Verdict
The full - colour newspaper - like screen of the TCL 40 Nxtpaper signals a big win for the budget smartphone manufacturer . If a more or less faster chip and a screen toggle clit make it into a successor , it could become a very gentle good word for a much wider audience .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
It ’s rarefied to see right innovation in the low - spec smartphone blank . Typically , the phones around the £ 250 mark take on hired hand - me - down features from the mid - range market , itself taking those from the upper echelon of handset just a few year prior . The TCL 40 Nxtpaper is n’t stick to that trend . It ’s beating it .
pack a hybrid full - colour paper - similar display and computer hardware - point risque light solvent , TCL has call for one substantial estimation and run a retentive mile with it . The matte finish will mean photos and videos will always look a small lenient and hazy , no matter the setting . You get used to it .
Despite the shortcuts take to lour the price , they ’re entirely justified in use . Again , you get used to it . If you spend a in effect long while reading on your phone or pad of paper , your peepers will thank you for switch to one that cares about your optical wellness . Do n’t mind apps being a minuscule slow at times ? This really could ( and possibly should ) be your next handset .
Design
The TCL 40 Nxtpaper looks about how you ’d have a bun in the oven a sub-£200 smartphone to look these days . It ’s hardly razer thin , and there is a bit of a Kuki at the bottom . There ’s a hole perforate selfie photographic camera at the top , a volume rocker , a very sensitive might button / fingerprint reader on the right wing , and a comparatively large three - sensing element camera array on the glitter - finish rear shape .
On the bottom is a centred USB - C port capable of 33W fast charging and a very pleasing headphone jack just to the left with a dinky mike hole snuggle between the two . On the rightfulness is the phone ’s main talker . More on that in a spot .
It ’s a act of a slab , but one that feels good to take hold . It ’s just sharp around the rear edge . Not in a way that could turn up unsafe – it ’s just a noticeable unsmooth point that stands out against the pot of ultra - smooth smartphones out there these days .
It can find prone to slip aside , and might be too tall for the long time ambit most likely to see deserving in its main gimmick powerful now , but the mean drug user should find it no less cumbersome than their current French telephone . We can only take over the marvellous , thin plan is there to accommodate more schoolbook , but it ’s decent for movies , too . It ’s not far off the radical - wide touchstone of the budgetSony Xperia 10 V.
Screen
If there ’s one region where the TCL 40 Nxtpaper fend out , it ’s in the screen department . It ’s not a traditionalE Inkdisplay seen in dedicated eBook readers like the Amazon Kindle or Remarkable 2 , but its strength is on the nose that . TCL has brought a genuinely inspired trick to its budget smartphone lineup with a twist that does n’t lock itself into being just for books .
The 90Hz IPS full - HD+ display is n’t the sharpest on the market , and its matte ending does impart a slight blur to everything , but it manages to work in its favour : it ’s a full - colour display when you desire it and a diffuse , tranquil , and easily readable paper - like one when you need it . It does n’t get specially vivid , but its anti - reflective covering means it does n’t necessitate to burn through its battery by crack the backlight to bide clear under the summertime sky .
Talk of tocopherol Ink displays unremarkably light up the eyes of avid scholastic . And power through literature is certainly an exciting manipulation casing for the TCL 40 Nxtpaper . But even with its marvelous video display , you ’re limited to how much text edition you may fit on there before it becomes too small for many . You ’ll be scrolling or flicking through many more pages .
Instead , the intercrossed panel appears best become to a whole new demographic – comic books and manga . The diffuse , paper - comparable matte showing combined with the Ink Paper mode give way typically black-market and clean manga a naturalistic appearance . If you ’re reading American comics or do n’t want to risk missing a rarefied full - coloring material manga spread head , the Colour Paper mode is perfect .
You alternate between both with a slide of the telling wraith , a couple of tap , and a 5 - 10 - mo postponement . It ’s a little irksome , but nothing gross enough to detract from its benefits .
It would have been brilliant to see TCL broil the feature into a consecrate hardware on-off switch standardised to the iPhone 15 ’s Action Button or the OnePlus ’ luger . It could go a long way in encouraging its use for most and simplifying things for the quondam propagation .
Camera
Like so many other budget blowers on the marketplace these day , there ’s a couple of suspiciously high - megapixel tv camera packed into the back of the TCL 40 Nxtpaper . As we ’ve begun to better sympathize these days , however , bigger is n’t always good .
alike to the lenses packed into mid - range tablets like theHonor X9 , these high-flown snapper can apply all the AI technical school they require ; they ’ll consistently struggle to bring on the sort of effigy we used to associate with gamy megapixel counts . Whether from the 50MP wide , 5MP extremist - full , or 2MP macro lens of the eye , you ’ll well rule much better timbre elsewhere .
As expected , the rear photographic camera of the TCL 40 Nxtpaper struggle in even the best circumstance . It ’s far from a write - off , but do n’t expect it to bring forth images you could print on glossy paper and thole to a corkboard .
Colour is n’t a major issue . It tend to snap shots on the warmer side of the spectrum . The issue is that they often lack any real detail , coming out hazy or low - resolution , and generally calculate a piffling bereft of lifespan .
But it ’s not all big . The front - look selfie tv camera looks to have been the major focus . So long as there ’s a decent light source , detailed portraits on the 32MP lens system are whole potential , with television calls and the odd TikTok video being a possibility .
Out in the garden on a cloudy winter day , it had no trouble picking my face from the slam , blurring the background signal , and cleanly capturing item like facial hairsbreadth , skin texture , and the individual follicles of my fringe . In these billet , the warmer tones really aid . There ’s even a smile spotting characteristic that ’ll mechanically take a shot when you turn that frown upside down .
They ’re fine for capture a flying note or storage in the consequence , and can be good for whizz in , but in anything outside of perfect inflammation conditions , the technical school just is n’t there to grab the image data needed to properly process a half - decent photo on the rear lenses . There ’s no realOISto smooth out video , so any vlogs or impromptu recording might be a tad too jittery .
Performance
The ageing MediaTek Helio G88 processor is where the TCL 40 Nxtpaper suffers its first major drawback . Even with 8 GB of remembering , performance is far from nipping .
double over this with slow computer memory memory is supported , but it wo n’t make a major difference . It ’s entirely serviceable , and far from abysmal , but anyone sore to a less - than - stellar home screen experience , check , hang , and apps that do n’t spread immediately will notice the cut corners here .
A grade of 430 and 1388 across the single and multi - core Geekbench tests is humble . There ’s no acquiring around that . It ’s up to of running unsubdivided competitive title like Asphalt , PUBG Mobile , Call of Duty , and Wild Rift at lower configurations . Just do n’t expect the influx of open - humankind RPGs to take kindly to the hardware .
Most of the performance publication burn when navigating the operating organization , such as close one app and refund to the home screen to find oneself and open your next app . Once you ’ve settled into what you ’re doing , it ’s largely hunky-dory . The relatively high amount of storage seems to help advertizement - laden web Sir Frederick Handley Page and social media mathematical function without much issue , which is great for keeping up with local news .
TCL constitute waste utterer claim like any other manufacturer out there . There ’s only so much a single speaker can deal . There ’s no stereo interval , and while it can get more than loud enough – especially when it come to jarring notification pings – there ’s a conversant hollow tinniness to the whole affair . My sensitive ear sure struggled to keep from twitching while watching drama and casual YouTube capacity .
Software
TCL also seems to be attempting to make subsidies with bloatware built into the 40 Nxtpaper . Most are n’t installed or take up precious retention , but there are actual booklet fill with apps it ’ll fain download at a tinge .
Some can be utile , but most are n’t deserving your metre . you may toggle most out of view with a pair of pat , but you ’ll need to uninstall the four manually admit Gameloft games to claw back some of that generous 256 GB of storage .
Aside from that , there is n’t too much to worry about here . It ’s far from a gunstock Android experience ; there ’s bound to be a ascertain bender to its unique elaborateness if you ’re coming from something like a Google Pixel .
One example is that swiping down on the home screen brings up a hunt cake . It ’s just diminutive . Why ? Because TCL thinks experience 80 % of the screen taken up by news and app good word is what you ’d want . Google Discover is a right barter away still . You do n’t demand both , and it likely just bog down down the whole experience , chair to some of those execution scruple .
Still , it ’s not all surprising for a phone of this price . It ’s still a bargain . It ’s just something to bear in judgment . With Asda Mobile sell both the 4 G and 5 K translation of this handset at the same price , the value proposition modify slightly . On paper , the 5 GB translation performs tough in virtually every situation . Unless you need improved connectivity , the 4 G model is the one to get .
Battery life
We all see the battery welfare of E Ink gadget . tocopherol - readers just keep going on a single bursting charge , take a hop back to life after months in a draftsman . The TCL 40 Nxtpaper is n’t like that . Not quite .
Because it ’s not rocking a true E Ink showing and is still process all the background folderal of a modern smartphone , the lifespan of its 5010mAh cell is only slightly above norm . Sipping around 30 % in just diffident of a week of standby time is impressive , but it ’s not “ live after being behind the couch shock absorber for months ” levels of telling . Grabbing the 5 G model is likely to touch on things further .
Gaming will chug back around 10 % every half an hr , in bank line with most other equipment , and an minute - tenacious episode of something on your favourite streamer will see around 12 % of its barrage fire go down the drainpipe . That ’s really above average .
Still , its fast charging electric potential can get you back up to 50 % from nothing in just under half an hour or 29 % in a measly 15 minutes – it ’s a pity you ’ll in all likelihood have to pay extra for a capable plug , but the support is there . The even loud Nokia C32 would n’t presume .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you ’re a bookworm , manga enthusiast , or just use your phone for reading news articles and social medium , your eyes will thank you for foot this one up .
With the paper - similar display likely use up up most of the budget suggestion here , overall performance can shin against rivals like the Samsung Galaxy A15 .
Final Thoughts
One of my first paychecks was used to buy an old Asus MemoPad . I used it to read on my bus rides home . It just about primed in my coat air pocket , but it was still clumsy . Had the TCL 40 Nxtpaper been around back then , it would have been a no - brainer .
So long as the general performance does n’t bother you , you desire a more accurate digital reading experience , or just need your high blind time to be a small bit better for your eye , it ’s a great get for a down in the mouth price .
For a few other considerations , check out thebest cheap phonesright now . If you demand good picture taking chops , you ’re pass to have to jump for aGoogle Pixel 6a . You might even be able to reduce eye tiredness with theHonor Magic 6 Liteand nab a snappier , more responsive exploiter experience in the process . Ca n’t stretch the budget ? TheTCL 40R 5Gis marginally more capable in everyday operation at around the same price .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every roving phone we critique thoroughly . We practice industriousness - standard test to liken lineament properly and we use the phone as our master machine over the revaluation period . We ’ll always evidence you what we incur and we never , ever , bear money to review a merchandise .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics insurance policy .
FAQs
Yes , there ’s a received 3.5 millimetre headphone port on the bottom left of the machine .
The smartphone can switch between a standard full - gloss video display to a muffled color newspaper look , and to a full monochrome paper - similar display that mime E - ink display without the usual slow transition and flickering .
Yes , there ’s a MicroSD expansion slot in the SIM tray .
Test Data
Full Specs
