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New Device In Collection: TCL A3

puppykickr

Android Expert
Feb 1, 2019
3,966
4,105
USA
My workmate needed a cheap phone, so off to Wal-Mart we went.

Long story short, after I helped him set up some things on it I decided to get one for myself- just for gaming.

The specs are a bit better than what I have had before, with 3GB RAM and 32 GB internal.
An SD card slot allows upto 512GB cards for more storage.

I wound up getting the rubber surround case and the glass screen protector, as this thing is going to work with me.

It was only going to be for games, as that extra 1GB of RAM makes my games load quicker, but my Moto e6 has been a bit glitchy for a while and the edges of the screen are too touchy (they are curved).

So now the TCL A3 is my normal online device as well as for games.

I really have not messed with the cameras, so no real info there.

But, what I have found are these following things which seem to be in common with my workmate's identical device.

The screen is difficult to use near the edges- it is hard to respond.
This is basically a non-issue most of the time, until you need to type while in portrait mode.

The bottom of the keyboard is annoyingly too close to the buttons on the navigation bar, and you will hit them accidently- repeatedly.
Thank God that FlorisBoard allows adjustment in this area, so that problem can be almost eliminated.
Unfortunately, there seems to be not enough adjustment in the other areas to make this thing easier to type near the edges.

It does load up things quickly, and will restart in less than one minute.

The battery is replaceable, and battery life is very, very good.
This is some what subjective, as my device is only used on wi-fi.
My workmate uses his over cellular and on wi-fi, and also reports good battery life.

The screen is rather dark, even when the brightness is all the way up.
This may be partially the cause of the great battery life.
Even so, indoors I can play most games with the brightness set at a lower than maximum setting.
At maximum, the battery life is notably shorter, but still generally better than my other devices.

All around, this is an excellent device for the money, about $40 USD for the device and about $13 each for the above mentioned accessories.

My workmate did not get the screen protector, and cracked the heck out of the screen when he crashed his bicycle last week (the phone was in his hand, and he landed on it).
Although the screen is shattered, the device still functions.

So far, this seems to be not a bad device for the money.
 

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