We’re all spending more and more time staring at our phone screens, and no matter how big their screens are, our eyes aren’t getting any better. TCL’s Nxtpaper series aims to offer some relief without switching to full-on e-paper devices. The latest models, the TCL 50 and 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5, can do just that with a single button.
Well, a switch to be precise. In addition to the large 6.8-inch displays, these phones come with a dedicated “Nxtpaper key,” a switch that toggles the screen’s monochrome reading mode. Setting it to the first position puts the screen in Ink Paper mode, while going one notch further activates “Max Ink mode,” turning off notifications to turn the phone into a makeshift e-reader.
The name can be a bit misleading. While TCL’s Nxtpaper displays offer anti-glare coatings and above-average contrast, they’re still LCD technology, not full-on e-ink. The company’s Android tablets are considered a good middle ground between standard displays and Kindle-like devices, but they’re still a compromise design.
Anyway, in addition to the dedicated switch, the TCL 50 Nxtpaper 5 and its Pro variant also offer an Eye Care Assistant that can make adjustments based on ambient light and make other suggestions to help reduce eye strain. The “Night Light Mode” automatically dims the brightness to minimum and turns on the rear LED flash for ambient light, a nifty trick. TCL claims that in max reading mode, the phones get seven days of battery life and 28 days of standby time.
Elsewhere, these phones are pretty basic, with very nice 1080p displays (that can handle 120Hz when not in playback mode). Other highlights include MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processors, 8GB of RAM (plus an “8GB RAM expansion,” which appears to use dedicated storage for virtual memory), a beefy 5,010mAh battery with 33-watt fast charging, and triple 108/8/2-megapixel rear cameras for main, ultra-wide, and macro modes.
The standard TCL 50 Nxtpaper 5 has an 8MP front-facing camera and 256GB of storage, plus whatever you can fit in the MicroSD card slot. The 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 gets a 32MP upgrade on the front and double the storage. Both launch with Android 14, but TCL promises upgrades to Android 16 and at least some sort of software support until 2029.
According to The Verge, the TCL 50 Nxtpaper 5 will cost $229 when it launches in Europe, while the upgraded TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 will cost $299 with a case and stylus included, available in Europe and Latin America. Launch dates for these two phones have not been announced.
