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We’ve heard of tablets bearing paperlike displays, Kindles having the perfect screen to read on, and special screen protectors for iPads so that they give you that scratchy, pen-on-paper feel—but typically these are featured on larger screens that are made primarily for writing and drawing.
However, glossy screens are probably the worst thing to happen to human eyesight. Considering the amount of time we spend staring at our phones, its surprising that there aren’t more phones with matte, paperlike screens—like the TCL 40 NXTPAPER we’re reviewing today.
Design
The design of the TCL 40 NXTPAPER is nothing remarkable. It’s rather blocky, with rounded corners but sharp edges. While it’s not the lightest phone out there, the 195g is nicely distributed, so the phone feels balanced and weighted in hand.
The review unit we received was in the Opalescent colourway, which is essentially white with rainbow hues. Beautiful, but nothing no one else has done before already.
And for the traditionalists: the phone still has an audio jack at the bottom, so it supports both wired and wireless audio!
Display
Now, on to the star of the show: the display. It’s already in the name: the TCL 40 NXTPAPER has a paperlike screen that promises the ultimate eye protection by lowering blue light, gentle anti-glare properties, and soft lighting in low light environments. And it does do all this.
The 6.6-inch 720P+ display has a dynamic 90Hz refresh rate and is topped with a matte anti-glare glass display. That makes for a pretty comfortable viewing experience for your everyday smartphone tasks.
But what I loved most about it was the two display modes available for when you’re reading: Colour Paper and Ink Paper. Basically, both modes lower the saturation of the screen (and go monochrome in Ink Paper mode) so that it’s easier on your eyes when you’re reading long texts. It’s like having a Kindle smooshed with your smartphone, which is pretty great if you’re a bookworm like me.
Of course, the screen is amazing in low-light conditions; no more getting blasted by the force of ten thousand suns when you’re trying to read in bed! However, if my experience with matte screen protectors is any indication, I expected the matte screen to have a rather subpar performance in bright lighting. On paper, it only peaks up to 500 nits, but surprisingly, the screen was still readable even under direct sunlight. It’s not completely brilliant, but absolutely usable.
Camera & Performance
The TCL 40 NXTPAPER is absolutely made for readers, which unfortunately means that it lacks behind somewhat in camera and performance. For what it’s worth, though, it’s not completely hopeless; just don’t expect too much from the RM899 phone.
The camera setup includes a 50MP main lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth lens, with an 8MP wide-angle camera for selfies. It’s pretty okay for a point-and-shoot, with clear and detailed photos when under optimal lighting. It’s adequate for the occasional social media sharing.
On the performance side, the TCL 40 NXTPAPER is powered by a Mediatek Helio G88 chipset and equipped with 8GB of RAM with another 8GB of extendable virtual RAM. A very modest setup, so while it can handle social media and other everyday smartphone tasks, don’t expect it to run heavy games.
Battery
The 5010mAh battery with 33W fast charging capability is actually quite impressive, especially considering the price of the phone. Most notably, the phone can last up to three days on just the Ink Paper Display mode!
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