TCL is one of those smartphone makers that rely on past reputable companies to make a name for themselves. In order to stand out from the crowd of Chinese companies, TCL managed to acquire all production rights from previously defunct companies like Alcatel, and more recently Palm, plus it also manufactures part of BlackBerry’s handsets.
Speaking of Palm, a TCL device bearing the famous 2000s PDA brand was recently spotted at FCC getting a WiFi certification. On top of that, the guys over at Android Police got some spec info about the new handheld, including alleged renders.
Contrary to current trends, bigger is not really better, at least not for TCL. The new Palm smartphone will feature a mere 3.3-inch LCD screen with 720p resolution, hence its Pepito codename. A screen size this small is most likely indicative of an entry-level device, and the specs seem to prove this as well. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 435 SoC coupled with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage, but the 800 mAh battery looks a bit too austere, even for the entry-level specs. The color options are restricted to Titanium and Gold, and the device will be running Android 8.1 out of the box.
TCL’s latest Palm smartphone should only be available from U.S. carrier Verizon, but there is no word on availability and pricing as of yet.
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I first stepped into the wondrous IT&C world when I was around seven years old. I was instantly fascinated by computerized graphics, whether they were from games or 3D applications like 3D Max. I'm also an avid reader of science fiction, an astrophysics aficionado, and a crypto geek. I started writing PC-related articles for Softpedia and a few blogs back in 2006. I joined the Notebookcheck team in the summer of 2017 and am currently a senior tech writer mostly covering processor, GPU, and laptop news.
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2018 08 > TCL could launch a 3.3-inch Palm smartphone soon
Bogdan Solca, 2018-08-10 (Update: 2018-08-10)