Technologies

TCL 40 Series Phones Will Cost Under $200 and Launch This Summer

TCL’s 2023 phone line focuses on the price-conscious market while bringing 5G to cheaper devices.

TCL will bring four under-$200 phones to the US this year, two of which will have 5G. Revealed as part of the Chinese company’s Mobile World Congress announcements Sunday in Barcelona, the four devices are part of the TCL 40 Series of phones.

The highest-end will be the TCL 40 X 5G, which is priced at $199 and set for release this June. The phone includes a triple rear camera system anchored by a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, a 6.56-inch HD Plus display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. The TCL 40 X 5G will also include a 5,000-mAh battery, 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.

TCL is also touting the phone’s 180Hz touch sampling rate, which is a figure normally used to describe how responsive the phone would be for gaming or any other activity involving quick response. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S23 has a 240Hz touch sampling rate when in gaming mode, and the RedMagic 7 gaming phone has 720Hz.

The step-down model from the X is the TCL 40 XE 5G, priced at $169 and also set for a June release. It shares many of the same specs as the X, but will have a 13-megapixel main rear camera. The screen, processor, battery and storage options will otherwise be the same.

Costing $20 less than the XE, the $149 TCL 40 XL does not support 5G but has a larger 6.75-inch screen. The phone will also have a 50-megapixel main rear camera, an 8-megapixel front facing camera, a MediaTek G37 processor, 128GB of storage, 4GB of RAM and a 5,000-mAh battery. The TCL 40 XL will be released in May.

The 40 X, XE and XL are all exclusive to the US, and will be released in partnership with a US carrier that will be announced at a later date. For the prepaid market, a $119 TCL 406 phone will launch this year with a 6.6-inch HD Plus display and dual speakers.

It’s notable that TCL is squarely targeting the under-$200 phone market with the 40 Series, with TCL Chief Marketing Officer Stefan Streit noting that keeping the phones partnered up with carriers is an important part of its strategy right now.

The TCL 40 XL does not include 5G, but does come with a larger screen.

TCL

«We just started with TCL as a mobile brand three years ago, the brand is still very young,» Streit said, noting that from the company’s perspective the midpriced ($300 to $600) phone market is currently under pressure from inflation. While TCL has teased its ability to create a higher-end phone concept or a foldable phone, Streit said the company plans to focus on the entry-level market for now before choosing to step back up. TCL has a longer history in TVs and makes some of CNET’s favorites, including the 6-Series, which we think is the best TV for the money right now.

TCL also confirmed during a press briefing that the phones are all being sold exclusively in carrier partnerships. This means that while they have cheaper prices or even be offered for free by the carriers, it’s quite possible that they will be loaded up with carrier bloatware, as I found with last year’s TCL Stylus 5G.

The TCL NxtPaper 11 tablet includes stylus support and a display coating designed to feel like paper when drawing.

TCL

While we look forward to testing these phones when they arrive later this year, it’s definitely a bonus to see 5G connectivity beginning to trickle down to even cheaper devices. After years of 5G being more of a «nice to have,» these TCL phones may begin the trend of the networks being in use across all devices.

TCL also rolled out a line of affordable tablets at MWC, including the TCL NxtPaper 11 and the TCL Tab 11. Both tablets offer an 11-inch screen with 2K resolution, with the NxtPaper tablet touting stylus support with a display coating designed to feel like paper when writing or drawing. The NxtPaper 11 launches in Europe this May at $249, while the Tab 11 launches the same month with a $179 starting price.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Smokes, informally
Answer: CIGS

5A clue: «Don’t have ___, man!» (Bart Simpson catchphrase)
Answer: ACOW

6A clue: What the vehicle in «lane one» of this crossword is winning?
Answer: RACE

7A clue: Pitt of Hollywood
Answer: BRAD

8A clue: «Yeah, whatever»
Answer: SURE

9A clue: Rd. crossers
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Things to «load» before a marathon
Answer: CARBS

2D clue: Mythical figure who inspired the idiom «fly too close to the sun»
Answer: ICARUS

3D clue: Zoomer around a small track
Answer: GOCART

4D clue: Neighbors of Norwegians
Answer: SWEDES

Technologies

Watch SpaceX’s Starship Flight Test 11

Technologies

New California Law Wants Companion Chatbots to Tell Kids to Take Breaks

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the new requirements on AI companions into law on Monday.

AI companion chatbots will have to remind users in California that they’re not human under a new law signed Monday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law, SB 243, also requires companion chatbot companies to maintain protocols for identifying and addressing cases in which users express suicidal ideation or self-harm. For users under 18, chatbots will have to provide a notification at least every three hours that reminds users to take a break and that the bot is not human.

It’s one of several bills Newsom has signed in recent weeks dealing with social media, artificial intelligence and other consumer technology issues. Another bill signed Monday, AB 56, requires warning labels on social media platforms, similar to those required for tobacco products. Last week, Newsom signed measures requiring internet browsers to make it easy for people to tell websites they don’t want them to sell their data and banning loud advertisements on streaming platforms.

AI companion chatbots have drawn particular scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission launched an investigation into several companies in response to complaints by consumer groups and parents that the bots were harming children’s mental health. OpenAI introduced new parental controls and other guardrails in its popular ChatGPT platform after the company was sued by parents who allege ChatGPT contributed to their teen son’s suicide.

«We’ve seen some truly horrific and tragic examples of young people harmed by unregulated tech, and we won’t stand by while companies continue without necessary limits and accountability,» Newsom said in a statement.

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One AI companion developer, Replika, told CNET that it already has protocols to detect self-harm as required by the new law, and that it is working with regulators and others to comply with requirements and protect consumers.

«As one of the pioneers in AI companionship, we recognize our profound responsibility to lead on safety,» Replika’s Minju Song said in an emailed statement. Song said Replika uses content-filtering systems, community guidelines and safety systems that refer users to crisis resources when needed.

A Character.ai spokesperson said the company «welcomes working with regulators and lawmakers as they develop regulations and legislation for this emerging space, and will comply with laws, including SB 243.» OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice called the bill a «meaningful move forward» for AI safety. «By setting clear guardrails, California is helping shape a more responsible approach to AI development and deployment across the country,» Radice said in an email.

One bill Newsom has yet to sign, AB 1064, would go further by prohibiting developers from making companion chatbots available to children unless the AI companion is «not foreseeably capable of» encouraging harmful activities or engaging in sexually explicit interactions, among other things.