Isn't that partially the goal of the channel? To allow them to make that type of content without risking downsides of occasional badly performing video on the main channel?
This is what ShortCircuit is all about. Pick a thing, make a video, put it on youtube. Even the editing job on it is lighter which you can tell by the audio alone. Its jsut a fun thing they do cuz they can and enjoy the stuff they find that may not make sense on main LTT "anymore".
Mine is from 2014 with snapdragon 620 and I've never had problems except with 1 game which was pubg. It still ran but only with shitty graphics. Any other game including cod mobile runs fine.
I have 675 and it's pretty cool. I don't really play mobile games and it does other things quite well. I think it's only shortage is in the gaming department where it can run games only in medium or high. But hey mobile games aren't good anyway so I don't care.
@@swapnilgohil7280 I've had a ton of fun with more than a few mobile games. The Wolf Among Us and various point and click adventures, Chrono Trigger, SotN, Dragon Ball Legends, Baldurs Gate, Dragon Quest, etc. I'd argue the issue is more so the input or controls. CoD mobile has been a very nice surprise for many people as well. I think calling mobile games trash comes off as a bit if a cop out.
I miss the IR blaster on my Samsung Phones. I loved screwing with the TV's at McDonalds.... or fixing the aspect ratio on TVs at restaurants. It assisted my OCD.
@@lilmoris1 i use Note stylus and DeX almost daily at my job :) whenever iPhones get support for docking station and stylus I will be first in line to get them :D
Guys I love short Circuit!! The love and fun that just goes into it is such a welcome addition to the meanwhile really structured high quality production value of the main channel! Keep it up!
TCL has been in the mobile phone business for a number of years already, having had near global rights to the BlackBerry brand name since 2016, a contract which only ended quite recently. It was TCL which made the BlackBerry KEYone, KEY2, and Blackberry Motion phones. So Linus is wrong when he says TCL is a newbie to the smartphone business.
Man i might get this for the IR blaster. You could Watch_Dogs just about anything that had a remote back with the Pixel 1. Turn off projectors, mess with public tv volume, switch my friends $1k monitor to 4:3 across the room or paint the hardware crosshair on it...
@@jmugurr994 LG Corporation, formerly Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. It is the fourth-largest chaebol in South Korea. Its headquarters are in the LG Twin Towers building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. Google is friend.
Not quite. It's an I²C IR transceiver. An IR LED by itself tied to a GPIO pin (with an appropriate resistor) could work, but it would require custom firmware changes which aren't really practical when you're running Android, plus a ton of work to integrate OS support. It makes no sense to do it that way. Every phone with an IR blaster communicates with it using the I²C bus. This is also how they talk to their battery chargers, magnetometers, gyros, accelerometers, digitizers, etc. This does add some cost and complexity, even if not much, but it's worth it for markets where IR support is a feature people care about (which I guess includes China for some reason).
@@ark_knight What's that supposed to mean? Sony's phone division is failing rapidly Mate, they were selling 33 milion phones a year a few years ago Now they sell less then 400k, they lose millions on phones every year
what i heard was a 250 dollar universal remote that acts as a gaming device, a second display for netflix (ONCE THEY FIX ITS) an emergency camera for quick family picture and a flash light in case the power goes out... sounds fair
@@snowwsquire My P30 Pro has an IR Blaster, and you'd be surprised how often it actually comes in handy in a pinch. Housemate's Apple TV remote crapped out, and we were able to use my phone to control the Apple TV box.
When the kitty joined, the review became cat% more interesting. I was quite surprised about how good they actually are. For an everyday dude doing just about everyday things, this is a very broad feature set. And, you definitively can't dismiss the universal remote feature. It is definitively unique. Even when this runs out of support, I bet you could still throw some APKs on it and still just use it as a smart remote or medium-quality dedicated audio device. There is a lot of post-usage support for this. I mean, add postmarketOS and you are game!
@@NB-1 their standard browser "mint" is somewhat under optimized imo and I doubt many people even use it when you have chrome plus I think they rolled out an update that gives you the choice to not give any data at all in private mode
@@NB-1 That's why I have a really hard time seeing TCL breaking into the European market. Huawei and Xiaomi are very popular over there and offer better specs for the money.
@@neuronbuster If anything, games run much smoother for me on MIUI than any other custom ROM. There are variations of MIUI made for a lot of countries by their fanbases, so it's worth giving that a look as well
@@TheAkashicTraveller I have an old 1980s AC and I miss being able to control it from my phone. Also good for CRT monitors once I get more seriously into retro gaming.
TCL have been around in the smartphone game for years, for the price these aren't bad, they also aren't ground breaking either, the camera was impressive on both of them, the TCL 10L was the definite winner of the two based purely on that price. Personally I'd probably look at other brands, but it's good to have choice :)
IMHO, these TCL phones are very middle of the road. Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi, Realme and Huawei all offer similar or better phones between $200 and $300. The 10L is somewhat interesting for offering an above-average LCD panel with NFC. HOWEVER, the Samsung A51 is looking better with comparable specs and a gorgeous AMOLED panel. To put it bluntly, the competition is fierce!
@@danielrouw2593 true, but keep in mind Google is it's own worst enemy and can easily put a bad price on it or go cheap on the build to make up for the pixel 4
Im actually in the market for a new phone, my OnePlus 3 is overheating so much its de-laminating the screen. Not on a contract so phone costs would be out of pocket, any suggestions where I can look for alternative options (besides the overpriced Samsungs or iPhones) for a high performance phone that won't kill my wallet? Its obviously been a while since I was phone shopping, was looking forward to MWC to see the new tech and educate myself on whats current but we all know how that went down.
@@Pileot Well, it depends on what your exact budget is, what country you're based in (Different market prices mean a phone that's cheap in Europe could be twice the price in the USA), when you need it for (Delivery time), what features you use on your current phone that you want to keep (Many newer phones don't have a headphone jack, and from my experience it is one of the worst decisions that smartphone brands have ever made.) What new features you would like to have. And importantly, what environment do you most often reside in? (Office environment is less likely to damage your phone VS a builder, a plumber, a mechanic, etc.)
I have kept my LG V20 (I have an LG G8 thinQ in the box still and never use it) only because it was the last "flagship" phone to have a built in IR blaster. I am not willing to part with that capability. So it is really cool to see this this phone have that feature.
Glad to see you reviewing budget and mid range phones. I switched from Samsung to a Pixel 3a XL and am quite pleased with the phone. I just couldn't justify spending $1,100 for something I will replace in 2 years.
I would be interested to see TCL make a true flagship, with top tier specs and parts. From what we’ve seen here they have a good philosophy and they seem to know what they’re doing
Hi. I just got one of these - MY FIRST CELL PHONE - so the learning curve will be steep. That said wish I had searched for reviews and found yours first before buying the phone. Video moved kind of fast for me so I'll be coming back to it again. Thanks for making it.
yes because software updates is how you attract costumers. Just shows how tech tubers have no idea what regular consumers think when they are buying a new phone.
Honestly i have always been a Samsung user my past 3 phones were samsung. last year i switched from a galaxy note 5 to the galaxy A51 (one of Samsung's midrange offerings) and I was disappointed. the sheer amount of bugs that exist even to this day is unbelievable. i never experienced such thing with my note 5 even though i got it a week after launch and even with my prior Samsung phones, the A51 is less than what i expected from Samsung. not to mention the stupid "Quad camera" that they seem to be really proud off is on part if not worse than the note 5's camera from 2015. This experience really made me open to try out different phone makers. i think TLC has great potential in the market. maybe one day they'll become a recognizable phone maker
That seems like a pretty good choice, but I'll wait until it has a LineageOS port. If there is one thing I've learned in the last 6 years, it's not to trust Chinese Android distros.
@@iKingRPG Looks like you're right. $50 more (or $100 less if you go by The Verge's awful reporting) gets a overall better phone in the Moto G Stylo, with a small dip in CPU performance (Snapdragon 665 vs TCL 10's 675) for a otherwise better device across the board without the risks.
@@KiraSlith I think in US Realme devices are cheaper than that TLC mobile with better everything. They have 730G, 710, 712, 855 or Helio G90T at or under 500. Those are all better than those 600 series processor. And better camera too.
@jesus barrera Many of them take your information and sell them to Chinese companies. Unless your country have data hub specially made for all devices in the country, so that the information doesn't go to other countries.
Makes a very good handheld/retro emulator. I'm trying PSP games on the 10L right now and they work perfectly. Using a PS4 controller with Bluetooth has literally, figuratively, no lag. Gonna do more emulation on it and see what it can handle.
If only it had removable batteries, I might actually upgrade from my LG v20. I actually love the IR blaster and FM tuner in my LG v20, they're really handy in a pinch!
I upgraded my phone last year from a Galaxy S8 to an S10+. While I really like the phone, I really really miss the rear fingerprint sensor. I remember watching Linus complain about rear fingerprint sensors because he would have to pick up his phone to activate it. But I just found it so convenient because whenever I picked up my phone, my finger would naturally find the sensor and turn the phone on before I even got it on front of my face. With the S10+, I pick it up, press the power button, then I have to find the under-screen sensor with my thumb to turn it on. Granted, in the larger scheme of things having to touch 2 buttons instead of one isn't that big a deal. But the rear sensor was just effortless. If they brought the rear sensor back for the S 21, I'd probably upgrade, even though I'd be losing the headphone jack. I actually really appreciate having an FM tuner in my phone. But aside from the one time I tried it out to see if it works, I've never used it. I just don't listen to the radio much anymore. So losing the headphone jack wouldn't affect me very much.
Linus is surprised that they managed to make a decent quality device with "lots of thought". Every phone is nearly the same they dont need R&D they just need to look at the thousands of examples that are nearly identical, and/or hire one of thousands of employees from other companies that made phones.
I hope manufacturer's keep the ir blaster, headphone jack combo, they really are prerequisites when I'm looking to upgrade. I really couldn't care less about the camera.
I have the TCL 10L as my main phone and it did in fact get an update to fix whatever problem it had with Netflix. I'm surprised at just how many games this phone plays and how smooth it is.
First phone I've seen in a while that I'd actually consider an upgrade in a lot of ways over my Note 8. The headphone jack, IR blaster and FM tuner are things that manufacturers nowadays just ignore because so few people use them, but I find those features really useful and I'm disappointed not more phones have them
It depends on what you do with your phone but i agree that most people change their phones too often and also buy a more expensive option for no reason. I still got an asus zenfone 3 that i got 3/4 years ago (cant remember exactly) and it s still perfect, the only way i will change it is if it breaks or if someone makes a 250 euro or less phone with a 120 hz display because that s one feature that i care about and i don t need useless gimmicks or complex cameras (my phone camera outside glass has been broken for 2 years and didn t care enough to repair it)
@@Total2Gamerz if you have friends, yes I'm saying it that way you know why, you can sometimes use the camera to take photos considered cringe in future so you can laugh about said photos with some other friends, who know them. But I agree somehow 'cause you only need a decent *working* camera
@@D0N4R_ yes but they all have phones and the camera near the screen ( i m sure it has a different name but can t remember it right now) still works so no problem really
I'd love to see the Mi A3 to be featured on LTT or ShortCircuit. It's one of the best, if not *the* best budget phone out there. And by saying budget I don't mean below 400$, but below 200$. Another phone I'd love to see is the Redmi Note 9S. There are still people out there not willing to pay multiple hundred bucks for a phone, so having a review for those level of phones would be great too.
This definitely feels like an older Xiaomi model that has been rebranded for TCL. Pretty bad value compared to actual Xiaomi's in this price range with 7 series chips, OLED and HDR for the price of the non pro.
I'm clearly not a bleeding edge tech guy but I just checked my android version and it's 7.1.1. I've literally had 0 problems being on an older OS, no compatibility issues and I don't feel like I'm really missing any notable features. unless future android builds are massive leaps forward I don't think budget phones losing OS update support is that big of a deal with the current incremental changes to android we see from updates. linus insinuated that paying more for a major flagship gets you longer usability and that may be true for someone who wants to be on the latest and greatest(budget phones aren't really for them anyway) but actual usability doesn't really correlate or hasn't correlated with the loss of OS updates.
@@jayt4697 Just means you're more at risk software-wise. These updates patch out any vulnerabilities and exploits that can be used by viruses and shit. Obviously it shouldn't be too bad if you're not downloading random APKs online.
To be fair, Essential really stood out with their software support, and look how far that got them (albeit with questionable decisions on the hardware side). My PH-1 is still rocking all these years later, and I have yet to see any phone upgrades that look compelling even knowing that I will never see a day 1 security patch ever again. RIP.
The Essential phone was DOA. The price was too much to ask for from the beginning. If they priced it at $499 or even $550 they would have had a winner.
For me Chinese brands and products always come out of no where, but suprisingly have really good quality and design... I was being taught the Chinese make lame products my whole childhood time qwq
I mean I'm surprised that when it comes to flagships Huawei has been the only one to keep IR blasters on their flagships up to this day which is pretty interesting.
Good to know! All 65" LCD TVs (even TCL) are priced the same around 600€~700€ in France, so it's so hard to choose! Do you think it's worth spending 1500€ to get an OLED panel instead?
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q I would probably go for OLED, but you are wrong about LCD TVs. There are higher end LCDs that cost more, like the Samsung Q80T, Q90T, Q95T, Q800T, Q950T and Sony XH9505, ZD9, ZF9 and the predecessors of those TVs. Some of them get fairly close to OLED performance
@@agdp15 Well the quality LED TVs you mentioned are getting dangerously close to 1500€ and beyond. There seems to be a few QLED TVs from TCL or Samsung for $1000. I'll just wait another 2 years anyways.
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q I would agree with D. There are a great deal of good LCDs out there. Look for older models. I bought the Sony XF9005 65" this winter for around 800 euro which was a steal considering it cost about the double when it was new. 😁
@@Baxtexx OooOh!! I see what you mean. Cuz I'm looking at newer models (2019 and newer) on the web. I expected better deals TBH. Older models on clearance is always the way to go with TVs and audio. My question is: where do you shop for a TV then? EDIT: the Sony TV you bought is listed 1099€ everywhere.
My previous phone was an Alcatel IDOL 4S with Windows 10 a Mobile. It was originally released with Android, but was then re-launched with upgraded hardware and a different OS. The phone had the loudest stereo loudspeaker configuration at the time, louder than the HTC Boom Alcatel Mobile is a subsidiary of TCL Mobile Alcatel is a trademark of Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel-Lucent is a subsidiary of Nokia Technically, those two phones that Linus reviewed isn't TCL's first
@@rasmus7493 I never had anyone using my credit card or anything of that sort. I HAVE used the recordings I had in moderations and in small claims court over 5 times in the last 3 years. If I had no recordings, I would have about $70K less in my account right now (60K out of that is a contractor who tried to rip me off). I would take 70K over a slightly more secure Android any day. It's not like Windows is really secured, or anything else for that matter.
I mean, technically, they were around for 5+ years - BB and Alcatel phones were from TCL
More then that, I remember them before the iPhone 2G
I remember the t-mobile revvl phone also is a tcl phone
Yep
Yeah
More than 17 years from Chinese source.
My 10L is still going like a charm in August 2023-purchased mine in late 2020 and haven’t even needed to have the 4000mAh battery replaced yet.
This channel reminds me of the old LTT before the "warehouse" Its nice to see lower budget brands we normally wouldn't see on the main channels
Isn't that partially the goal of the channel? To allow them to make that type of content without risking downsides of occasional badly performing video on the main channel?
This is what ShortCircuit is all about. Pick a thing, make a video, put it on youtube. Even the editing job on it is lighter which you can tell by the audio alone. Its jsut a fun thing they do cuz they can and enjoy the stuff they find that may not make sense on main LTT "anymore".
Yeah it's like old LTT, also known as Unbox Therapy but with good opinions and less clickbait
@@IngwiePhoenix_nb audio might just be different because he is recording at home
I only just noticed that this is a separate, new to me channel. Cool.
Linus demonstrating perfectly how mid range Snapdragon processors are more than capable for most users. Slow and laggy they are not.
Mine is from 2014 with snapdragon 620 and I've never had problems except with 1 game which was pubg. It still ran but only with shitty graphics. Any other game including cod mobile runs fine.
@Purified Water II That redmi note 8 pro is way better then sd 675
I have 675 and it's pretty cool. I don't really play mobile games and it does other things quite well. I think it's only shortage is in the gaming department where it can run games only in medium or high. But hey mobile games aren't good anyway so I don't care.
@@DantesInferno96 Yeah I'm not gonna argue mobile games are trash.
@@swapnilgohil7280 I've had a ton of fun with more than a few mobile games. The Wolf Among Us and various point and click adventures, Chrono Trigger, SotN, Dragon Ball Legends, Baldurs Gate, Dragon Quest, etc. I'd argue the issue is more so the input or controls. CoD mobile has been a very nice surprise for many people as well. I think calling mobile games trash comes off as a bit if a cop out.
Man if linus grows his beard anymore we bout to have Kratos Tech Tips
BOY
BOY come assist with this technological gadget, it vexs me
@@ShortCircuit Boi*
Ayyy sup slipmous
Yes a small, tiny, very weak, way more pale nerdy kratos, like kratos discovered technology and just stopped working out
"There's a level of maturity" he says in front of his daughter's doll house. 😆
😂😂😂
What a clown 🤡
@@silverslider562 that's our Linus
That's mature. To be able to sit in front a dollhouse without needing to make some disclamer about why it's there is maturity.
You don't know it's his daughters, maybe it's his dollhouse.
"This is a nice feature" grabs cats tail
Lol
8:20 "You usually see this on Chinese phones" lmao
my chinese phone doesn't come with a cat >:(
Grab It By The Pussy
@@Rose.Of.Hizaki 😂😂
This guy looks like Linus from Linus tech tips, but with a beard.
Ha... Haha...FUCK OFF!
This is literally the same guy hosting a different channel
@@watchingaccountnunya9380 That's the joke.
He really looks like the guy from Linus tech tips
@@aegron2684 he really do
I miss the IR blaster on my Samsung Phones.
I loved screwing with the TV's at McDonalds.... or fixing the aspect ratio on TVs at restaurants. It assisted my OCD.
People like you are the reason The IR blaster was removed. 😏
In mi phones, it's basically always present.
Iconic Rocket lol really?! Porn ads? 😭😭
You can make one yourself if you have a 3.5 jack
tom lewis I heard stories about it... never knew it was THAT bad.
"That's is the big issue with budget Android headsets"...Uhm.. my 800 USD Note 8 didn't even get Android 10...
My £63 pixel 2xl did xd
That's the issue with Android. Avoid the pain and buy iPhone
@@lilmoris1 i use Note stylus and DeX almost daily at my job :) whenever iPhones get support for docking station and stylus I will be first in line to get them :D
Yeah, and my S8+ can't use Netflix as well.....
@@saviorofs0ng Restricted with what? Lmao when you use the apps the way they meant to be used You don't use Android again
Guys I love short Circuit!! The love and fun that just goes into it is such a welcome addition to the meanwhile really structured high quality production value of the main channel! Keep it up!
For a second, I thought you were talking about the movie Short Circuit.
Thanks!
@@originalscreenname44 It's a pretty good movie... except one thing..
@@ShortCircuit I want less of Linus or better none. We already have LTT for that.
@@ShortCircuit I just wish I see Linus in more commercials. When I seen him in a commercial and he was playing bowling made my day.
2020, when 2A chargers are "slow". :P
[Edit] And budget phones have a *cat* mode!
Well given then internet all but runs on cat videos I’m not _that_ surprised
iPhone 11: "am I a joke to you?"
My 2018 mid range phone (200 EUR) is 18W, I'd expect it to be a standard for pretty much any phone these days.
My 2016 100$ Vernee Apollo lite came with an 18w charger so only 10w is slow
Apple still uses the same 5V 1A charger as their box one...
TCL has been in the mobile phone business for a number of years already, having had near global rights to the BlackBerry brand name since 2016, a contract which only ended quite recently. It was TCL which made the BlackBerry KEYone, KEY2, and Blackberry Motion phones. So Linus is wrong when he says TCL is a newbie to the smartphone business.
Remember when they had MTK6592 phones (1st octa Core cheap phones lol)
more than 17 years
Blackberry phone made by TCL had good reviews. Hopefully they continue with the quality.
Linus doesn't know what he is talking about when it comes to phones. I only watch him for his entertainment antics on PC builds.
@@MrSpiritmonger You're might be the CEO at BenQ
Man i might get this for the IR blaster. You could Watch_Dogs just about anything that had a remote back with the Pixel 1. Turn off projectors, mess with public tv volume, switch my friends $1k monitor to 4:3 across the room or paint the hardware crosshair on it...
You could get a Xiaomi Mi Note 10 if you want an IR blaster lol
My 100 usd Xiaomi phone has an IR blaster
Almost every xiaomi phone has an ir blaster...
@@Andrea-qg5yk yea but who wants to buy Chinese anymore?
@@renjithjoseph7135 How about a lot?
It's almost as if TCL stands for Telephone Company, Ltd....
Dont wooosh me but The Creative Life for those who dont know
It It originally stands for *Telephone Communications Limited* and they manufacture cassette tapes in its founding as TTK, a TDK knockoff.
@@Claro1993 yes but the european motto is the creative life its like lg, in America its lucky goldstar and in europe it means life's Good
@@kekkodance I'm in America and never heard of lucky goldstar. Have seen life's good though.
@@jmugurr994 LG Corporation, formerly Lucky-Goldstar, is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. It is the fourth-largest chaebol in South Korea. Its headquarters are in the LG Twin Towers building in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul. Google is friend.
An ir blaster is literally just a 0.2mm by 0.4mm led... There's no reason for phones not to have one
Yep, almost 0 electric and weight load.
Bro best sleeper feature right there 100%
Not quite. It's an I²C IR transceiver. An IR LED by itself tied to a GPIO pin (with an appropriate resistor) could work, but it would require custom firmware changes which aren't really practical when you're running Android, plus a ton of work to integrate OS support. It makes no sense to do it that way. Every phone with an IR blaster communicates with it using the I²C bus. This is also how they talk to their battery chargers, magnetometers, gyros, accelerometers, digitizers, etc. This does add some cost and complexity, even if not much, but it's worth it for markets where IR support is a feature people care about (which I guess includes China for some reason).
Serial Bus huh? Still, vishay's transreceievers are like 1x6x3mm
Yah. IR blasters are sick. I miss mine
And then you have Sony on the other side with all the RnD and marketing money in the world, botching things release after release.
Yeesh. Harsh truth.
You clearly dont undestand loss, do you?
@@ark_knight What's that supposed to mean?
Sony's phone division is failing rapidly
Mate, they were selling 33 milion phones a year a few years ago
Now they sell less then 400k, they lose millions on phones every year
Sony is an old company ran by stubborn old Japanese men. You see that pattern a lot in older "too big to fail" companies.
@@ark_knight Loss? I probably don't. But I think Sony's mobile division does, pretty well.
5:19 Most Xiaomi smartphones still feature an IR blaster.
what i heard was a 250 dollar universal remote that acts as a gaming device, a second display for netflix (ONCE THEY FIX ITS) an emergency camera for quick family picture and a flash light in case the power goes out... sounds fair
All you have to do is grab an older netflix app from somewhere and you're good.
And cheap emulation device or low-end games if you wanted to. Definitively a nice pickup.
Or you can get a used s8, which is better than both those phones and is also cheaper than both of them
@@ronakparikh and doesnt have an IR Blaster lol
@@snowwsquire My P30 Pro has an IR Blaster, and you'd be surprised how often it actually comes in handy in a pinch. Housemate's Apple TV remote crapped out, and we were able to use my phone to control the Apple TV box.
When the kitty joined, the review became cat% more interesting.
I was quite surprised about how good they actually are. For an everyday dude doing just about everyday things, this is a very broad feature set. And, you definitively can't dismiss the universal remote feature. It is definitively unique. Even when this runs out of support, I bet you could still throw some APKs on it and still just use it as a smart remote or medium-quality dedicated audio device. There is a lot of post-usage support for this. I mean, add postmarketOS and you are game!
The camera setup got me in the thumbnail that's crazy looking
I love the look of the Pros back. The cameras look so clean and there is no weird looking camera bump
Yep
Those phones support GSI Treble ROMs. You can still have up to date Android versions!
That multi-camera preview in the viewfinder is actually sick as hell, I'd love to see that on more Androids in the future.
I love seeing highlights of budget phones! There are a lot of them out there and it can be hard to find decent reviews
@5:20 most Xiaomi phones still have IR blasters
True
@@NB-1 their standard browser "mint" is somewhat under optimized imo and I doubt many people even use it when you have chrome plus I think they rolled out an update that gives you the choice to not give any data at all in private mode
@@NB-1 That's why I have a really hard time seeing TCL breaking into the European market. Huawei and Xiaomi are very popular over there and offer better specs for the money.
@@aidan8583 Use Custom ROMs bro... MIUI is a pretty heavy shit
@@neuronbuster If anything, games run much smoother for me on MIUI than any other custom ROM. There are variations of MIUI made for a lot of countries by their fanbases, so it's worth giving that a look as well
Watching this from my TCL 10 Pro. I approve of it so far
How bout now
@@hazzardgr712 still approve
How about now?
@@muhammadedreese920 still approve 👍
@@doomedoyster How about next year
i wish every phone had an ir blaster. i love just using my phone for the tv and other stuff that it can use
You don't really need it for that though, smart tv's have to connect to your lan anyway so your phone can just use that to control it.
@@TheAkashicTraveller
I have an old 1980s AC and I miss being able to control it from my phone. Also good for CRT monitors once I get more seriously into retro gaming.
I like that little figurine of a man, a woman and their three kids at the background. Shows how much Linus loves his family.
TCL have been around in the smartphone game for years, for the price these aren't bad, they also aren't ground breaking either, the camera was impressive on both of them, the TCL 10L was the definite winner of the two based purely on that price.
Personally I'd probably look at other brands, but it's good to have choice :)
IMHO, these TCL phones are very middle of the road. Samsung, Motorola, Xiaomi, Realme and Huawei all offer similar or better phones between $200 and $300. The 10L is somewhat interesting for offering an above-average LCD panel with NFC. HOWEVER, the Samsung A51 is looking better with comparable specs and a gorgeous AMOLED panel. To put it bluntly, the competition is fierce!
@@danielrouw2593 true, but keep in mind Google is it's own worst enemy and can easily put a bad price on it or go cheap on the build to make up for the pixel 4
Im actually in the market for a new phone, my OnePlus 3 is overheating so much its de-laminating the screen. Not on a contract so phone costs would be out of pocket, any suggestions where I can look for alternative options (besides the overpriced Samsungs or iPhones) for a high performance phone that won't kill my wallet?
Its obviously been a while since I was phone shopping, was looking forward to MWC to see the new tech and educate myself on whats current but we all know how that went down.
@@Pileot The only options for you are from Chinese brands like Realme or Xiaomi. They release a new phone every other week.
@@Pileot Well, it depends on what your exact budget is, what country you're based in (Different market prices mean a phone that's cheap in Europe could be twice the price in the USA), when you need it for (Delivery time), what features you use on your current phone that you want to keep (Many newer phones don't have a headphone jack, and from my experience it is one of the worst decisions that smartphone brands have ever made.)
What new features you would like to have. And importantly, what environment do you most often reside in? (Office environment is less likely to damage your phone VS a builder, a plumber, a mechanic, etc.)
I have kept my LG V20 (I have an LG G8 thinQ in the box still and never use it) only because it was the last "flagship" phone to have a built in IR blaster. I am not willing to part with that capability. So it is really cool to see this this phone have that feature.
This is like the only full review I’ve seen on UA-cam with all the kinks thanks for the content 🤩
Glad to see you reviewing budget and mid range phones. I switched from Samsung to a Pixel 3a XL and am quite pleased with the phone. I just couldn't justify spending $1,100 for something I will replace in 2 years.
God damn Linus looks sexy now with that glorious beard.
Never shave it.
Plus his hair looks pretty cute! ☺️
My guess is that a nice looking beard makes your Haircut look better
We all know linus's wife said his beard was sexy so it's staying.
@jesus barrera you are disgusting just saying that
@jesus barrera Yeah that's just weird
@jesus barrera oh maybe there was an error in communication.
"Like an s8+ clone"
My phone is displaying a video of its long-lost siblings.
I love the dollhouse backdrop, need to replicate that in the studio when all this is over.
These "Short" Circuits are starting to get longer than the LTT Videos (like the I've been water cooling wrong the whole time vid)
I mean it's their production time/effort that has the goal of being shorter with a faster turnaround, not necessarily the video length.
8:58 when you find your best friend talking behind your back
Linus: "Look to this, even without beauty mode I'm still beautiful. Thus, the front camera is trash."
I love this self-confidence.
I would be interested to see TCL make a true flagship, with top tier specs and parts. From what we’ve seen here they have a good philosophy and they seem to know what they’re doing
I miss that boy Linus he was sweet, this man is just an impostor.
He's Canadian
Nishant Soni peninsula
True
Hi. I just got one of these - MY FIRST CELL PHONE - so the learning curve will be steep. That said wish I had searched for reviews and found yours first before buying the phone. Video moved kind of fast for me so I'll be coming back to it again. Thanks for making it.
The IR blaster is something I really miss.
Linus, I thought you said no mid-roll ads. I got an ad right after you got excited about the IR blaster.
It was almost like he wanted the phone to be bad from jump.
Dang.. IR Blaster and FM. That's some awesome old school stuff
Smartphone manufacturers are going crazy with the cameras!
i just bought it - IR blaster support needs to make a comeback.
Hey Linus, the last episode of MKBHD’s podcast, they went on a 20-minute rant about how companies only guarantee 2 years of updates on Android.
Well with Android 11 security updates is through Play Store so no worries there..
@@RandomGuy-om1vy Is that already running? Because they have been teasing that feature since Android 8 lmao
@@RandomGuy-om1vy 10 not 11
yes because software updates is how you attract costumers. Just shows how tech tubers have no idea what regular consumers think when they are buying a new phone.
@@newdavidof Yup, most people just look a how many megapixels the camera has, the don't care if it comes with a Mediatek chip inside
Love that these videos are in 21:9 for my Google phone. Looks exquisite. Keep up the great content guys
The 10 pro to me feels like a step up from the s9 that I have
Any chinese software on it?
Honestly i have always been a Samsung user my past 3 phones were samsung. last year i switched from a galaxy note 5 to the galaxy A51 (one of Samsung's midrange offerings) and I was disappointed. the sheer amount of bugs that exist even to this day is unbelievable. i never experienced such thing with my note 5 even though i got it a week after launch and even with my prior Samsung phones, the A51 is less than what i expected from Samsung. not to mention the stupid "Quad camera" that they seem to be really proud off is on part if not worse than the note 5's camera from 2015. This experience really made me open to try out different phone makers. i think TLC has great potential in the market. maybe one day they'll become a recognizable phone maker
That seems like a pretty good choice, but I'll wait until it has a LineageOS port. If there is one thing I've learned in the last 6 years, it's not to trust Chinese Android distros.
Just get a different budget phone
Just buy any Realme or Xiaomi device which are best mid range devices and flash them. They got big support in custom OS.
@@iKingRPG Looks like you're right. $50 more (or $100 less if you go by The Verge's awful reporting) gets a overall better phone in the Moto G Stylo, with a small dip in CPU performance (Snapdragon 665 vs TCL 10's 675) for a otherwise better device across the board without the risks.
@@KiraSlith I think in US Realme devices are cheaper than that TLC mobile with better everything. They have 730G, 710, 712, 855 or Helio G90T at or under 500.
Those are all better than those 600 series processor. And better camera too.
@jesus barrera Many of them take your information and sell them to Chinese companies.
Unless your country have data hub specially made for all devices in the country, so that the information doesn't go to other countries.
5V 2A.
Apple users: HURRAY WE GOT FAST CHARGING
XD
Makes a very good handheld/retro emulator. I'm trying PSP games on the 10L right now and they work perfectly. Using a PS4 controller with Bluetooth has literally, figuratively, no lag.
Gonna do more emulation on it and see what it can handle.
Nearly every Xiomi phone has an IR blaster still
i wanna see him cover the redmi k30pro or the poco f2
@@ShaiyanHossain yeah he has too
Shaiyan Hossain does it have Kevlar like the poco f1?
And they also have ads on their phones
@@AveemAshfaq You can disable them, or get the android one version. 😉
If only it had removable batteries, I might actually upgrade from my LG v20. I actually love the IR blaster and FM tuner in my LG v20, they're really handy in a pinch!
Wait, Linus with his beard now looks like hiccup from how to train your dragon!!!!😲
I upgraded my phone last year from a Galaxy S8 to an S10+. While I really like the phone, I really really miss the rear fingerprint sensor. I remember watching Linus complain about rear fingerprint sensors because he would have to pick up his phone to activate it. But I just found it so convenient because whenever I picked up my phone, my finger would naturally find the sensor and turn the phone on before I even got it on front of my face. With the S10+, I pick it up, press the power button, then I have to find the under-screen sensor with my thumb to turn it on. Granted, in the larger scheme of things having to touch 2 buttons instead of one isn't that big a deal. But the rear sensor was just effortless. If they brought the rear sensor back for the S 21, I'd probably upgrade, even though I'd be losing the headphone jack. I actually really appreciate having an FM tuner in my phone. But aside from the one time I tried it out to see if it works, I've never used it. I just don't listen to the radio much anymore. So losing the headphone jack wouldn't affect me very much.
Linus is surprised that they managed to make a decent quality device with "lots of thought".
Every phone is nearly the same
they dont need R&D they just need to look at the thousands of examples that are nearly identical, and/or hire one of thousands of employees from other companies that made phones.
@Mario That's why almost all smartwatches looks similar....
8:25 Nice microphone you have there Linus.
5:18
Every flagship Huawei phone from the last 2 years: Am I a joke to you?
I hope manufacturer's keep the ir blaster, headphone jack combo, they really are prerequisites when I'm looking to upgrade. I really couldn't care less about the camera.
Every xiaomi mobile from the last 6 years has an ir blaster
@@solebreakneck9857 that is true for the Mi series, but not for Redmi and Mi Mix phones
@@melvinwarmpf1264 not for the mi mix but it's been there since the release of redmi 3s prime.
@@solebreakneck9857 the redmi note 8 pro does not have a ir blaster
Watching this from a tlc 10l. I got this phone yesterday and really pleased.
The last time I was this early Linus still looked like a **Teenager**
So right before covid?
@@Dave-di4in yeah bro...just wanted to sound good
This is what getting wu flu will do. Go out and get your own
Fuck off with the "early shit:"
@@xALPHAxJULIETx if it's kinda original like that it's ok. I would only criticize that he didn't use the word '12 year old'
9:39 "if you have very good light you might wanna switch up to the Hypixel mode" lol
"Even without face beauty I am still beautiful" 11:05
LInus 2020
I have the TCL 10L as my main phone and it did in fact get an update to fix whatever problem it had with Netflix. I'm surprised at just how many games this phone plays and how smooth it is.
bought my gf a 50" tcl because i was tired of squinting at her 32 from across the room. was actually super impressed for $300
First phone I've seen in a while that I'd actually consider an upgrade in a lot of ways over my Note 8. The headphone jack, IR blaster and FM tuner are things that manufacturers nowadays just ignore because so few people use them, but I find those features really useful and I'm disappointed not more phones have them
and I still haven't found a worthy successor to my $150 phone from 2014 xD
removable battery, stereo speakers, 2 days runtime.
It depends on what you do with your phone but i agree that most people change their phones too often and also buy a more expensive option for no reason. I still got an asus zenfone 3 that i got 3/4 years ago (cant remember exactly) and it s still perfect, the only way i will change it is if it breaks or if someone makes a 250 euro or less phone with a 120 hz display because that s one feature that i care about and i don t need useless gimmicks or complex cameras (my phone camera outside glass has been broken for 2 years and didn t care enough to repair it)
@@Total2Gamerz if you have friends, yes I'm saying it that way you know why, you can sometimes use the camera to take photos considered cringe in future so you can laugh about said photos with some other friends, who know them. But I agree somehow 'cause you only need a decent *working* camera
@@D0N4R_ yes but they all have phones and the camera near the screen ( i m sure it has a different name but can t remember it right now) still works so no problem really
You need to check out the lenovo z5s less than 150 us trust me the price sounds like it isnt worth it but that phone is a gem mine
Oh my gosh. Does Linus have a custom Youtooz of him and his family behind him? That's awesome!
"This is a feature included in all phones from china"
what the cat butt?
I'd love to see the Mi A3 to be featured on LTT or ShortCircuit.
It's one of the best, if not *the* best budget phone out there. And by saying budget I don't mean below 400$, but below 200$.
Another phone I'd love to see is the Redmi Note 9S.
There are still people out there not willing to pay multiple hundred bucks for a phone, so having a review for those level of phones would be great too.
Xiaomi phones are a great deal, I have the redmi note 8 and it can run almost everything, the camera is pretty good but when it comes to low light 💩
Why does he look's like him and his father at the same time
Because they're related
@@revengeconquer6449 whats their names
The beginning background music is the same as the "main theme" of a french weekly twitch show called Popcorn :D
Ok donc je suis pas tout seul mdrrr =)
5:10 Apparently Linus hasn't used Xiaomi/Redmi phones
xiamo phones don't have that good of 4G bandwidth support for the US market
@AniMeusic yeah ik... Plus Huawei has the best cameras🔥
not in the north america .
@@resresres1 yeah but here in Asia.... They are 🔥
I just wanna thank your film guy Brandon or whoever films these vids, because it fills most my screen horizontally.
This definitely feels like an older Xiaomi model that has been rebranded for TCL. Pretty bad value compared to actual Xiaomi's in this price range with 7 series chips, OLED and HDR for the price of the non pro.
The only issue with xiaomi phones is that the 4G bandwidth support for the US market is terrible
9:45 why did I thought Linus is instructing cat how to use camera
Why do I keep thinking TLC instead of TCL🧐🤔
Ohhhhhhh Noooo! Same!!!!!
SAME!!
TCL (brand) is not confused with TLC (TV channel from Discovery)
table ladders and chair match
TLC - Tender Loving Care
I'm clearly not a bleeding edge tech guy but I just checked my android version and it's 7.1.1. I've literally had 0 problems being on an older OS, no compatibility issues and I don't feel like I'm really missing any notable features. unless future android builds are massive leaps forward I don't think budget phones losing OS update support is that big of a deal with the current incremental changes to android we see from updates. linus insinuated that paying more for a major flagship gets you longer usability and that may be true for someone who wants to be on the latest and greatest(budget phones aren't really for them anyway) but actual usability doesn't really correlate or hasn't correlated with the loss of OS updates.
I think the issue might be whether or not TCL will commit to security updates, which are arguably more important.
@@voxybuns Mine was last updated in 2018. Am I going to die?
@@jayt4697 Just means you're more at risk software-wise. These updates patch out any vulnerabilities and exploits that can be used by viruses and shit. Obviously it shouldn't be too bad if you're not downloading random APKs online.
"Telephone Communication Limited" makes phones, what a coincidence
Because they bought Alcatel.
As well as the Alcatel brand, TCL have made badged phones. Cat is cute also.
To be fair, Essential really stood out with their software support, and look how far that got them (albeit with questionable decisions on the hardware side).
My PH-1 is still rocking all these years later, and I have yet to see any phone upgrades that look compelling even knowing that I will never see a day 1 security patch ever again. RIP.
I think the closest outside of google is Probably One Plus.
The Essential phone was DOA. The price was too much to ask for from the beginning. If they priced it at $499 or even $550 they would have had a winner.
MAN I miss my IR blaster from my LG G2!
Good old funny days! haha
I have A TCL "Smart" TV that can barely do anything. I just want to watch youtube ffs I don't want to wait for 10 minutes the homescreen to load.
What model do you have? I have a TCL R615 and I find that it usually works quickly and smoothly.
I watched so much LTT videos that it feels weird that he doesn't have a sponsor on his short circuit videos
"CAT TAKE OVER THE WHOLE VIDEO" video ples
Danm it Linus, you have so many channels I thought this was LTT
For me Chinese brands and products always come out of no where, but suprisingly have really good quality and design... I was being taught the Chinese make lame products my whole childhood time qwq
Feature set is very similar to the S10e. Including the FM tuner. Yes, the S10 series has an FM tuner.
12:09 Yeah man! My first smartphone had 512mb ram😂
My first PC had 512mb of ram. When runscape upgraded it's visuals, I had to stop playing.
@@tjsmithson1598 My friend had a 512mb ram pc...playing wwe was a lot of fun!!
@@tim3172 yeah...I once tried to run GTA vice city on my phone, it ran in like 5fps😂
I mean I'm surprised that when it comes to flagships Huawei has been the only one to keep IR blasters on their flagships up to this day which is pretty interesting.
Beware though that their products vary depending on region. The tvs they sell in US are good but the ones they sell in EU are garbage.
Good to know! All 65" LCD TVs (even TCL) are priced the same around 600€~700€ in France, so it's so hard to choose! Do you think it's worth spending 1500€ to get an OLED panel instead?
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q I would probably go for OLED, but you are wrong about LCD TVs. There are higher end LCDs that cost more, like the Samsung Q80T, Q90T, Q95T, Q800T, Q950T and Sony XH9505, ZD9, ZF9 and the predecessors of those TVs. Some of them get fairly close to OLED performance
@@agdp15 Well the quality LED TVs you mentioned are getting dangerously close to 1500€ and beyond. There seems to be a few QLED TVs from TCL or Samsung for $1000. I'll just wait another 2 years anyways.
@@user-xg6zz8qs3q I would agree with D. There are a great deal of good LCDs out there. Look for older models. I bought the Sony XF9005 65" this winter for around 800 euro which was a steal considering it cost about the double when it was new. 😁
@@Baxtexx OooOh!! I see what you mean. Cuz I'm looking at newer models (2019 and newer) on the web. I expected better deals TBH. Older models on clearance is always the way to go with TVs and audio. My question is: where do you shop for a TV then? EDIT: the Sony TV you bought is listed 1099€ everywhere.
6:45 they removed the side button customisation and made it only open google assistant with no way to change it. Only turn it off completly
Haptic feedback on phones is awful, don't know how people have it on.
Hold the down the left arrow key to watch MC Linus jam to a phat beat. Keep holding it to watch Palsied Linus cut footage.
(clears throat) um, TCL made phones for Blackberry...that useless info said, carry on.
My previous phone was an Alcatel IDOL 4S with Windows 10 a Mobile.
It was originally released with Android, but was then re-launched with upgraded hardware and a different OS.
The phone had the loudest stereo loudspeaker configuration at the time, louder than the HTC Boom
Alcatel Mobile is a subsidiary of TCL Mobile
Alcatel is a trademark of Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a subsidiary of Nokia
Technically, those two phones that Linus reviewed isn't TCL's first
"No commitment beyond Android 11"... Just unlock it and flash lineage then, problem solved 😊
Also, who cares? I'm on Android 8 and LOVE IT. Won't upgrade until they'll stop blocking call recording apps.
@@shane250 Security? Hah who cares right?
@@rasmus7493
I never had anyone using my credit card or anything of that sort. I HAVE used the recordings I had in moderations and in small claims court over 5 times in the last 3 years. If I had no recordings, I would have about $70K less in my account right now (60K out of that is a contractor who tried to rip me off). I would take 70K over a slightly more secure Android any day.
It's not like Windows is really secured, or anything else for that matter.