ZDNET’s key takeaways
- This funds Android telephone options a big, paper-like show, 128GB of storage, and extra.
- It has a characteristic set that promotes minimalism and digital wellbeing.
- I simply want the digicam system and common efficiency have been higher.
Taking a look at smartphones all day may be exhausting on the eyes, and over time, I’ve adjusted to the discomfort, however TCL’s Nxtpaper know-how is made for drained eyes like mine. The TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G is the corporate’s reasonably priced try at relieving a few of the stress that comes from fashionable 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 excellent, and positively a tool constructed to a value, it brings a differentiator that can matter for some customers trying to give their eyes a relaxation whereas they scroll or learn.
A novel 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 seems to be a bit like E-ink relying on the mode the telephone is in, however beneath that hazy layer is a regular 1080p, 120Hz LCD panel.
The coating addresses a slew of frequent downsides of contemporary shows. It reduces blue mild, cuts reflections to just about 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 ability and quantity buttons is a bodily Nxtpaper Key, a plastic change that feels a bit cheaper than I might like. Flipping the change presents up a menu of distinct modes that change how the show operates.
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TCL clearly desires customers to note and recognize this characteristic as a result of each toggle ends in a five-second full-screen animation full with an obnoxious serenade. I made positive to set my quantity to mute so I may keep away from the theatrical impact.
Every mode gives its personal twist on usability and luxury. Coloration Paper Mode, my favourite, mutes the colours whereas retaining a regular 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 coloration from icons and textual content for a no-frills grayscale method, whereas nonetheless delivering the total unencumbered Android expertise. Max Ink Mode is essentially the most dramatic change, stripping all coloration 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 an important answer for customers trying to in the reduction of on smartphone use completely.
The show does include a serious 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 searching 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 digicam typically takes a number of seconds to barter.
Normal duties like net shopping, e-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, it is a weak level, and TCL must step up its sport. Anybody hoping to get long-term worth ought to contemplate different choices.
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I discovered battery life to be a spotlight, which is not that stunning given the 5,010mAh battery hidden inside. I routinely made it by way of the day with round 20-30% capability to spare at bedtime. Wired charging tops out at a gradual 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 really 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 digicam
The plastic marble-like backplate surrounds a big round digicam array that is onerous to overlook and even perhaps extra premium-looking than its value level. One pet peeve of mine is an off-center digicam module, and this telephone has a notable wobble when positioned on a tabletop because of this.
The digicam system itself is one space the place the low-end cutbacks actually present. The principle sensor does its finest outdoor in very vivid circumstances and wishes numerous mild to assist photographs taken indoors. The digicam efficiency is mediocre with delicate output that lacks punch and definition more often than not.
Low-light circumstances simply display the digicam system’s baseline functionality, and the ultrawide lens typically ends in grainy photos. The 32MP entrance digicam works, however that is about it. Let’s simply say that this isn’t the telephone for the discerning digicam buff.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
What the TCL 60 XE Nxtpaper 5G presents is a key standout characteristic: a singular matte show. At $250, the 60XE presents one thing that you just actually cannot discover wherever else, on this value class and past, and the advantages of that may matter quite a bit for sure customers. For everybody else, contemplate telephones just like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, which presents higher imaging, higher pace, and its signature modular design method.
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