TCL’s NXTPaper has become a solid competitor to E-Ink. Sure, it uses up a lot more power with its LCD-based display, but its combination of paper-like appearance and high refresh rate makes it a lot more convenient to use for devices that require more frequent screen updates. That’s why TCL has been using it to make full-fledged tablets, instead of e-readers and note-taking devices. This time around, they’re putting that e-paper display on a smartphone in the form of the TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro.
That’s right, they made a full-fledged smartphone with an e-paper display, so you can stare at your smartphone all day while minimizing eye strain. Other than the paper-like appearance, there doesn’t seem to be any greater upside compared to more traditional smartphones. If you’re really over all these harsh glossy LCD and OLED panels, though, it does make for a genuinely gentler alternative.
The TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro has a 6.9-inch NXTPaper 4.0 display, which boasts a 2,340 x 1,080 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and, of course, a paper-like matte finish that makes it a whole lot lighter on the eyes. It has three display modes that uses can easily cycle through using a dedicated physical slider on the side, namely Color Paper, Ink Paper, and Max Ink. Color Paper provides a muted full color appearance, while Ink Paper switches to black-and-white like a newspaper print. Max Ink, basically, emulates traditional E-Ink displays, making it look like a modern e-reader, albeit without the ghosting and slow screen refreshes.
Other display specs include a maximum 900 nits of brightness with backlighting turned up (so you can use it in the dark), an 80-degree viewing angle, and a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. It’s a full-touchscreen display, by the way, with 10 touch points, so you can use it much like any other smartphone. Because of its paper-like appearance, there’s no glare, too, making it look amazing when used outdoors under bright sunlight.
The TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro has all the features you will find in a modern mid-range smartphone. At the back, it gets a 50-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, while the front sports a 32-megapixel selfie camera. It has a full wireless connectivity suite (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 5G, and more), of course, as well as dual speakers with DTS 3D Boom Sound, 128GB of onboard storage (expandable via the microSD card slot up to 2TB), and dual mics with noise cancellation. Inside, it houses a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and 8GB of RAM, with an extra RAM slot that supports up additional 16GB memory expansion.
It has a 5,200 mAH battery that can fast-charge to 50 percent in just 38 minutes. No word on how long it can last under normal smartphone use, but if you use it strictly as an e-reader in Max Ink Mode, you can supposedly get up to seven days between charges. Like other modern devices, it comes with a bunch of AI tools preinstalled, including a language translator, automatic subtitles for audio, AI text comprehension, voice memo transcription, and more.
The TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro is available now, priced at $199.99 on T-Mobile and Metro with a phone plan. You can also get it on its own directly from TCL for $299.99.