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We put the TCL 406 through our rigorous DXOMARK Battery test suite to measure its performance in autonomy, charging and efficiency. In these test results, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key specifications:
- Battery capacity: 5000 mAh
- 10W charger (not included)
- 6.6-inch, 720 x 1612, 60 Hz, LCD display
- Mediatek Helio P22 (12 nm)
- Tested ROM / RAM combination: 32 GB + 3 GB
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
TCL 406
Key performances
These key points are derived from the lab measurements during testing and do not figure into the overall score. The lab measurements, however, are used for the overall score.
186th
18th
Pros
- Good autonomy with almost 2.5 days in moderate use
- Decent autonomy when using the camera
- Low consumption during nights
Cons
- Very long charging time, taking more than 3 hours to a full charge
- Low autonomy recovered after a 5-minute boost
- Poor autonomy when streaming videos and music and when gaming
- Poor autonomy on-the-go when scrolling social apps, calling and using GPS navigation
- Extremely high discharge currents when streaming videos, gaming and scrolling social apps
The TCL 406’s overall battery score places the smartphone near the bottom of our entire database.
When use moderately, its large 5000mAh battery lasted nearly a good 2.5 days, mainly due to very low consumption when the device was idling with screen off (nights). On the contrary, testing individual usages showed poor autonomy performances. The autonomy was particularly low when streaming videos and music, scrolling social apps and gaming, but decent when using the camera.
On the charging side, the experience was extremely poor. The TCL 406, with its low 10W charge, took 2 hours to reach 80% of the battery capacity and 3 hours and 13 minutes to a full charge, which was very long. Moreover a 5-minute boost provided only 1 hour and 19 minutes of autonomy on average, nearly the weakest autonomy gain we have measured so far.
In terms of efficiency, the device drained very little power when in idle mode and the screen off, indicating almost no background activity. Discharge currents of all tested usages were high overall, especially when streaming video, gaming and scrolling social apps, meaning that the device is not well-optimized.
Compared with other devices from the Essential segment (<$200), the TCL 406 was the worst device we had tested so far. Its poor autonomy and efficiency scores were the worst in this segment and its weak charging experience was not enough to save the day.
Test Summary
About DXOMARK Battery tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone battery reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests over a week-long period both indoors and outdoors. (See our introductory and how we test articles for more details about our smartphone Battery protocol.)
The following section gathers key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyses performed in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations under the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
| Battery | Charger | Wireless | Display | Processor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TCL 406 | 5000mAh | 10W (not included) |
- | LCD 720 x 1612 |
MediaTek Helio P22 |
| Samsung Galaxy A14 5G | 5000mAh | 15W (not included) |
- | LCD 1080 x 2408 |
MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
| TCL 40R 5G | 5000mAh | 15W (not included) |
- | LCD 720 x 1612 |
MediaTek Dimensity 700 |
Autonomy
TCL 406
197
Autonomy score is composed of three performance sub-scores: Home / Office, On the go, and Calibrated use cases. Each sub-score comprises the results of a comprehensive range of tests for measuring autonomy in all kinds of real-life scenarios.
Battery Life (moderate)
71st
Battery Life (moderate)
12th
Home/Office
TCL 406
221
A robot housed in a Faraday cage performs a set of touch-based user actions during what we call our “typical usage scenario” (TUS) — making calls, video streaming, etc. — 4 hours of active use over the course of a 16-hour period, plus 8 hours of “sleep.” The robot repeats this set of actions every day until the device runs out of power.
On the go
TCL 406
195
Using a smartphone on the go takes a toll on autonomy because of extra “hidden” demands, such as the continuous signaling associated with cellphone network selection, for example. DXOMARK Battery experts take the phone outdoors and perform a precisely defined set of activities while following the same three-hour travel itinerary (walking, taking the bus, the subway…) for each device
Calibrated
TCL 406
198
For this series of tests, the smartphone returns to the Faraday cage and our robots repeatedly perform actions linked to one specific use case (such as gaming, video streaming, etc.) at a time. Starting from an 80% charge, all devices are tested until they have expended at least 5% of their battery power.
Charging
TCL 406
218
Charging is fully part of the overall battery experience. In some situations where autonomy is at a minimum, knowing how fast you can charge becomes a concern. The DXOMARK Battery charging score is composed of two sub-scores, (1) Full charge and (2) Quick boost.
Full charge
TCL 406
224
Full charge tests assess the reliability of the battery power gauge; measure how long and how much power the battery takes to charge from zero to 80% capacity, from 80 to 100% as shown by the UI, and until an actual full charge.
Charging Time 0-80%
193rd
Charging Time 0-80%
17th
Quick boost
TCL 406
212
With the phone at different charge levels (20%, 40%, 60%, 80%), Quick boost tests measure the amount of charge the battery receives after being plugged in for 5 minutes. The chart here compares the average autonomy gain from a quick 5-minute charge.
Efficiency
TCL 406
154
The DXOMARK power efficiency score consists of two sub-scores, Charge up and Discharge rate, both of which combine data obtained during robot-based typical usage scenario, calibrated tests and charging evaluation, taking into consideration the device’s battery capacity. DXOMARK calculate the annual power consumption of the product, shown on below graph, which is representative of the overall efficiency during a charge and when in use.
Charge up
TCL 406
205
The charge up sub-score is a combination of four factors: the overall efficiency of a full charge, related to how much energy you need to fill up the battery compared to the energy that the battery can provide; the efficiency of the travel adapter when it comes to transferring power from an outlet to your phone; the residual consumption when your phone is fully charged and still plugged into the charger; and the residual consumption of the charger itself, when the smartphone is disconnected from it. The chart here below shows the overall efficiency of a full charge in %.
Discharge
TCL 406
194
The discharge subscore rates the speed of a battery’s discharge during a test, which is independent of the battery’s capacity. It is the ratio of a battery’s capacity divided by its autonomy. A small-capacity battery could have the same autonomy as a large-capacity battery, indicating that the device is well-optimized, with a low discharge rate.
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