TCL’s New Phone Morphs Into a Black and White E-Reader With the Flick of a Switch

The Boox Palma already tried sticking an E-Paper show connected a smartphone body, but TCL is taking a antithetic tack to crook their latest phones into the easy-reading mobile instrumentality we’ve ever wanted. The company, mostly known for its budget TVs, stuck a power connected its upcoming phones that morphs colorful screens into a simplified black-and-white layout. This volition fto you comfortably work tiny substance connected a 6.8-inch show for agelong periods of clip without ruining your eyes; the TCL 50 NXTPaper phones could beryllium the champion mode to work your hoard of backlog ebooks without ever needing to battalion your Kindle.

TCL has 2 phones sporting this technology. There’s the TCL 50 NXTPaper 5G and the TCL 50 PRO NXTPaper 5G. Both see the NXTPaper Key toggle that activates “Max Ink Mode.” This adds an animation that morphs the surface into achromatic and achromatic oregon backmost into color. The monochrome mode is specifically designed for speechmaking sessions, though it besides works connected apical of immoderate different leafage oregon app you person open. The mode mutes notifications and dials backmost the strain connected the battery. TCL claims you tin get 7 days of artillery beingness with elemental speechmaking activities oregon 26 days connected standby nether the mode with its 5010mAh artillery for some models.

The colors for the 2 “Pro” models. Image: TCL

The Pro phones retail for €299, oregon $331. The non-Pro devices are going for €229, adjacent to astir $253. Here’s the hitch for anybody successful North America: the Pro is restricted to Europe and Latin America, portion the non-Pro is disposable successful Europe only. You tin inactive effort to import one, but you’ll person a harder clip getting it to enactment successful the U.S. than if you were buying a telephone consecutive from a carrier.

At those prices, you truly shouldn’t expect a “Pro”-level acquisition connected par with your iPhone, Galaxy, oregon Pixel. The surface inactive has a 120 Hz, 1080 x 2460 display, truthful it should inactive consciousness faster than ePaper. Otherwise, there’s not excessively overmuch other to spell gaga over. Its stated highest brightness is 550 nits connected the Pro, though the anti-fingerprint coating whitethorn interaction however genuinely agleam the show feels. 

The telephone runs connected the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset, a higher-end fund CPU. The basal configuration comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is precisely what you expect for a telephone astatine this size and price. You tin get an further 8 GB of representation if you’re consenting to wage extra. Both phones volition athletics a immense 108 MP main camera lens with .64μm pixel size and F-1.75 aperture, but its ultrawide is simply a tiny 8 MP, not to notation the 2 MP macro sensor. The Pro mentation besides includes a 32 MP beforehand sensor.

So what is NXTPaper? Despite the marketing, it is simply a assortment of LCD, but it’s inactive chiseled from your emblematic display. NXTPaper includes layers that trim glare and bluish airy by a claimed 61%. In its latest version, NXTPaper 3.0. It consists of a “Circular Polarized Light” furniture that simulates earthy light. The show shaper says this results successful an acquisition person to speechmaking a publication nether a table lamp than it is speechmaking a screen. TCL purported its erstwhile 40 NXTPaper phones besides had “paper-like displays,” though I wouldn’t spell arsenic acold arsenic claiming it has the aforesaid look oregon consciousness arsenic E Ink. There’s a important quality betwixt the look of these devices and thing similar a reMarkable tablet.

While the displays person a notably matte look, it’s not E Ink. That show exertion moves achromatic and achromatic particles astir with affirmative and antagonistic charges, which is wherefore your regular E-Reader takes much clip to alteration pages than emblematic screens. TCL archetypal shared its plans for its ink mode power backmost during CES this past January connected the NXTPaper 14 Pro.

I’ve utilized the NXTPaper 11 tablet, and portion it’s surely not a fraction arsenic accelerated arsenic a high-end iPad Pro, the show is gentle capable connected my eyes that it makes a bully idiosyncratic wake-me-up if I’d alternatively enactment successful furniture with bleary eyes and ticker YouTube videos. Alongside the phone, TCL is besides introducing its TCL Tab 11 Gen 2, different NXTPaper tablet with a caller spot andana 8,000 mAh battery. Honestly, since it doesn’t person the caller achromatic and achromatic switch, I truly can’t make immoderate excitement for it.