Pros & Cons
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- Affordable
- 5G and Wi-Fi
- Long battery life
- Quick performance
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- Limited third-party apps
- Poor cameras
- Embedded battery
TCL Flip 4 5G Specs
| Battery Life (As Tested) | 20 hours |
| Camera Resolution (Rear; Front-Facing) | 5MP |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 |
| Dimensions | 4.29 by 2.34 by 0.84 inches |
| Operating System | KaiOS |
| Screen Resolution | 240 by 320 pixels |
| Screen Size | 3.2 |
The TCL Flip 4 5G ($99.99) is the first of the company's voice phones to come with 5G, and it benefits from an improved design, a quicker processor, and significantly longer battery life compared with its predecessor. The phone retains the excellent call quality, large keypad, Wi-Fi support, and email access of previous models, though we wish the user interface were more capable. That's a minor complaint, however, and not enough to prevent the TCL Flip 4 from winning our Editors' Choice award for affordable phones.
Design: It's All One Piece
TCL only sells the Flip phone in Stone Gray, which looks black to me. It's functional, but nostalgic in a way that may appeal to anyone who grew up in the early aughts when flip phones were ubiquitous.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Like its predecessors, the Flip 4 is made entirely of plastic. It has a matte grip, making it easy to hold. The phone measures 4.29 by 2.34 by 0.84 inches (HWD) when shut and weighs 4.60 ounces. It is slightly taller and thicker than the $79.99 Flip 3 (4.22 by 2.34 by 0.78 inches, 5.06 ounces), but lighter. The $89.99 Nokia 2780 Flip (4.33 by 2.28 by 0.77 inches, 4.62 ounces) is similar in size and weight.
TCL opted for an embedded battery, unlike previous versions, which had removable rear covers and replaceable batteries. That means the phone is all sealed up. TCL moved the combined SIM and microSD card slot from the battery cavity to the phone's right side, where it sits alongside the volume rocker, and is easily accessible. The phone's left side houses a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the USB-C port for charging is on the bottom edge.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The front panel features a small external screen as well as the camera, flash, and programmable Quick Dial button. These elements are covered in glossy plastic, which attracts fingerprints. Thankfully, the matte portions of the rear and sides of the phone don’t catch prints at all.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Pressing the Quick Dial button twice opens the camera, allowing you to take a selfie. Pressing the button three times initiates a call to a linked number, which you can add in the settings. Long-pressing the Quick Dial button activates the flashlight mode, though you need to activate this in the Quick Dial settings.
I was easily able to open the phone with my thumb in a single motion. It's an improvement over the Flip 3, which had a stiff hinge that prevented one-handed opening.
A navigation pad below the hinge centers around a multi-directional key and its OK button. The Send and one shortcut button are to the left, and the End and a second shortcut button are to the right. The Favorite, Message, and Back buttons are located below the navigation pad, followed by the large 12-key numerical keypad. All the buttons are large, raised, textured, and illuminated when pressed.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)There's no protection against dust and moisture. Most simple voice phones lack an IP rating, so be careful around water. If you’re looking for a more durable phone, the $299.99 Kyocera DuraXA Equip has an IP68 rating and is fully waterproof.
Displays: Small, But Informative
The full-color outer display measures 1.77 inches and has a resolution of 128 by 160 pixels, the same as the outgoing Flip 3. It shows the date, time, battery life, network strength, and the number of message notifications you have. It also displays caller ID information and the sender's name or number for incoming text messages. The screen uses the same wallpaper as the internal display, giving the phone a unified appearance. The Flip 3 featured a black background instead.
Inside, there's a larger 3.2-inch display with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels—the same size and resolution as the Flip 3 and Nokia 2870. I had a difficult time seeing the screen under direct sunlight, but had no problem using it indoors.
Performance: A Nice Improvement
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 processor, which was designed for low-cost 5G smartphones. It is paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, though only 23.9GB is available for use. If you need more, you can add up to 1TB via microSD.
This is double the memory and storage of the Flip 3, which has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage and runs on the Qualcomm QM215 processor. The Nokia 2780 also uses the Qualcomm QM215 and features 4GB of storage, but comes with a modest 512MB of RAM.
Although all of these phones perform well, the Flip 4 is noticeably faster. Apps open instantly, and I am able to navigate the user interface without a hiccup—something the Flip 3 was slow to do.
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Battery: All That You Need
The Flip 4's battery life gets a huge boost over previous iterations of the Flip. The phone has a 3,000mAh battery that TCL claims can provide up to 40 hours of talk time on a single charge. The Flip 3 had a smaller 1,850mAh cell and only managed to push through 10.5 hours of talk time, while the Nokia 2780 lasted just 3 hours and 20 minutes of talk time before its battery ran out.
After some five hours of calling, texting, and web browsing, the fully charged Flip 4 battery dropped by only 20%. It may not reach TCL's stated 40 hours, but it lasts far longer than any flip phone I've reviewed this year. Recharging took 1 hour and 58 minutes with an 18W charger. You’ll need to provide your own power adapter.
Connectivity and Audio: Basic 5G Has Arrived
The Flip 4 is the first TCL Flip series phone to support 5G. That said, it has only the most basic bands, including n25, n41, n66, and n71. This means you get sub-6GHz, but there’s no access to C-band or the faster mmWave technology, which power super download speeds in today's smartphones. You still get full LTE 4G support, too. T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile are the only carriers selling the phone in their stores.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)On T-Mobile's network, calls sound crisp and clear, even when I am walking down a busy street. I left a voicemail for a friend, who said the call sounded clear and free of static. The earpiece and speakers get particularly loud. They reach 81.3dB and 91.2dB, respectively, during calls. This is slightly louder than the Flip 3 (80.2dB and 90.9dB).
The Flip 4 uses Wi-Fi 5 to connect to the internet when you're home and facilitate Wi-Fi calling, while the Flip 3 used the even older Wi-Fi 4 standard. The Flip 4's Wi-Fi calling feature is a good one, particularly for those who lack good cell service (like me).
Wired headphones work just fine via the 3.5mm headphone jack, as do wireless headphones or wireless speakers when connected via the phone's Bluetooth 5.0 radio.
The Flip 4 has an FM radio, too, and a music app that lets you play locally stored files. The phone doesn't support any internet-based music streaming services.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Camera: As Basic as It Gets
The Flip 4 has the same 5MP camera as the Flip 3 and, like its predecessor, simply doesn't take good pictures. Colors and details are insufficient. It's difficult to make out fine details, even with shots taken during the middle of the day. The leaves in this tree look almost as if they were painted on.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)Close-up pictures are slightly better. You can see all of the individual leaves on this flower, but zooming in reveals pixelated borders. The phone captures 720p video at 30fps, but the results are grainy and full of noise.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)If photography is important to you, consider a more traditional smartphone, such as the $199.99 Samsung Galaxy A16 5G, or opt for an actual camera.
Software: KaiOS (Still) Needs Work
Like the Flip 3, the Flip 4 uses KaiOS. The operating system has large, colorful icons and a third-party app store, but it’s not intuitive to navigate, and the selection of downloadable apps is limited. It has games, a time zone converter, a period tracker, and a habit tracker, but you won’t find apps for social media, streaming services, or any recognizable brands.
(Credit: Sarah Lord/PCMag)The main screen features a group of five apps on the left side that you can scroll through using the directional pad. These include the Kai app store, the web browser, YouTube, Maps, and Google. You can access your notifications and contacts by pressing the corresponding shortcut buttons. The rest of your apps are available by pressing the OK button.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)The Settings menu is fairly straightforward, though the Accessibility settings are nestled under the Device menu. They offer a plethora of options, including large text and captions.
I found it difficult to compose messages on the Flip 4. Instead of relying on the T9 multi-tap method of classic flip phones, the Flip 4 uses predictive text. Pressing a button multiple times cycles through predicted words instead of individual letters. The predicted words usually aren’t correct. You can access the individual letters by pressing the desired button once, which triggers a pop-up menu displaying the corresponding letters. It takes getting used to—and a lot more time.