Hands On with the TCL 40 XL

Purchase price: $179.99

Buy on Amazon

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees and support our channel by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

---

The budget smartphone space is filled with hidden gems and the TCL 40 XL is no exception. With a sleek look and feel in a thin plastic body, the TCL 40 XL comes packed with features. The best part of it all is that the retail price of the 40 XL is about as low as one can go. Does cheap in price mean cheaping out on phone? Let’s unbox this and take a closer look.

look and feel

The TCL 40 XL possesses an understated modern look to it. The plastic body has a matte finish and in this Dark Gray color, does collects some fingerprints but is only noticeable under certain lights. The phone is lightweight and easy to hold in the hands, thanks to the rectangular design. The camera hump is minimal and features a triple sensor setup containing a 50 MP main camera, a 2 MP depth camera, and 2 MP macro lens. The TCL 40 XL can shoot video at 1080p up to 30 frames per second. It is a budget device so losing 4K capabilities is part of the deal here. The selfie camera on the front features a 8 MP wide camera. 

The power button on the device sits on the right side. Both this and the volume rockers have a soft click to them. The TCL 40 XL charges via USB-C port and includes a headphone jack on the bottom frame while a dual sim tray occupies real estate on the left frame.

Product Specs +

• MediaTek Helio G37
• 6 GB Ram
• 256 GB Storage
• 50 MP, wide
• 2 MP, f/2.4, macro
• 2 MP, f/2.4 depth
• 8 MP, wide selfie camera
• 6.75 Inch IPS LCD display
• 720 x 1600 p
• 90 Hz Refresh Rate
• 5,000 mAh battery

display

TCL has packed a large screen into the 40 XL. With a 6.75” display, this phone has the potential to be great for entertainment. It has an IPS, LCD display with a 90 Hz refresh rate that sports a resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels in a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display runs on TCL’s NXTVISION software that uses SDR-to-HDR enhancement that can make images and videos more vibrant and clear. 

Power and storage

There’s a few options on the TCL 40 XL and our version has 6 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage (there’s a lower storage option available). You can also expand memory via a microSD card for up to 512 GB of additional room. The 40 XL runs on a MediaTek G37 Octa-core chipset and 2.3 Hz Octa-core processor. It’ll be interesting to see how this phone runs intensive games and media and while we can’t say much yet as to how well it performs in the real world, it is reasonable to expect some lag upon input with such a budget priced device. Nevertheless, we’ll learn more with time.

powered by android

The TCL 40 XL runs on Android 13 with TCL UI 5.0 on top of it. It looks fairly close to stock Android but does come preinstalled with various software including social media apps like Facebook, LinkedIn and Booking.com. 

additional features

The 40 XL boasts an impressive 5000 mAh battery that, according to TCL, can give up to 24 hours of talking, streaming or gaming. I’m hoping for long battery life as a 5000 mAh combination with a less power hungry processor should be a recipe for longevity. It also features dual speakers for those who enjoy watching videos on their devices. Additional features include Face Unlock and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor as well. While these features can be pretty standard now across the smartphone market, it’s always great seeing this many features in such a budget smartphone. We purchased the TCL 40 XL at a price tag of $179, but during Black Friday it is impressively low priced at only $119 USD. At that low price, I can see it being a great device for basic users who just want to text and call and be able to Google information from time to time. It’s also shaping into a terrific phone for parents looking to purchase affordable entry level smartphones for their kids to take to school for the first time. 

---

---