TCL 20 Pro 5G vs TCL 20S: Which phone should you buy?

TCL has released three new smartphones in the US as a part of the TCL 20 series. Two of the phones in the lineup -- the TCL 20 Pro 5G and the TCL 20s -- cater to the mid-range segment. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone and wondering which of the TCL’s two mid-range phones you should buy, we can help. In this article, we’ll pit the TCL 20 Pro against the TCL 20S to see which phone makes more sense for you.

Navigate this guide:

Specifications
Design and Display
SoC, RAM, and Storage
Cameras
Battery and Connectivity
OS and Android updates
Pricing and Colors
Conclusion

TCL 20 Pro 5G vs TCL 20S: Specifications

Specifications	TCL 20 Pro 5G	TCL 20S
Dimensions and Weight	164.2 x 73.8 x 9.07mm 190g	166.2 x 76.9 x 9.1 mm 199g
Display	6.67-inch curved AMOLED Full HD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution 60Hz refresh rate 700nits peak brightness 100% DCI-P3 PixelWorks i6 processor	6.67-inch LCD Full HD+ 20:9 aspect ratio Hole-punch display 60Hz refresh rate
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 2x Kryo 570 (Cortex-A77) cores @ 2.2GHz 6x Kryo 570 (Cortex-A55) cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 619 GPU 8nm process	Qualcomm Snapdragon 665: 2x Kryo 260 (Cortex-A73) cores @ 2.0GHz 4x Kryo 260 (Cortex-A53) cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 610 GPU 11nm process
RAM and Storage	6GB RAM 256GB storage MicroSD card support	4GB RAM 128GB flash storage MicroSD card support
Rear Camera	Primary: 48MP Sony IMX582 primary, f/1.8, 0.8μm, OIS Secondary: 16MP ultra-wide-angle, 123° FoV, f/2.4, 1.0μm Tertiary: 5MP macro, f/2.2 Quaternary: 2MP depth, f/2.4 Video: Up to 4K@30	Primary: 64MP primary Secondary: 8MP ultra-wide Tertiary: 2MP macro Quaternary: 2MP depth
Front Camera	32MP, f/2.45, fixed-focus, 80.4° FoV Video: Up to 4K@30	16MP fixed focus
Battery	4,500 mAh battery Up to 18W wired charging (inside the box) Up to 15W wireless charging	5,000mAh Up to 18W fast charging
Connectivity	Bands (North America): 2G Bands: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 3G Bands: UMTS B1/2/4/5/8 4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12(MFBI)/ 13/14/17/20/25/26/28/29/ 30/38/40/41/48/66/71 5G Bands: n2/5/7/41/66/71/78 4×4 MIMO(DL) B2/4/7/30/66 NFC WiFi 802.11.b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Bluetooth 5.1 USB Type C	Bands (North America): GSM:850/900/1800/1900MHz UMTS:1/2/4/5/8 LTE:1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/ 20/25/26/28/29/38/40/ 41/66/71 NFC WiFi 802.11.b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) Bluetooth 5.0 USB Type C
Other features	In-display scanner	Side-mounted fingerprint reader
Software	Android 11 with TCL UI	Android 11 with TCL UI

Design and Display

As the TCL 20 Pro 5G is the company’s flagship phone for 2021, TCL seems to have put a lot of effort into its design. The phone has 3D glass as well as curved edges on both the front and back. However, the 3D glass doesn’t cover the entirety of the back panel, and instead the company has gone with a two-tone design. The glass with its glossy look is present on a small portion on the left, with the rest of the panel having a matte finish.

The TCL 20S ditches the 3D glass and two-tone design of the 20 Pro 5G for 2D glass on the front, and a complete matte panel on the back. The back panel also includes micron-sized prismatic crystals to give it some shine.

In terms of the display, both TCL phones carry full-HD panels. While the 20 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen, the 20S includes a 6.67-inch LCD screen. The two phones also feature centered hole-punch cutouts for the selfie camera.

As the AMOLED panels are more vibrant and provide better contrast, between the two TCL phones, the 20 Pro 5G is a better option.

SoC, RAM, and Storage

Being the more expensive smartphone of the two, the TCL 20 Pro 5G uses the more powerful and newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC. The TCL 20S, on the other hand, is powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC. Further, the 20 Pro 5G has 6GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage, whereas you’ll only get 4GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage in the 20S.

More RAM and a better processor will help the TCL 20 Pro 5G provide superior performance than the 20S. Both phones also come with the microSD card slots, so the internal storage isn't as much of an issue, and you can always expand it if you want.

TCL 20 Pro 5G vs TCL 20S: Cameras

On the camera front, TCL has used a 48MP main shooter on the 20 Pro 5G that supports optical image stabilization. You’ll also get a 16MP wide-angle shooter, 5MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor as a part of the quad rear camera setup. A 32MP selfie shooter is present as well. As we mentioned in our TCL 20 Pro 5G review, the cameras on the back of the phone are pretty average. While the main shooter does take some nice shots in bright, natural lighting, its performance in indoor and low-lighting scenarios is underwhelming.

The TCL 20S packs a 64MP main shooter, an 8MP wide-angle camera, 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. There's a 16MP selfie shooter onboard as well. Like the 20 Pro 5G camera performance, the TCL 20S cameras also provide mixed results. You’ll get decent phones from the main camera in good lighting, but the low-light photos are noisy and low on detail.

Overall, on the camera front, you're likely going to get similar camera performance on both smartphones.

Battery and Connectivity

Things get interesting in the battery and connectivity departments. Although the TCL 20 Pro 5G comes with a 4,500mAh battery, the phone barely lasted a day on a single charge in our review, with around 5 - 5.5 hours of screen time. The 5,000mAh battery of the TCL 20S however, despite being just 500mAh bigger than the 20 Pro 5G, provided almost double the screen time on a single charge at 9 hours. On average use, the phone will be able to deliver well over a day of uptime with charging. Both phones also support 18W fast charging and come with compatible fast chargers in the box. Moreover, the TCL 20 Pro 5G supports wireless charging.

While the TCL 20S wins on the battery front, the presence of 5G support tips things in favor of the TCL 20 Pro 5G in the connectivity department. The 20 Pro 5G, however, only supports T-Mobile 5G at the moment, with Verizon certification coming soon for both 4G and 5G support. On the other hand, the 20S supports 4G LTE on all three major carriers.

Additionally, you get Wi-Fi 802.11ac, NFC, and USB Type-C on both smartphones. The TCL 20 Pro 5G also includes Bluetooth 5.1, whereas you’ll get Bluetooth 5.0 on the 20S.

TCL 20 Pro 5G vs TCL 20S: OS and Android Updates

Coming to the software, both the TCL 20 Pro 5G and the 20S run on Android 11 with TCL UI out-of-the-box. As per the TCL Canada website, the 20 Pro 5G will get two major Android updates, along-with security updates till April 2024. The 20S, on the other hand, will only get one major Android update, and security updates till April 2024.

So clearly, the TCL 20 Pro 5G scores on the software front with its two major Android updates promise.

Pricing and Colors

The price tags of the two phones show a wide gap between them. While the TCL 20 Pro 5G retails at $500, the TCL 20S can be purchased at just $250. There are obviously sacrifices you’ll have to make for those $150 savings, but for some people that lower price tag will be more enticing than getting 5G or a better processor.

In terms of colors, the TCL 20 Pro 5G comes in Marine Blue and Moondust Gray, and the 20S sells in Milky Way Gray and North Star Blue.

Conclusion

It comes down to your priorities when choosing between the TCL 20 Pro 5G and the TCL 20S. While the TCL 20 Pro 5G gets a better screen, better processor, more Android updates, and 5G support, it costs $150 more than the 20S. With the TCL 20S, you get a better battery, comparable cameras, decent screen, and decent performance. 5G is still not such a big deal in the US, given that the carriers will take at least a couple of years more to take 5G network availability to the level of 4G.