TCL To Launch It’s First-Ever Branded Smartphone, TCL Plex, in Nepal Soon!

TCL, a company primarily known for its world-class TV is set to launch its first-ever smartphone. They have previously partnered with Alcatel and Blackberry but they’re finally coming out of their shells with their own branded smartphone: TCL Plex. It may be the first of its kind but it certainly does not feel new to the whole smartphone lineup.

TCL Plex was introduced in IFA 2019 and it did grab quite a lot of attention. This phone is set to launch in select markets in Europe and it’s surprising that this phone will make it to Nepal as well.The news was recently confirmed by the official distributors of TCL. The launch date and pricing aren’t confirmed yet but it will probably be launched after Dashain. The TLC Plex price in Nepal is expected to be around Rs. 40,000.

Well, TCL does sound a little unfamiliar in the smartphone game but don’t judge the phone yet. Let’s have a look at some interesting aspects of the device.

TCL Plex: Top 3 Features

Design

Starting off with the design, it not entirely a whole new design. Almost everything looks and feels like any other mid-ranger out there. But there are a couple of additions that have possibly given it a slight edge. While you have access to only two-color variants: Black and white, the overall finish of the device is well, stunning. It’s got that glossy surface that produces different effects when light strikes at it from different angles. The black model, for instance, produces a rainbow effect which is kind of soothing to look at.

Display

Secondly, the device has a normal 6.53” FHD+ display at 1080p resolution. Nothing extraordinary, right? Nope well there’s more than meets the eye. Actually, there’s a dedicated display processor underneath the TCL Plex. It’s responsible for managing the brightness, contrast, and in general the overall the quality of the display. The NXTVISION display allows users to convert the display from SDR to HDR. Trust me, it will definitely give you a clear outlook at the importance of HDR.

Camera

Secondly, we have the triple rear camera in the TCL Plex. The rear consists of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor coupled with a 16MP wide and a 2MP depth/night sensor along with dual flashes on the side. The 48MP sensor is the one we can find in devices like Mi A3 and Redmi K20 Pro, and the shots are impressive. So, the main lens is great and all but the 16MP ultrawide and 2MP depth are no joke as well.

The ultrawide supports a 123° field of view which gets you a wide perspective. The 2MP may seem unworthy but the 2.9-micron night mode sensor can get enough light in to produce some excellent photos. And there’s a strange feature that allows you to compare the 3 different modes side by side. Not all that useful but it is something new.

Other than these three aspects, there’s nothing entirely new about this device. It is powered by a Snapdragon 675 processor paired with 6/128/256GB storage. Not the best processor in the mid-range series nonetheless a great processor. It falls a little short of the 4000mAh battery mark with a 3820mAh battery. However, the battery is compensated by a 18W fast charger which should get you enough juice in no time.

TCL Plex Key Specifications

Display: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen,53 inches, 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~395 ppi density)
Chipset: Qualcomm SDM675 Snapdragon 675 (11 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 612
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie)
Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, UFS2.1; expandable up to 256GB
Primary Camera: 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2″, 0.8µm, PDAF, 16 MP, f/2.4, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm, 2 MP, f/1.8
Front Camera: 24 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.9μm
Battery: 3820mAh with 18W Fast charging

TCL Plex Price in Nepal: TBD

TCL Plex Initial Impressions

Just as I mentioned before, it’s not an entirely unique mid-ranger. It shares most of the features with the other mid-rangers in the market. And at a price of around Rs 40,000, the major competitor for the device is the Redmi K20 Pro. On a more major scale, the K20 Pro has better features than the TCL Plex. For instance, the processor. There’s simply no comparison between the Snapdragon 675 in TCL Plex with Snapdragon 855 in Redmi K20 Pro.