The TCL 20 SE is the newest budget smartphone from TCL. It's a part of the company’s 2021 lineup and recently made its debut in the United States. If you’re in the market for a new phone, and wondering whether to save money and buy the 20 SE or spend more to get the Moto G Stylus 5G, we’re here to help. In this comparison, we pit TCL 20 SE aginst the Moto G Style 5G to see how the two phones stack up against each other.

Navigate this guide:

• Specifications
• Design and Display
• SoC, RAM, and Storage
• Cameras
• Battery, Connectivity, and Stylus
• Android version and updates
• Pricing
• Conclusion

TCL 20 SE vs Moto G Stylus 5G: Specifications

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Design and Display

The TCL 20 SE has a slightly dated design with its waterdrop-style notch and a back panel with dual nano photoetching that shimmers and sparkles. Moreover, the front of the phone also features a thick chin. Comparably, Motorola has gone with a rather utilitarian look with a glossy finish that features a reflective sheen to it but don’t expect TCL 20 SE-like shimmering or sparkles. The Moto G Stylus 5G also comes with a thick chin but otherwise has small bezels. Moreover, you get a hole-punch style selfie camera setup on the front of the Motorola phone.

In terms of the display, the 20 SE has a 6.82-inch HD+ (720 x 1,640 pixels) LCD screen with 263 PPI. The Moto G Stylus 5G, on the other hand, comes with a 6.8-inch full-HD+ (1,080 x 2,400 pixels) LCD screen with 386 PPI.

Between both TCL and Motorola phones, neither actually stands out in terms of design. It's up to you to decide which entices you more than the other. The Moto G Stylus 5G is however a clear winner on the display front, thanks to its full-HD resolution.

SoC, RAM, and Storage

The Snapdragon 480 in the Moto G Stylus is not only a newer SoC, it also outshines the TCL 20 SE’s S460 in all aspects. You get faster Cortex-A76 and Cortex-A55 cores in the S480, compared to the Cortex-A73 and Cortex-A53 cores in S460. The Motorola phone’s SoC also packs a newer GPU, faster memory, a newer image signal processor (ISP), and a 5G modem.

The Moto G Stylus 5G phone also packs more RAM and storage at 6GB and 256GB, respectively, whereas TCL 20 SE comes with just 4GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in storage. Both phones include a microSD card slot.

If you want faster performance and are willing to pay for it, the Moto G Stylus 5G makes more sense. The TCL 20 SE isn't really a slacker on the performance front, but it falls behind its Motorola competitor.

TCL 20 SE vs Moto G Stylus 5G: Cameras

There isn’t a whole lot of difference between Moto G Stylus 5G and TCL 20 SE’s quad-camera setups but the Motorola phone does score in some areas. The Moto G Stylus 5G comes with a 48MP main camera, the same as the TCL phone, but the lens included in the shooter has a wider aperture at f/1.7 than the TCL’s f/2.0. Also, Moto G Stylus 5G includes an 8MP wide-angle shooter and 5MP macro camera, whereas TCL 20 SE has a 5MP wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro shooter. Both phones also come with a 2MP depth sensor. The Motorola phone’s main camera can also capture 1080p videos at 60fps, whereas TCL is limited to 30fps.

For the selfie needs, Motorola has added a 16MP shooter, compared to the 13MP camera on the 20 SE.

Overall, if you’re into mobile photography, the marginal improvements offered by the Moto G Stylus 5G make it a better camera phone than the TCL 20 SE.

Battery, Connectivity, and Stylus

Both Moto G Stylus 5G and TCL 20 SE come with 5,000mAh batteries as well as 10W chargers in the box. In terms of connectivity options, as its name suggests, the Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G, comes with 5G support. But right now, it can only work with T-Mobile and Verizon’s sub-6GHz 5G networks. AT&T 5G support is said to be coming. The TCL 20 SE, on the other hand, only supports 4G LTE and is limited to the AT&T and T-Mobile networks.

Whereas the TCL phone also comes with Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4), NFC, and USB Type-C, the Motorola phone includes Wi-Fi 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5), USB Type-C, and Bluetooth 5.0.

A stylus is one aspect of the Motorola phone that's not present on the TCL phone in any form.

Although 5G support may seem like a big plus for Moto G Stylus 5G, the 5G networks are still far from being available everywhere. So unless you're explicitly looking for a 5G phone with stylus support, TCL with its 4G support is a decent option.

TCL 20 SE vs Moto G Stylus 5G: Android Version and Updates

The TCL 20 SE and Moto G Stylus 5G run on Android 11. While TCL includes its own TCL user interface over the Android, Motorola’s interface is closer to stock Android. Motorola is also promising one major Android update and two years of security updates (until June 2023) for the Moto G Stylus 5G. TCL, on the other hand, hasn’t said anything on the Android update front, but it'll provide security updates to the 20 SE until January 2023.

With its clean software and promise of at least one major Android update, the Moto G Stylus 5G has a clear advantage on the software front.

Pricing and Colors

The price tag is one area where the wide gap between the two phones clearly shows. But this gap is in favor of the TCL 20 SE. The TCL phone costs just $190 for its single 4GB + 128GB model in the US. The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G, on the other hand, is priced at $400 for its single 6GB + 256GB model.

TCL is offering the 20 SE in two colors - Aurora Green and Nuit Black, whereas the Motorola phone comes in just one color - Cosmic Emerald.

Conclusion

There's no doubt TCL 20 SE and Moto G Stylus 5G are very different phones. The Moto G Stylus 5G has clear advantages in many areas, including performance and display. So if you have the budget and are willing to spend for better performance, better screen, better cameras, and 5G support, Moto G Stylus 5G is for you.

But if you want to save some money and are willing to sacrifice a bit on pretty much everything, TCL 20 SE is a decent option. You can probably buy the TCL 20 SE now and invest in a better 5G phone when the next-generation networks are more widely available.

If you've purchased the phones, do check out our recommendations on accessories, cases, screen protectors, and more:

• TCL 20 SE:
  • Best Cases
  • Best Screen Protectors
• Best Fast Chargers
• Best MicroSD Cards