The TCL 40 SE is a budget 4G phone with a large 6.75-inch screen and stereo speakers. TCL unveiled it at CES in January 2023, and it reached stores in early 2023. It is sold in Europe, the UK and Latin America. In Italy, it launched at €179.90 with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Design and display
The 6.75-inch LCD has HD+ resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels, or about 260 ppi. It supports a dynamic refresh rate of up to 90Hz. TCL’s NXTVISION software adjusts color and contrast, and eye-care modes soften the screen at bedtime.
The phone measures 167.91 x 76.5 x 8.45 mm and weighs about 190 grams. It comes in Dark Grey and Twilight Purple. The purple version has a sparkling, diamond-like finish. TCL lists no IP rating. The fingerprint reader is built into the side power key, and face unlock is also available.
Performance
A MediaTek Helio G37 runs the phone. It has eight Cortex-A53 cores, with four at 2.3GHz and four at 1.8GHz. The GPU is a PowerVR GE8320. This is an entry-level chip, and reviewers noted slow app loading under heavy use.
Memory options are 4GB with 128GB and 6GB with 256GB. A dedicated slot takes microSD cards up to 1TB, next to two nano-SIM cards. The phone supports 4G but not 5G. It also has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 and NFC in markets where TCL offers it.
Cameras
The main rear camera has 50MP and an f/1.8 aperture. It is joined by a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera. The front camera has 8MP and an f/2.0 aperture. Software features include AI scene detection, a night mode and hand-gesture capture.
Battery and charging
The battery is rated at 5,010mAh. Wired charging runs at up to 18W over USB-C. TCL adds an intelligent charging mode that delays the last 20% to reduce battery aging. There is no wireless charging. The phone also keeps a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Software and updates
The 40 SE ships with Android 13. TCL Smart Manager can block auto-starting apps and switch between two battery saving modes. TCL has not published a specific update promise for this model.
Should you buy the 40 SE?
The 40 SE suits buyers who want a big screen, stereo sound and lots of storage for little money. The large battery and microSD slot add to its value. However, the HD+ resolution and the slow Helio G37 limit the experience. It also lacks 5G, so it suits light everyday use.
