This new Android phone costs less than $500 and has a bunch of features that even the $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro is missing

Lisa EadiciccoJan 9, 2020, 17:46 IST

The TCL 10 Pro is a new Android smartphone launching this year that will cost less than $500 and offers high-end features like a curved AMOLED screen, four main cameras, and an in-screen fingerprint sensor among other capabilities.
Some of those features, like the in-screen fingerprint sensor and four-camera setup, aren't even found on Apple's iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.
The launch comes as smartphone prices have increased in recent years, with major smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, and LG among others selling phones that cost around $1,000.
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Cheaper smartphones have become increasingly popular over the past year, as some of the mobile industry's biggest players like Google, Apple, and Samsung have launched cheaper versions of their high-end smartphones in 2019. Now, electronics maker TCL is taking that idea a step further with its new line of TCL 10 smartphones, all of which will cost less than $500 when they launch.

TCL hasn't revealed all of the details about its new smartphones, but it did say the phone will be available in three variants: the TCL 10 Pro, the TCL 10L, and the TCL 5G. The 10 Pro appears to be the flagship version of the phone, while the TCL 10L is a budget option and the 5G variant is designed to be compatible with next-generation 5G networks. The company hasn't said precisely when the phones will launch, but the TCL 10 Pro will be coming to the US and Canada in the second quarter of 2020.

The TCL 10 Pro, despite its cheap price, looks like it's fit to compete with high-end mobile devices like the $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro and $900 Samsung Galaxy S10. It has a curved, borderless AMOLED screen made by TCL with no "notch" cutout, a quadruple rear camera setup, facial recognition, and an in-display fingerprint reader. Some of those features, like a fingerprint scanner that's built into the screen and the addition of a fourth camera, aren't even found on Apple's most expensive variant of the iPhone. Samsung's Galaxy S10 5G has four cameras and an in-display fingerprint reader as well, but costs $1,300. TCL's 10 Pro also comes with a headphone jack - a rare find on today's mobile devices.

Here's a closer look at the TCL 10 Pro.

See This new Android phone costs less than $500 and has a bunch of features that even the $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro is missing >>

The TCL 10 Pro has four main cameras: a 64-megapixel main camera, an ultra-wide-angle camera, a macro lens, and an ultra-low-light camera. That last one is significant because many smartphones don't come with a dedicated lens for low light photos. Instead, they use a combination of software and hardware to take clearer photos in low-light situations.

TCL was showing the 10 Pro in two main colors: blue and gray.

TCL hasn't announced the full specifications yet, but the phone feels like it's around the same size as Samsung's 6.1-inch Galaxy S10. You'll also notice there's a small cutout for the front-facing camera, also similar to the Galaxy S10.

The launch comes as smartphones have become increasingly expensive in recent years.

The TCL 10 Pro is another sign that the smartphone industry is shifting as tech giants have had a harder time convincing consumers to upgrade their devices as prices have increased. Less than 10% of people in the United States are spending more than $1,000 on a new smartphone, according to research from NPD Group published last month.

It also suggests that the companies that do specialize in making less expensive alternatives to the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S line, like OnePlus and Motorola, are likely to have even more competition heading into 2020.

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This new Android phone costs less than $500 and has a bunch of features that even the $1,000 iPhone 11 Pro is missing

TCL was showing the 10 Pro in two main colors: blue and gray.

TCL hasn't announced the full specifications yet, but the phone feels like it's around the same size as Samsung's 6.1-inch Galaxy S10. You'll also notice there's a small cutout for the front-facing camera, also similar to the Galaxy S10.

The launch comes as smartphones have become increasingly expensive in recent years.