The TCL 40 XE 5G is an entry-level 5G phone for North America. TCL announced it at MWC 2023 on February 26, 2023. At launch, TCL called it its most affordable 5G phone. The US price was $169.99, and Verizon Prepaid sold it for $119.99. Sales began in Canada on May 3, 2023, and in the US a day later. TCL has since published an end-of-life notice for the phone, so it is no longer produced.
Design and display
The phone has a 6.56-inch LCD with HD+ resolution of 720 x 1612 pixels. Pixel density is about 269 ppi. The panel runs at up to 90Hz, with a 180Hz touch sampling rate. The cover glass is 2.5D.
It measures 164.46 x 75.4 x 8.99 mm and weighs 195 grams. The frame and back are plastic, and the back has a textured pattern. Starlight Black is the only color. There is no official water or dust rating. Security options are a side-mounted fingerprint reader and face unlock.
Performance
The MediaTek Dimensity 700 uses two Cortex-A76 cores at 2.2GHz. Six Cortex-A55 cores run at 2.0GHz. A Mali-G57 MC2 handles graphics, and the chip is made on a 7nm process.
The US carrier models have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. In Canada, it was sold with 128GB of storage. A microSD slot accepts cards up to 1TB. Connectivity includes sub-6GHz 5G, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. There is no NFC, and it uses a single nano-SIM.
Cameras
The rear setup combines a 13MP main camera with a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera. The main camera has an f/2.2 aperture and phase-detection autofocus. The front camera has 8MP. Both sides record video at up to 1080p and 30fps.
This is the main gap to the 40 X 5G. That model uses a 50MP main camera in a similar body.
Battery and charging
The battery holds 5,000mAh, up from 4,500mAh in the 30 XE 5G. TCL rates it for up to 24 hours of mixed use. Charging tops out at 18W over USB-C, and a full charge takes up to 2.5 hours. US units include an 18W charger in the box. The Canadian model ships without a charger. There is no wireless charging.
Software and updates
The phone launched with Android 13 and a near-stock interface. TCL did not plan an Android 14 upgrade for it. Reviews reported about two years of security patches.
Should you buy the 40 XE 5G?
The 40 XE 5G was a low-cost way to get 5G with a big battery and a headphone jack. However, it has an HD+ screen, a mono speaker and no NFC. It is discontinued, and its software support was short from the start. Buyers looking for a cheap phone today should consider a newer model.
