Video-focused TCL Plex smartphone launches in Australia today

In a bid to shake up the local smartphone market, TV manufacturer TCL has officially launched its first phone in Australia today with the arrival of its budget-friendly handset, TCL Plex.

As you've probably surmised from the device's official Plex branding and TCL's background in televisions, the new smartphone's capacity for displaying video is touted as one of its key selling points.

According to the manufacturer, TCL Plex boasts a dedicated 'NXTVISION' display engine with an advanced processor, which is able to apply "HDR-like video enhancement with increased contrast, amplified colour, brighter highlights and darker shadows".

The phone, which sports a 6.53-inch FHD+ display, is also said to produce sharper images and visual contrasts using 6-axis colour and 2D edge enhancement technologies, with a number of automatic viewing modes designed to reduce eye strain.

For the record

TCL Plex in Opal White

Displaying high-quality video is only half the story, though, as TCL Plex is also able to record 4K video via its rear triple camera setup, which includes a 48MP ultra high-res Sony sensor, along with an additional dedicated video camera which carries a 2MP 2.9μm big pixel low-light sensor.

The ability to record 960fps super slow-motion HD videos is also available, while other smart video recording features allow for moving objects to be detected and tracked using automatic zooming and stabilisation.

Additionally, the TCL Plex includes a third 16MP 123° super wide-angle camera on its rear, while a 24MP front-facing camera is available for selfies via a small pinhole display cutout (which TCL has dubbed 'Dotch').

Specs and pricing

TCL Plex in Obsidian Black

In terms of specs, TCL Plex features the same Snapdragon 675 chipset that's powering Samsung's mid-range Galaxy A70 smartphone, along with 6GB of RAM, so you can probably expect snappy user interface navigation but middling game performance.

While the device is powered by Android 9 Pie right out of the box (albeit with a custom UI on top of it), TCL promises regular software updates for the handset, with an Android 10 update scheduled to land in January 2020.

Furthermore, TCL Plex is said to boast "Super Bluetooth" functionality, which allows up to four sets of headphones or speakers to be connected at once.

TCL Plex has been priced at $499 and is available to purchase now in Opal White and Obsidian Black from JB Hi-Fi stores.