ZDNET’s key takeaways
- TCL’s 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G is on sale on Amazon for $222.
- It has a singular show, and a characteristic set that promotes minimalism and digital well-being.
- I simply want the digital camera system and basic efficiency have been higher.
Being glued to your smartphone’s display screen all day can do a quantity in your eyes, and I undoubtedly can really feel it. TCL’s Nxtpaper know-how gives a paper-like display screen that is made for drained eyes like mine. The TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G is the corporate’s reasonably priced try at relieving among the stress that comes from trendy smartphone screens.
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It is a distinctive trick for a really cheap smartphone that must be seen to be understood. Whereas removed from good, and undoubtedly a tool constructed to a value, it brings a differentiator that may matter for some customers trying to give their eyes a relaxation whereas they scroll or learn.
A singular multi-faceted show
The show is what instantly units the 60XE aside. TCL’s Nxtpaper 3.0 matte coating provides the glass an undeniably distinctive end that I fairly like. On-screen content material appears to be like a bit like E-ink relying on the mode the telephone is in, however beneath that hazy layer is an ordinary 1080p, 120Hz LCD panel.
The coating addresses a slew of frequent downsides of contemporary shows. It reduces blue mild, cuts reflections to almost nothing, and even eliminates most fingerprints. There’s additionally a pleasant texture that feels a bit like paper, which is a pleasant departure from a sea of shiny, reflective shows.
Beneath the facility and quantity buttons is a bodily Nxtpaper Key, a plastic swap that feels a bit cheaper than I would like. Flipping the swap gives up a menu of distinct modes that change how the show operates.
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TCL clearly desires customers to note and admire this characteristic as a result of each toggle leads to a five-second full-screen animation full with an obnoxious serenade. I made certain to set my quantity to mute so I may keep away from the theatrical impact.
Every mode offers its personal twist on usability and luxury. Shade Paper Mode, my favourite, mutes the colours whereas retaining an ordinary Android interface that is simpler on the eyes for all-day use. I even loved watching YouTube movies on this mode, although every little thing feels a bit flatter than my eyes are used to.
Ink Paper Mode goes one step additional, stripping colour from icons and textual content for a no-frills grayscale method, whereas nonetheless delivering the complete unencumbered Android expertise. Max Ink Mode is essentially the most dramatic change, stripping all colour whereas additionally limiting apps to a small subset of necessities and suspending sure background processes.
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The result’s an ultra-minimal, battery-saving mode that may final greater than every week on a single cost. I loved this mode for studying ebooks and will see it as a terrific resolution for customers trying to reduce on smartphone use completely.
The show does include a significant caveat. On the brightest days, the matte end would all however wash out on-screen content material, typically making it unusable in direct daylight. In the event you spend time exterior studying or working, you may be on the lookout for shade like I used to be.
Efficiency and battery
Efficiency is modest however serviceable, with a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ processor inside paired with 8GB of RAM. In use, this isn’t a telephone for hardcore customers who push their units to the restrict. I observed many actions have a slight delay hooked up to them. Launching the digital camera typically takes just a few seconds to barter.
Basic duties like internet searching, electronic mail, and messaging are responsive sufficient to maintain me comfortable, however issues by no means felt snappy.
On the software program entrance, the 60 XE runs Android 15, with a promise from TCL of only one improve to Android 16 and two years of safety patches. As somebody who all the time decries the poor state of Android OS replace guarantees, this can be a weak level, and TCL must step up its recreation. Anybody hoping to get long-term worth ought to think about different choices.
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I discovered battery life to be a spotlight, which is not that shocking given the 5,010mAh battery hidden inside. I routinely made it by means of the day with round 20-30% capability to spare at bedtime. Wired charging tops out at a sluggish 18 watts, so fast daytime top-ups will take a while, but it surely’s high-quality for plugging in in a single day.
For the actually battery paranoid, there’s the Max Ink Mode that significantly jumps battery life to greater than every week if you’re prepared to chop down on a lot of what the telephone is able to.
Keep for the show, however not the digital camera
The plastic marble-like backplate surrounds a big round digital camera array that is laborious to overlook and even perhaps extra premium-looking than its value level. One pet peeve of mine is an off-center digital camera module, and this telephone has a notable wobble when positioned on a tabletop because of this.
The digital camera system itself is one space the place the low-end cutbacks actually present. The primary sensor does its finest outdoor in very vibrant circumstances and wishes a number of mild to assist pictures taken indoors. The digital camera efficiency is mediocre with tender output that lacks punch and definition more often than not.
Low-light circumstances simply exhibit the digital camera system’s baseline functionality, and the ultrawide lens typically leads to grainy pictures. The 32MP entrance digital camera works, however that is about it. Let’s simply say that this isn’t the telephone for the discerning digital camera buff.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
What the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G gives is a key standout characteristic: a singular matte show. At $250, the 60XE gives one thing that you just actually cannot discover wherever else, on this value class and past, and the advantages of which may matter so much for sure customers. For everybody else, think about telephones just like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, which gives higher imaging, higher velocity, and its signature modular design method.
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