TCL’s new phones and tablets are pleasing to the eye

TCL’s mission for 2024 seems to be to ensure users don’t get headaches.

Ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, ​​the company has launched a range of smartphones and tablets, most of which use the company’s NXTPAPER technology, which reduces blue light and features an anti-glare coating to make the display more comfortable.

TCL previewed these devices at CES in January, and almost nothing was new. But the company has now shared detailed specs and pricing for all its new phones and tablets, and announced a few additional variants.

TLC’s new lineup includes nine (yes, nine) new phones, as well as three new tablets, but several of the models differ only in whether they have NXTPAPER technology and whether they support 5G.

You can also get phones with NXTPAPER technology.
Photo credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

The new TCL 50 XL 5G features a 6.8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, triple 50-megapixel cameras, stereo speakers, a large 5,010mAh battery, and 5G support, and will retail for under $169 (on sale at Metro by T) – coming in 2024 It will be launched in the United States in the third quarter of this year. An NXTPAPER version of the same phone will also be available from TCL in the third quarter of 2024 for less than $229.

As for tablets, the most powerful device in the lineup is the TCL NXTPAPER 14 Pro, a 14-inch tablet that retails for $549. There’s also the slightly cheaper new TCL NXTPAPER 14, which retails for less than $400, while the TCL TAB 10 NXTPAPER 5G (yes, TCL really likes caps) is a $250 entry-level tablet expected to arrive this year It will be available in North America in the second quarter. Year.

You don’t want or need to know the specs of all these devices. You might buy this type of phone from your carrier when you need something that doesn’t cost a lot. But I can share some hands-on experience with TCL’s NXTPAPER technology, which is actually pretty cool.

You can choose between regular mode, colored paper mode, and ink paper mode.
Photo credit: Stan Schroeder/Mashable

I have personally experienced all of TCL’s new products and I can say that the difference in the NXTPAPER products is noticeable. From the get-go, their displays literally look like photos printed on actual paper. They’re matte, so they’re better suited for use in sunlight than the displays on most phones and tablets. For lack of better words, they looked completely still, completely flat.

Additionally, the display can be switched into several different modes, with ColorPaper mode being more comfortable for the eyes. The most extreme one is called “ink paper,” which turns the display into something that actually looks like e-ink, even though it’s not. These display modes do take a while to load, but people who suffer from phone/tablet usage headaches may appreciate this option.

Currently, TCL has no real flagship rival, so you’d be hard-pressed to replace a Samsung Galaxy phone or iPhone with TCL’s NXTPAPER phone. But NXTPAPER technology does work. This is something I didn’t know I needed, but now I’m hoping other manufacturers will follow suit.