The lower middle class doesn’t have to be boring at all. This is proven by the TCL 40 NXTPAPER, which, although it does not impress with its parameters, still manages to stand out. It offers not only a rich basic package, where you also need a practical stylus, but also entices you with a special paper display that is gentle on the eyes.
The TCL brand has been well established in recent years, but we can probably agree that it rarely manages to impress with a device. They are mostly average mobile phones or tablets, which are intended for less demanding users. However, TCL is trying to make a breakthrough with the NXTPAPER range of products. This technology has also reached phones, one of which is the model 40 NXTPAPER tested today. Basically, a regular phone of the lower middle class, but with a certain specialty in addition. Will she be the trump card that will outshine the competition?
Construction168.2 × 75.5 × 7.9 mm, 195 g, construction: classic, resistance: no Display?, 6.78″ (2460 × 1080 px) Camera 50 Mpx, LED, video: 1920 × 1080 px, 30 FPS ChipsetMediaTek helio G88, CPU: 2×2 GHz + 6×1.8 GHz Memory RAM: 8 GB, internal memory: 256 GB, memory cards: microSD Data functions 5G: no, LTE: yes, Wi-Fi: 802.11a/b /g/n/ac, Bluetooth: 5.1, NFC: yes Operating system Android 13 Battery 5,010 mAh, wireless charging: no Availability November 2023, CZK 6,499
Package contents: unprecedented wealth
On the Czech market, TCL 40 NXTPAPER is sold directly in two boxes combined into one package. In the smaller box there is a relatively precisely designed protective case. It is fabric-softened on the inside, rubberized on the outside and perfectly protects the mobile phone. The case also includes a flip-up plastic stand for more comfortable video calls or viewing content. But that’s still not all. The case includes a T Pen stylus, which you insert into the case and is safely hidden inside. The downside of the case is that it bulges at the back because of the stylus, so the phone wobbles a lot when you put it down. Of course, a data cable and a charging adapter are also included.
We liked it
- practical stylus
- protective case with stand
Construction: nice mobile phone
The device itself does not deviate in any way from today’s standard. The plastic body is rather lighter, fits well in the hand, and the processing can withstand fairly strict standards. The buttons appear only on the right side, are at a comfortable height and are certainly pressable. The bottom edge is where all the connectors are, i.e. USB-C and 3.5mm jack.
However, the phone can attract attention with its colorful design. In our case, we have a blue variant available, which glistens pleasantly in the light, although it is not glossy, which in practice means that fingerprints do not stick to the back of the mobile phone. Overall, the back looks very handsome indeed, making the TCL 40 NXTPAPER stand out from the crowd.
On the other hand, it should be added that when the manufacturer gives you a case, a very successful one, which not only protects the phone, but also provides practical things such as space for a stylus and a stand, you will want to use it. As soon as you put it on, all the originality of the mobile disappears. For the sake of completeness, let’s mention that increased durability was not achieved, but this is common at this price level, so it is not a deficiency.
We liked it
- durable construction
- fits comfortably in the hand
- nice color option
Display: unique
We come to the main trump card of the phone, which is the display. The TCL 40 NXTPAPER has a matte display, which other phones do not have, but on the contrary, it has eye-pleasing glossy panels. However, matte is not only more pleasant for your eyes, but above all, matte almost completely eliminates glare. The display is therefore perfectly readable indoors and it’s not bad outdoors either. There, although the advantage of the matte panel is partially canceled out by the fact that it does not have such a high brightness, I still had no significant problems with readability.
However, the gentleness to the eyes does not end only with the matte surface of the display. TCL goes even further and deploys NXTPAPER technology. This mode, which you can find among the basic settings, switches the display to a mode that immediately resembles ordinary paper. You can choose between color/black and white presentation. If we forget the original environment, everything is very pleasant, especially at night, when you won’t strain your eyes so much. The entire environment is adjusted, even if you choose black and white mode.
If you leave everything in the conventional display, you will enjoy the 6.72″ IPS panel with Full HD + resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. These parameters alone make a positive impression on a phone for less than 5 thousand crowns. Few competitors offer more. If we add to that mentioned NXTPAPER mode, it can be said that you will find an overall better display at this price level very difficult.
A stylus is also attached to the display, which has its place in the supplied case. You can of course use it to control the phone, but as expected the stylus, which TCL calls the T Pen, is quite ordinary. It has no additional functions and does not need to be recharged.
We liked it
- matte surface
- fine resolution
- NXTPAPER mode
Sound: stereo will come in handy
The TCL 40 NXTPAPER is equipped with stereo speakers, one above the display and the other on the bottom edge. They play loudly and, surprisingly, relatively well. They are perfect for watching videos or playing games. There is also a 3.5 mm jack.
Hardware performance: it could definitely be better
Under the hood, we already find that we are in the lower middle class segment. You have to put up with the octa-core Helio G88 processor, which is connected to 8GB of memory. You can improve your taste with 256 GB of storage, of which 232 GB remain for your data after the first power-on, on top there is a slot for up to 512 GB of memory. As a result, the phone has nothing to offer in terms of performance, and we have to say that if you want to play games on a large scale, for example, it would be better to look elsewhere.
Benchmark testy
Battery life: no disappointment
The battery is 5010 mAh, which is still a better average. The endurance safely climbs over one full day, so you will definitely not have to wait for an early evening charge. Charging is averagely fast, peaking at 33W wired, giving a charging time of around an hour and a half.
Connectivity: including NFC
There is support for Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS and NFC for contactless payments and quick pairing. But you have to put up with the absence of 5G, which is a shame, because in the price range of around 5,000 crowns, where the TCL 40 NXTPAPER moves, it is already a fairly common part of the equipment. On the other hand, less demanding users may not miss this kind of connectivity.
Camera: it would work for snapshots
There are three cameras on the back, however, as expected, two are almost useless, so we will take them very quickly. It has a 2-megapixel macro sensor and a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. The second one in particular pays for a very low resolution and these images look bad even on the phone screen. Only the main sensor with 50 Mpx, aperture f/1.8 and sensor size 1/2.76″ is worth talking about. You need to forget about optical stabilization, the highlight is automatic focus and an illumination diode.
When you select automatic camera mode, it works as you expect. It takes photos by combining four images into one at 12.5 megapixels. In good light, photos are very decent, true to color and sharp across the board. That’s definitely a plus and basically what you’d expect from an affordable phone. With diminishing light comes the traditional difficulty of rapidly diminishing sharpness. For example, a larger shadow is already a problem.
Sample photos
It looks better with the front camera, 32 Mpx is sufficient for selfies, and the resulting images will be fully sufficient for social networks. Video recording is more of an emergency accessory with the possibility of maximum Full HD resolution at 30 frames per second.
We didn’t like it
- very low quality ultra wide angle lens
- not very good quality videos
Software: faltering quality
The environment is provided by the already older Android 13 and a rather massive superstructure from TCL. It changes, for example, icons and the style of menus and settings. The result is poor clarity, especially for the menu with settings. However, it is much worse with optimization. The environment is cumbersome and when coupled with only mediocre hardware, the result is really not that dazzling. When you want a bit of snappy response on the phone, you’re out of luck. Individual applications also start more slowly. Let’s add that the situation with updates is rather average, at the moment there are November security patches in TCL 40 NXTPAPER.
Different forms of TCL 40 NXTPAPER environment We didn’t like it
- unnecessarily massive superstructure
- worse optimization
Evaluation
TCL came up with a very interesting matte display technology with the option to switch it to paper mode, which is extremely gentle and pleasing to the eyes. It would be great to be able to choose phones like this across the price spectrum and get an alternative to glossy panels. Currently, however, there is only the NXTPAPER model 40 on the phone market, which, paradoxically, is intended only for the less demanding. Those who are more demanding will be easily deterred by inefficient hardware, a cumbersome environment or low-quality cameras. Currently, the TCL 40 NXTPAPER is a swallow with an interesting convenience that few people appreciate. The demanding will not be interested, the undemanding will not say much about the technology used and will prefer a rather pleasant appearance or 5G, both of which can be found at a price level of around 5,000 crowns.
Competition
As we indicated, looking for competition with a matte display is futile, it does not exist. But there is, for example, the Poco M6 Pro, which has a better camera, a faster environment or a more powerful processor. At the same time, it is only a few hundred crowns more expensive.
Xiaomi Poco M6 Pro 12+512 GB
Dimensions168.6 x 76.3 x 8.2 mm, 199 gDisplayAMOLED, 6.79″ (2460 x 1080 px) Camera64 MpxProcessorMediaTek helio G99, MemoryRAM: 12 GB, Storage: 512 GB, microSDXCBattery5000 mAh
With a price of around 5 thousand crowns, you can also have a phone with 5G support. This is, for example, the Vivo Y52 5G. However, the tax for connectivity is half the operational and internal memory.
Vivo Y52 5G
Dimensions164.3 × 75.3 × 8.5 mm, 193 gTFT IPS display, 6.58″ (2,408 × 1,080 px) Camera 48 Mpx, video: 1,080 × 1,920 px, 60 FPSProcessorMediaTek Dimensity 700, MemoryRAM: 4 GB , storage: 128 GB, microSDBattery5,000 mAh
Photo: Michal Pavlíček, mobilenet.cz
2024-02-10 08:00:00
#TCL #NXTPAPER #Review #Eyes #mobilenet.cz
