The TCL 20 series makes its U.S. debut today with 3 new phones

TCL 20 Pro 5G
TCL 20 Pro 5G (Image credit: Hayato Huseman / Android Central)

What you need to know

  • The TCL 20 Pro 5G debuts NXTVISION 2.0 tech on a gorgeous AMOLED display with 4 cameras for $500.
  • The TCL 20S and 20SE bring great designs and competitive specs for $250 or less.
  • The TCL 20 series is launching with Android 11 today in the U.S. unlocked on Amazon, with the promise of updates to Android 12 and beyond.

Poised to be big competition for Google's affordable Pixels, the TCL 20 series is coming stateside after launching in other markets back in April. The TCL 10 series has been sitting atop the best cheap phones list for a while now, and some killer Prime Day sales (that are still happening) only solidified that claim. The TCL 20 series aims to take everything that was good about the TCL 10 Pro and 10L and turn them up a notch, starting with the designs.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is the star of the lineup, sporting two gorgeous colors and a gorgeous new design. Curved glass makes the giant 6.67-inch screen a bit more reachable, and that Full HD+ AMOLED display is powered by TCL's all-new NXTVISION 2.0 technology that enhances image quality and color accuracy. TCL's new displays even block blue light, so you won't need special glasses or screen protectors to keep your eyes healthy.

This one also boasts a quad-camera array on the back, and the single 32MP camera on the front peeks out from behind a small dot in the display, which TCL lovingly calls the "dotch". The TCL 20 Pro 5G also sports a surprisingly speedy, yet power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G. That chipset enables 5G connectivity on T-Mobile and 4G LTE on AT&T at launch, with support for Verizon's 5G network coming in a few weeks.

At half the price, the TCL 20S sports an incredibly similar design to the TCL 20 Pro 5G in most ways, including a quad-camera array on the back with a leading 64MP camera sensor. The TCL 20S holds the unique honor of being the first phone in the U.S. with a TUV Rheinland-certified Circular Polarization Display which is designed to reduce eye strain by up to 85 percent. This one goes for $250 unlocked on Amazon and works for all US carriers' 4G networks.

Lastly is the TCL 20 SE which debuts for under $200, yet still sports a quad-camera array on the back with a leading 48MP camera sensor. The TCL 20 SE features a bit of a different design when compared to the other two phones in the TCL 20 line, but it's still a massive 6.82-inch display with NXTVISION technology behind it. This one is designed for AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S.

Nicholas Sutrich
Senior Content Producer — Smartphones & VR
Nick started with DOS and NES and uses those fond memories of floppy disks and cartridges to fuel his opinions on modern tech. Whether it's VR, smart home gadgets, or something else that beeps and boops, he's been writing about it since 2011. Reach him on Twitter or Instagram @Gwanatu