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Compared to a decade ago, today’s smartphones look largely the same. Most of them have exactly the same design, use the same chipset, cost the same same unpleasant prices (And it’s only getting worse), and most of them use displays that are extremely bright, vibrant, and generally not good for your eyes.
This is where TCL’s NXTPAPER series of phones comes in. Last year, I was impressed with the NXTPAPER 60 Ultra, but North American users never got a chance to try it, and that phone was the size of a tablet. Thankfully, TCL is bringing the same excellent NXTPAPER 4.0 technology to North America in a phone that’s a little smaller, and it’s a real gift for anyone looking to try something different.
NXTPAPER makes a difference
Tcl puts NXTPAPER in the name for a reason. This is one of the most unique types of displays you can find on any phone, and it’s a phone worth buying if you fall into certain categories of people. If you enjoy reading, are looking for a display with less flicker than OLED, want something that’s anti-reflective and textured, or simply enjoy the softer glow of LCD (versus the harshness of OLED), then this is a display you’ll love.
If you have never used an NXTPAPER display, know that it is No An E Ink replacement, but it’s in general more eye-friendly than standard LCD or OLED. Part of this involves adding multiple layers between the pixels and the glass, including light diffusion, a circular polarizer, a textured matte layer, and a special set of software algorithms.
The result is a unique look that is neither E Ink nor LCD, but that often embodies some of the best qualities of both. This is my favorite type of display to use inside, on an airplane or train, or anywhere that isn’t in obvious direct sunlight. You’ll be amazed at how good things look, and that’s a direct result of the engineering that went into making this a non-reflective display.
There are two main differences between NXTPAPER and E Ink: refresh rate and reflectivity. NXTPAPER and E Ink both use matte layers to eliminate reflections, but E Ink actually reflects light from the “ink” pigments, giving it better sunlight visibility than any other type of display. The NXTPAPER still needs a traditional backlight to shine through its LCD pixels, and since it can’t reflect light like E Ink (and doesn’t have a very bright backlight), sunlight visibility isn’t very good.
But NXTPAPER has a 120Hz refresh rate, which E Ink will never have. Companies like BigMe have pushed E Ink to the next level with 42Hz displays (and soon, 52Hz), but because E Ink relies on magnetism to refresh the screen, this technology will eventually reach its limits. The NXTPAPER is smoother than any E Ink display available today, and that makes it better for videos and games, as well as generally more pleasant to use for anything with scrolling and motion.
The only problem with this display is the use of temporal dithering, a display technology that enhances color output but can cause problems for some flicker-sensitive users. I’m sensitive to PWM dimming but not dithering, so I didn’t have any problems here, but a lot of people online have complained about NXTPAPER’s use of dithering in the past. This makes less use of the technology than it has historically, especially if you turn down the NXTVISION settings, but it is still present on some colors and modes.
|
Social class |
TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro |
|---|---|
|
operating system |
Tcl UI 9.0 (Android 16), 2 years update |
|
Display |
6.9-inch NXTPAPER LCD, 1080×2340, 120Hz, 900 nits peak brightness, matte textured glass |
|
processor |
mediatek dimension 7300 |
|
to hit |
8GB LPDDR5X |
|
storage |
128GB plus microSD card up to 2TB |
|
rear cameras |
50MP autofocus (wide) + 8MP autofocus (ultra-wide) |
|
front camera |
32MP |
|
Battery |
5,200mAh |
|
charge |
33W wired, no wireless charging |
|
ip rating |
IP68 |
|
Security |
Fingerprint sensor (in power button) |
|
weight |
207 grams |
|
DIMENSIONS |
169.4 x 80.05 x 7.98 mm |
|
Colour |
star blue |
understanding the basics
One of my main complaints with the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra was that it was too big. This phone is great with a 7.2-inch screen, but the NXTPAPER 70 Pro corrects that by reducing the size to a more modest 6.9 inches. On paper it doesn’t seem like a big difference, but the experience is much less awkward because of the change.
The plastic build isn’t anything special, but TCL has coated the entire phone in an amazing oleophobic layer that resists fingerprints and smudges in a way that almost no other phone does. Gone are the days of cleaning smudges from your phone or screen! It’s also IP68 water and dust resistant, so you don’t have to worry about it getting ruined even if you drop it in the sink.
Since this is an official North American release, it works perfectly on T-Mobile and Metro’s 5G networks. It’s also compatible with T-Mobile’s T-Satellite technology, so you’ll not only get 5G speeds, but also satellite connectivity for messaging.
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Performance is as good as I expected, and I didn’t notice any noticeable lag or longer loading times than I’d expect from a modern phone. It helps a lot that TCL doesn’t skimp on RAM, as most $200 phones only have 4GB of RAM (which isn’t enough), while the TCL NXTPaper 70 Pro has 8GB.
The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 is also powerful enough for almost everything, and I even found that most games ran just fine. Some of the more graphically intensive mobile games will need to run at lower settings, but games like Minecraft were able to run fine even with the more taxing Vibrant Visual setting enabled. It’s also a great battery sipper with all-day battery life and pretty fast 33W charging.
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Surprisingly, the camera here is quite good considering the price and all the other great features. It’s much better than anything I’ve tested at this price and generally delivers great-looking shots even in low light. There’s no telephoto camera, but it does have an ultrawide camera in addition to the main camera, and TCL didn’t waste money or space on a useless macro camera like many phones in this price range do.
If you’re purchasing an app from T-Mobile, just keep in mind that it comes loaded with a ton of preinstalled apps, and T-Mobile tries to give you new apps all the time. Thankfully, it can be easily turned off and apps can be removed I wrote with the help of a brief guide.
Apart from that downside, don’t expect world-class haptics from a phone in this price range. They’re not as bad as some other phones I’ve used recently, but they’re not as fast or of quality as the Pixel or OnePlus (which are twice the price anyway).
Some wiggle room for your budget
TCL did what I thought was impossible in 2026: It delivered an affordable phone that doesn’t feel like a piece of junk. The TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro offers an excellent all-around experience, and it does so without forcing customers to pay exorbitant amounts of money.
I don’t know how TCL managed to achieve this, but the introduction of NXTPAPER 4.0 into North American phones couldn’t have been better. This is the perfect way for the company to get its technology into the hands of a lot more people, and I hope TCL offers it in more models in the future.
In short, if you want a great phone that doesn’t cost too much, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro is the right choice.
TCL’s amazing eye-friendly NXTPAPER 4.0 is finally available on North American phones, and it’s the best value product we’ve seen so far in 2026. Beat the terrible price increases that plague the smartphone industry and get an excellent experience with the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, a $200 phone that’s well above its price range.
