Gadget of the Week: TCL – a new name in budget smartphones

What is it?

Anyone remember Alcatel? It was a brand behind highly capable, low-cost feature phones. The legendary Alcaberry, as the OneTouch feature phone was known, brought BlackBerry-style functions to the lowest end of the market.

It was manufactrured by TCL, a brand better known as a world leader in TV manufacture. But now, it wants to reclaim its positioning as a handset-maker, with a similar value proposition – except in the smartphone market.

The TCL 505, just released in South Africa, is a budget-friendly smartphone, but arrives in a crowded market segment where affordability is now expected to come with improved performance, features, and build quality. 

However, balancing cost with usability is a challenge in the fiercely competitive entry-level smartphone market. 

At first glance, the TCL 505 has a relatively simple design, reflecting its budget roots, but it could be mistaken for a mid-range phone. While there’s nothing particularly eye-catching about its appearance, with a plastic body and modest bezels around the screen, it has a lightweight feel and reasonable screen quality that stand out in its price range.

The phone features a 6.75-inch LCD display, which is on a par with even flagship phones. The resolution is HD+, at 720 x 1600, which sounds good but is fairly typical for a phone in this price bracket, giving a pixel per inch density of 260 – about half that of high-end devices.

This results in a lack of sharpness in text and images, although not immediately obvious. The display colours are reasonably vibrant, and remain constant at wider viewing angles, despite the LCD screen. It does struggle in direct sunlight, so it’s not ideal for prolonged outdoor use.

Powering the TCL 505 is a modest MediaTek Helio G36 quad-core processor, paired with a decent 8GB of RAM but a mere 128GB of storage, in the edition we tested. An even lower-end version offers only 64GB storage, which is not adequate for anyone nowadays.

This all means that everyday tasks such as browsing the web and scrolling through social media are manageable, but anything more demanding — like gaming or multitasking  — reveals the device’s limitations. 

The TCL 505’s camera setup consists of a 50MP main ultra-wide lens, with a reasonable f1.8 aperture, which lets in more light than most cameras in nthis range, and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, a 5MP selfie camera does a good job.

Don’t expect image stabilisation or sharp images in low-light.

The 505 is equipped with a large 5010mAh battery, which is great for an entry-level smartphone, and keeps the big screen going most of the day. The phone does not support fast charging, and can take several hours to fully charge from empty.

Connectivity options are basic, as expected for the price range. It supports 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, which remains a useful feature for many users. Paired with FM radio, it maintains entry-evel appeal.

The phone is clearly aimed at users who need a functional smartphone at low cost and for that market, it delivers the basics. It is great first-time smartphone users, but  demonstrates the trade-offs that come with affordability. 

What does it cost?

Retails for around R2,000-R2,600.

What are the biggest negatives?

• Noticeable lag during multitasking and more demanding apps.
• Poor low-light camera performance and lack of image stabilisation.
• Limited internal storage with slow charging.

What are the biggest positives?

• Affordable price makes it accessible for budget-conscious buyers looking for good specs
• Large battery and solid battery life that can last a full day of moderate use.
• Great screen size, gives the semblance of a mid-range handset.

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on social media on @art2gee.