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One of the first product reviews I wrote for BTTR (number 7 to be precise) was the TCL NXTPAPER 10s tablet. It was lacking in the power department, but it had a really interesting screen.
While it was still an LCD display, there was a whole bunch of layers over the top that were designed to both provide a more tactile experience, while lowering blue light and not sacrificing vibrancy.
TCL has brought the evolution of that tech to its latest smartphone product. It has a 6.78-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, which is covered with multiple layers to create a screen that looks and feels like paper.
Because it’s still an LCD screen, unlike the colour e-ink displays found on the latest Kobo eReaders, you still get a bright, vibrant and full coloured picture on your screen. The phone will adjust brightness and colour temperature based on the ambient lighting to deliver a comfortable viewing experience.
It also resists grubby fingerprints or glary reflections. While I haven’t looked at the phone yet, I can say that it was a good experience on the tablet last year, and something I was keen to see more of.
What else?
Beyond the screen, the NXTPAPER 40 has a 32MP selfie camera and a 50MP + 5MP + 2MP rear camera system, 256GB of on-board storage and 8GB RAM, which can be doubled using free storage to create an extra 8GB of virtual RAM.
The phone is powered by the Mediatek Helio G88 (MT6769) 4G processor, so there’s no 5G connectivity here. There’s a 5010 mAh battery inside with 33W fast charging capabilities, though.
You get standard features like NFC, Fingerprint and Face unlock capabilities and support for Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1.
Pricing and availability
The TCL NXTPAPER 40 is available in Australia now in Midnight Blue colour for an RRP of $349.
It’s available from retailers including The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Officeworks.
