The TCL 40 X 5G is a budget 5G phone made for the US market. TCL announced it at MWC 2023 on February 26, 2023. The 40 XE 5G and the 4G-only 40 XL were announced with it. It went on sale unlocked through Amazon in September 2023. The launch price was $199.99 for the only version, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Design and display
The phone has a 6.56-inch LCD panel with HD+ resolution of 720 x 1612 pixels. That works out to about 269 pixels per inch. The refresh rate goes up to 90Hz, and touch sampling reaches 180Hz. TCL uses its NXTVISION software to tune color and contrast.
It measures about 164 x 75 x 8.9 mm. The only color is Starlight Black, with a brushed pattern on the back. There is no official water or dust rating. A fingerprint reader sits in the side power key, and face unlock is also available.
Performance
A MediaTek Dimensity 700 powers the phone. It has two Cortex-A76 cores at up to 2.2GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores at 2.0GHz. Graphics run on a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. The chip is built on a 7nm process.
Memory is fixed at 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. A microSD slot accepts cards up to 1TB. The phone supports sub-6GHz 5G but not mmWave. It also has Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. There is no NFC, so tap-to-pay is not possible.
Cameras
The main difference from the 40 XE 5G is the camera. The 40 X 5G uses a 50MP main sensor instead of 13MP. A 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera complete the rear setup. On the front, an 8MP camera handles selfies and video calls.
Camera modes include portrait, pro, panorama, light trace, slow motion and stop motion. Video recording tops out at 1080p.
Battery and charging
The battery is rated at 5,000mAh. TCL claims up to 24 hours of mixed use and up to 32 days of standby. Wired charging runs at up to 18W over USB-C. There is no wireless charging. A 3.5mm headphone jack is still included.
Software and updates
The phone ships with Android 13 and a near-stock interface. Reviewers noted that it was not slated for the Android 14 upgrade. Security patches were reported for about two years, which is short even for this price class.
Should you buy the 40 X 5G?
The 40 X 5G suits buyers who want 5G, a big battery and a 50MP camera cheaply. It also keeps useful extras like a microSD slot and a headphone jack. However, the HD+ screen and missing NFC are clear limits. The short update window is another one. Buyers who want longer support should look at newer models.
