Slim phones is a clear trend for the coming year. As a bold statement that they are going this direction, TCL released no less than three new slim models. All three phones appear to be more or less on a diet. The thinnest (S820) is just 6.45mm thin. A common characteristic is that all models are based on Mediatek’s MT6577 dual-core platform and mainly differ in memory and screen sizes. The high-end model S850 has an impressive 1280×720 pixel 4.7 inch AMOLED screen. Both the mid end S820 and the low-end S520 feature dual-SIM with dual standby. Check the spec and the pictures below for more details on the hardware.
TCL S520, S820, S850
Besides the (more or less) slim cases an interesting fact is that all three model appear to launch with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) installed. This is another good sign that this platform is ready for Jelly Bean as Mediatek probably has finished porting it to their chipset. Thus besides trying to make customers buy the new phones there is no good reason why older MT6577 models should not receive updates to Android 4.1. Maybe some manufacturers will provide updates after the big christmas and spring festival sales is over.
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| Feature | TCL S520 | TCL S820 | TCL S850 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Processor | Mediatek MT6577 dual-core 1.0 GHz | Mediatek MT6577 dual-core 1.0 GHz | Mediatek MT6577t dual-core 1.2 GHz | |
| Memory | 0.5 GB RAM, 4 GB Flash, micro SD slot for up to 32 GB | 1 GB RAM, 16 GB Flash, micro SD slot for up to 32 GB | 1 GB RAM, 16 GB Flash | |
| Display | 4.0 inch AMOLED screen, 800 x 480 pixel resolution | 4.6 inch IPS LCD screen, 960 x 540 pixel resolution | 4.7 inch AMOLED HD screen, 1280 x 720 pixel resolution | |
| Touchscreen | capacitive touchscreen | capacitive touchscreen | capacitive touchscreen | |
| 2G network | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (GPRS,EDGE) | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (GPRS,EDGE) | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (GPRS,EDGE) | |
| 3G network | WCDMA 900/2100 | WCDMA 900/2100 | WCDMA 900/2100 | |
| 4G network | no | no | no | |
| SIM | dual SIM dual standby | dual SIM dual standby | single SIM | |
| Wireless connectivity | WiFi (b,g,n), Bluetooth 4.0 | WiFi (b,g,n), Bluetooth 4.0 | WiFi (b,g,n), Bluetooth 4.0 | |
| Camera(s) | 5 MP back camera with LED flash, front camera | 8 MP back camera with LED flash, 2 MP front camera | 8 MP back camera with LED flash, 1.3 MP front camera | |
| Sensors | not specified | not specified | not specified | |
| OS | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) | |
| Connectors | micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | micro USB, 3.5mm headphone jack | |
| Battery | 1500mAh Li-on battery | 1800mAh Li-on battery | 1820mAh Li-on battery | |
| Dimensions | 116.9 x 60.5 x 9.7 mm | 133 x 67.5 x 8.15 mm | 134.4 x 68.5 x 6.45 mm |
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- TCL S520
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- TCL S820
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- TCL S850
Sources: mtksj, S520 spec, S820 spec, S850 spec
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