates, and a slightly more interesting design. If you're looking for a phone that looks better and still has a good camera, the $ 399 Apple iPhone SE 2020 is a good buy.

Conclusion

Buy the Pixel 4a for the camera. It's really amazing how powerful it is for any price, and the photos it takes are breathtaking. Just be aware that the rest of the phone, other than the software, is perfectly normal.

Editor's recommendations




10 Jul
Blog

Nokia 5.3 Review: $199 Really Can Buy You a Good Smartphone

hmd global nokia 5 3 Review backhand

Nokia 5.3 test: $ 199 can really buy a great smartphone

"The Nokia 5.3 offers everyday performance and future-proof software at an affordable price."

  • Two days of battery life

  • Large screen size

  • Two years of software updates

  • NFC for Google Pay

  • Camera disappointed

  • The screen lacks brightness

High-performance smartphones that cost $ 400 can do everything that many people expect from a cell phone, but what about phones that cost half as much? The Nokia 5.3 from HMD Global only costs $ 199 or £ 149. After a week on the phone, however, I can safely say that you won't cut the quality and performance of a more expensive model in half – in most regions. at least.

The Nokia 5.3 will surprise you with its functions, its software and its general capabilities as an everyday smartphone. No, the camera and screen aren't the best models, but you shouldn't expect them to be. If you buy the Nokia 5.3 and know what it can and can't do, you get one of the best smartphone values ​​I've seen in a while.

design

The back of the Nokia 5.3 is made of a plastic composite that is easy to grip but has no pleasant texture. It also has some flex and curves around the side to hit the plastic frame, which then leads into the 6.55-inch screen. The phone is 8.5 mm thick and weighs only 185 grams. It feels good in the hand but is wide, so owners with small hands may find it uncomfortable.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

In addition to the volume rocker and the SIM compartment, there are two other buttons on the housing of the Nokia 5.3. The power switch is an obvious necessity and is located under the volume rocker. A notification light is built in that is bright and eye-catching. It pulsates when there are messages waiting for you on the phone. This is useful when there is no screen and the positioning is unusual and noticeable.

The second button feels superfluous. It's on the opposite side and calls Google Assistant. I often accidentally pressed it when I picked up the phone or juggled with one hand. This is annoying, because unlocking the phone adds several extra steps, or taking extra seconds to cancel at other times. There's a way to turn the button off, but there's no way to reconfigure it for something more useful. Nokia has added a 3.5mm headphone jack and a single speaker at the bottom. It has a lot of volume but no bass, which results in a hard and thin sound.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

On the back is a quad sensor camera module that protrudes very easily from the body and is attached over a fingerprint sensor. The design is no different from many other phones in recent years, including the OnePlus 7T and the Poco F2 Pro, and is harmlessly attractive.

This phone doesn't look like it will cost $ 199, and that's the big advantage here. You don't get an ugly phone that screams "cheap" when you take off or look at it, but a reserved and balanced design. I suggest that you buy the Nokia 5.3 in either cyan or sand instead of the boring charcoal color of my test model to make the phone more attractive.

screen

The 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen on the front shows where money was saved. The resolution is 1,600 x 720 pixels, which means that YouTube videos are played with a maximum of 720p. While this is perfectly acceptable for a phone at this price, I have found that it suffers from a lack of brightness. I had to crank up the brightness most of the time, and even then it is difficult to see in bright sunlight. The automatic brightness function is also annoyingly random and rarely settles on a single level before fluctuating again and never at the right point.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

With the selfie camera at the top of the screen there is a drop notch and at the bottom a small chin bezel with Nokia logo. Assuming the maximum brightness and the intrusive night light function that reduces the blue light (it affects the colors too much, especially when scrolling), the screen is suitable for everyday use. Just don't expect it to be a media powerhouse.

However, you can expect it to be satisfactory. The low resolution means that details are missing, but I found the screen to have a very cool color palette by default. It cries out for more brightness, and some videos may lack life and vibrancy. However, this is not the real aim of the phone, and the Nokia 5.3 works well for casual viewing. I also like that the screen is huge, so you don't feel that the low price has led to other visual compromises outside of resolution.

camera

Even phones that cost $ 199 now have four lens camera sensors, but they shouldn't. The main camera of the Nokia 5.3 has 13 megapixels and an aperture of 1: 1.8. There is also a 5-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel macro lens. The selfie camera in the teardrop notch has 8 megapixels.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's functional, but not inspiring. As with the screen, expectations have to be mitigated because it is inconsistent and rarely took a photo that I want to share without editing. Neither the wide-angle nor the standard lenses provide the right lighting every time, either over- or underexposed, and the dynamic range also varies greatly between the two. Macro shots are as overwhelming as you would expect from a 2 megapixel sensor.

There is a night mode, but the shots are only slightly better than those without, and also a portrait mode. Edge detection is decent, but you have to wait for the camera to process the shots. When you switch to the selfie camera, the results often look washed out in bright conditions. However, the results are acceptable indoors.

If you combine all of this with slow software, the Nokia 5.3's camera is a letdown. This is a cheap phone and it will never take the best in terms of the camera, but there should still be a standard that needs to be maintained. Fast software and constant performance are required at all costs. I would rather have a camera with a lens that takes good photos than a camera with four lenses that takes mediocre photos.

Software and performance

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor with 3 GB, 4 GB or 6 GB RAM supplies the Nokia 5.3 with power. My rating phone is 4 GB and can handle tasks like social networking apps, messaging and calls with ease. If you do something more intense, including using YouTube, speed can suffer. Switching from landscape to portrait mode takes a few seconds, for example, and quitting performance-hungry game apps leads to a longer pause while the phone sorts itself out.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The benchmark tests are as follows:

Geekbench 5: 308 single core / 1312 multi core

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 1129 (volcano)

It's the same chip used in the Motorola Moto G8, Moto G Fast, and G Power, and the results are similar. Do you think you cannot play on Nokia 5.3? Think again No, it's not a ROG Phone 2, but I played Asphalt 9 Legends happily enough. Sure, it's not the smoothest experience, but it never develops into a situation that makes it unplayable. 1945 and playing Hill Climb Racer was fine too.

hmd global nokia 5 3 review video "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn9.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/nokia-5-3-video-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

hmd global nokia 5 3 Checking the start screen "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn1.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/nokia-5-3-home-screen - 640x640.jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

hmd global nokia 5 3 check notifications "class =" m-carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/nokia-5-3-notifications-640x640. jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

hmd global nokia 5 3 reviews apps screen "class =" m carousel - image dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/nokia-5-3-apps-screen - 640x640.jpg "srcset =" https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAndy Boxall / Digital Trends

The Nokia 5.3 is an Android One phone. This means that the software is similar to Google Pixel phones, with no special user interface, additional apps, or other changes to Google's basic Android style. Android One also ensures regular and timely software updates. The phone receives Android 11 when it arrives and will be updated for the next two years in total. This is a serious selling point and ensures that your cheap smartphone purchase will not be out of date in the near future.

Aside from a few performance stutters, it runs very smoothly, and I think it's good that it has a dark mode and also comes with NFC for Google Pay. Again, this is another big advantage since some competing devices don't have this feature at all.

Battery and security

The 4,000 mAh battery in combination with the low resolution screen and the mid-range processor gave me great hopes for the battery life of the Nokia 5.3. In reality, it was nothing better than most other phones, regardless of the specification. I mostly tested the Nokia at home and therefore connected to Wi-Fi most of the time.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

For me, average usage includes social media, some photos, some video and voice calls, and news and a little bit of games. The Nokia lasted almost two full days, but only if the second day is less intense than the first. Video puts additional strain on the battery. The charging process takes place only via cable, and here too there is no quick charging.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Security is exactly what you want: a simple but secure fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone and a face unlock, both of which are fast and largely reliable. However, the rear fingerprint sensor didn't work well with wet fingers. It has a handy feature that swipes down to pull down the notification shadow on the screen.

Price, guarantee and availability

The Nokia 5.3 can be purchased in the US for $ 199 from Amazon. In the UK, it costs £ 149 and is available in Nokia's own online shop, Amazon and Argos.

The device is warranted for two years in the United Kingdom, but only for one year in the United States.

Our opinion

When reading this review, you run the risk of believing that the Nokia 5.3 is not worth buying. As with any phone, I've pointed out the drawbacks, but it's important to put them in context. The Nokia 5.3 costs $ 199, it does everything a smartphone could want, and it does some things quite well. You can find much better phones, but at the same time the Nokia 5.3 can easily handle what most people need a phone for.

It's refreshing to see that at $ 199 you buy an attractive, modern smartphone that plays top games, runs all your apps, and has enough power and battery to be a reliable companion for everyday life. Just be prepared for the fact that it doesn't have the excellent photography or display quality that you would expect from a model over $ 700.

Is there a better alternative?

For $ 199? The options are limited. Take a look at the Motorola Moto G Power for $ 249 or the Motorola Moto G Fast for $ 199 if you want similar alternatives. However, to really buy a better phone, you have to spend a lot more. We recommend the Apple iPhone SE for $ 399, the Poco F2 Pro for $ 500, or the OnePlus 8 for $ 600. Google has set the Pixel 3a. However, if you find another one, it is a solid buy.

How long it will take?

The Nokia 5.3 is not waterproof, but the composite back is scratch-resistant. Thanks to the Android One platform, HMD Global also promises software updates for the next two years. This is a significant advantage over the Motorola alternatives. Provided you don't expect your own phone to change use, Nokia 5.3 easily holds the entire two-year guaranteed software update period.

Should you buy it

Yes. Don't let the negatives catch you and instead rejoice that you can buy a powerful everyday smartphone for $ 199.

Editor's recommendations