Verdict
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G is an Android headphone for readers , which is a great and laudable concept . Just do n’t come expecting a Kindle - Android hybrid , as that ’s not the pile here . And this TCL does n’t really excel in other areas like play or television camera public presentation either . It ’s one of the most interesting phones at the price , but check that you know what you get before buying .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G is one of the few interestingaffordable phones of 2024 . But it is also not what you might expect from the style TCL markets this Android .
It has a “ Nxtpaper ” screen , which predict an “ due east - leger - like ” read experience . And there ’s a slider control on the side to make the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G toggle between filmdom modes — full colour and monochrome , paper - similar .
This is a bang-up melodic theme , but the execution is not what those imagining a phone that can ferment into a Kindle are hoping for . The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G or else simply has an LCD with a mat textured glass top surface , which obliterate reflections .
This is n’t an E - Ink screen , and it is backlit . I do n’t love the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 K for register in bed . But is it effective than the residual for read while on your piece of work commute ? Sure .
Screen aside , the £ 280 TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 GB is not all that famed . It has a fairly weak processor and you ’ll get better picture from theNothing Phone ( 2a)or even theyear - previous Pixel 7a .
Design
TCL ’s 50 Pro design is bold enough that it could pass off for a much higher - death earpiece from a distance . Its build is quite humble , though , sporting a plastic back and charge card sidewalls . Only the screen gets a field glass coating .
TCL endeavor to surround around the idea you ’re handling a meretricious , no - frill twist by giving the rear a couplet of unusual finishes . I ab initio think my one was meant to be an impersonation marble impression , but a Google Image search backs up TCL ’s design title of a basalt grain .
Other semblance have a “ drinking glass roughage ” finish , but residuum assured , this will still be moldable . It ’s also important to note the basalt version is still smooth . It ’s a lustrelessness - stylus finish with some sparkle , but there ’s none of the contouring the “ basalt ” construct may imply . gratefully .
And that expectant shiny magnetic disk around the camera ? This is plastic too . The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G is a vacuous show - off , but I ca n’t be too down on it when the effect was to make me enjoyably surprised when I first match out how much this telephone costs .
Elsewhere , we get a mediocre side fingerprint image scanner , but otherwise few of the hardware perks of a higher - end phone . The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 one thousand has no pee electric resistance rating , its stereo system speakers are quite thin - sounding , if creditably loud , and the filmdom trade protection does not habituate an industry - received Corning Gorilla Glass preparation .
However , we do get a headphone jack and 512 GB storage as standard , which is fantabulous . A better - than - average font is included too .
Bundled cases are typically basic silicone rear shielder . This is a Bible - style case with a side section that house a style .
It ’s neat , and flipping the “ hat ” over does take the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G in and out of standby . However , the style is the simple kind with a capacitive pen nib — no air pressure sensitivity . The style also build the sound sense extra wide with the case seize . And as there ’s no alloy for the casing to fleece onto , the front part plainly flaps around freely rather than playact as a magnetic clasp .
Screen
The entire sell of the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 1000 is its exhibit . This is a 6.8 - in Nxtpaper screen , which TCL says can stir a “ paper - like ” experience .
I ’ve been an ebook reader exploiter for almost 20 years , since around the time the Sony PRS-505 came out . I still use one now , aKindle , and would be down for a phone that could repeat the Kindle experience .
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G is n’t quite that . you could switch it into its Max Ink fashion by flicking a slider on the phone ’s side .
This turn over the display monochrome , a veryKindle Paperwhite - stylelook . What it ca n’t do is basically change the nature of the display .
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 thousand has a Full HD LCD panel . It ’s pretty standardised to those of plenty of other lower - end phones , except it has a mat textured glass screen . You see something interchangeable on the most expensive versions of theSteam Deck .
This is n’t a film apply to the glass that you’re able to peel off . The topmost layer of the glass itself is etch . And it decimate reflections . Even strong overhead strip kindling just becomes a light glow .
It ’s extremely effective , at the cost of a little perceived sharpness . Matt screens are also accused of making colours start less than glossy unity . But my problem with the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 K ’s colour derive from the other close .
This phone projection screen is oversaturated . And while it has an “ sRGB ” mode , it ’s one of the worst I ’ve visualise in a earpiece in days . sRGB is a muted colour gamut by 2024 standards , and the sRGB modality here is still very rich .
That ’s not necessarily a vast flock most of the time , given phone buyers seem to like amped - up colour these days . But it does mean you ca n’t trust how photos appear on the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 grand screen . This telephone ’s pic look significantly different on my calibrated display , as they will do when you station them to friends and kinfolk over WhatsApp .
I was enjoyably surprise by the phone ’s brightness , though , which is far higher than the claim 550 nits . It reach 730 nits when maxed - out indoors , or 875 nits when in unmediated sunlight .
It ’s nothing special by 2024 banner , but does intend the phone does not lag behind its OLED compeer . And it can do a bonnie job of countering the contrast - killing burden of ambient light . You may lose the mirror - like reflexion but the TCL 50 Pro still has to compete with sunlight .
Ebook reader features and software
It ’s a little amusing that the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G has an oversaturated screen when its USP employs a black and white mode . riff the switch on the side and the screen release a more or less warmly - hued black and white .
It might be more accurate to call it “ black and grey ” though , as TCL purposely emulate the humiliated - demarcation show of E - Ink . That is the blind tech used in dedicated e - readers .
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G also exchange to a simplified interface in this mode . It only houses limited app shortcut as standard , but you may add any you care .
There ’s also a bookshelf habitation screen , which feels quite e - reader - comparable . you could of course take your own ebook files and PDFs , and this home screen connect to ebooks.com . It ’s an sovereign ebook store that has been around for decades — it has nothing to do with Amazon .
If you do want to utilise the Amazon Kindle store , or the Rakuten Kobo political program , no problem . you’re able to just use their apps rather .
I do n’t imagine the reading experience is as right as a Kindle ereader , or a the more directly comparableBoox Palma , though . While the version mood is designed to abbreviate asthenopia and blue-blooded light output , a backlit LCD CRT screen is still not as relaxing on the eyes as a front - lit cover E - Ink . Modern speech sound screens are also quite narrow for tenacious understand sessions , at least to my eastward - reader - pilled eyeball .
It does n’t go dim enough for comfortable dark - elbow room reading before you go to layer , not without using the screen - invert dark mode anyway .
Is it vile ? utterly not . It ’s surprisingly well - follow up and is one of the most interesting features I ’ve seen in an low-cost phone latterly . I just think it ’s very important you lie with what you ’re getting here . And what you are not .
I also line up I routinely by chance switch on the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G ’s e - reader modality when involve the phone out of a scoop . It is plaguey , in particular as the switchover comes with a airheaded vitality and sound burden that takes a few second .
Performance
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G has a jolly weak central processor , the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 . It ’s corresponding in power to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 , used in theOnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite , which was a similarly priced sound back at its launch in early 2023 .
General carrying out is dead fine . I ’ve had no issues using the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 gramme as my casual phone during testing , and feel no need to move on from it after my review article is done . You ’d expect that at the price , though . twenty-four hour period - to - day performance should only become an issue in phones much cheaper than this .
It have in mind there are better options for gamers , though , include the Nothing Phone ( 2a ) , which has a more capable MediaTek 7200 Pro chipset .
I tried Fortnite , and the experience was not great . you may only start the biz at up to mid - horizontal surface configurations , due to strong limits in the version of the game the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 GB streak . And unless you put graphical confinement in position you ’re not going to get stuffy to 30fps . Choppier than a sous chef .
In better word , there ’s no sign of thermic strangulation based on my testing . Which you ’d hope for give how limited the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G ’s power is .
Camera
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G has a very familiar rearward tv camera array for an low-cost phone . Its primary television camera is mean to dazzle you with its specs , so you do n’t bear too much attention to the respite .
It has a 108MP basal television camera , one with a respectably big 1/1.67 - column inch detector . This is copulate with a canonical 8MP ultra - wide television camera and a meretricious , mostly pointless 2MP macro instruction .
If a phone like this has one good tv camera , I will often come away glad . But the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G does n’t really have a single particularly good photographic camera .
The primary photographic camera still does n’t provide particularly good results at dark . It can make scenes come out vivid , but does n’t retain the detail or icon wholeness of the better performers .
While the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G has powerful Auto HDR processing , it tends to make icon look flat at times , and renders colours unnaturally .
Like anyhalf - decent earpiece camerain 2024 , you’re able to still get great - bet images during the day . But the hit rate of the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G ’s tv camera is not good weigh how high - end its hardware may come out on report . And its 108MP images ( it takes 12MP 1 as standard ) do not hold up when soar in , and also turn a loss the more effectual dynamic range enhancement of 12MP pics .
The camera practice a Samsung HM6 sensing element , ascertain in a whole head of low - mid - range earphone , and I do n’t think this is close to the best carrying out of it . This is no great surprisal when TCL probably does n’t have an R&D budget close to that of the big names .
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G ’s secondary super - wide television camera is welcome , but suffers from the usual issue of a detector importantly lower - end than the primary feather . color in sky gradients will often have a completely dissimilar lineament , and there ’s an obvious drop in aboriginal dynamic range , detail and clarity . This is nothing unusual for an 8MP ultra - broad .
And , as common , the 2MP macro is short .
Video ’s limitations are even more stark than those of hush . 1080p at 30 systema skeletale per second is your soap manner here . There ’s no 4K. There ’s no 60fps .
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G does have software stabilization , but it ’s not hugely effective .
Those video caps are thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 central processor ’s image signaling processor . The Samsung sensor affirm far higher - remainder modes , even if it ’s not a true eminent - end firearm of computer hardware .
Around the front , the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 gigabyte has a 32MP selfie television camera . It ’s fair but does not bring forth the most natural or flattering tegument tones .
Battery life
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G has a 5010mAh stamp battery , just fractionally above the standard for a phone of this size and class . One of the magnanimous claims is the telephone can last up to seven days of recital , again attracting comparisons to proper readers like the Amazon Kindle .
I wish TCL would resist the enticement to do this .
It ’s a bit of a misdirection as the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G does not have the super - grim - power presentation of a Kindle . Its real - world stamina is perfectly intelligent , though , as you ’d desire for from a 2024 processor that has small performance .
get it to last a full day is no issue , and you should have up to 30 % charge go away by the end of the day . I do n’t recollect it ’s quite on the level of the Sony Xperia 10 VI for stamen , though .
Maximum heraldic bearing power is 33W , and the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G includes such an transcriber . It takes around 28 minutes to strive 50 % direction , and 91 minute to reach 100 % .
Unlike some rival , though , the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G takes its fresh clock time to hit that top identification number . It arrive at 98 % at the 75 - instant scrape .
There ’s no wireless charging here , which is normal at the cost .
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Should you buy it?
A consecrate ebook reading way and matt screen make this a truly unusual earpiece , and one that can feel quite generous in its supererogatory features — 512 GB storage , a page number case and a stylus among them .
Do n’t anticipate a true eastward - reviewer experience here , as the fundamental technical school is still LCD , not E - Ink , signify the Kindle - panache front is surface - level .
Final Thoughts
The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5 G is one of the most interesting budget phones and is worth circumstance as long as you get your head around what the “ paper - like ” screen actually is . This is n’t an Amazon Kindle replacement , it ’s just a whole spate better at look like one that other phones .
A matt screen finish is the most substantive display characteristic here . It obliterates reflexion , if not ambient light ’s effect on the readability of the screen .
Trusted Score
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We test every roving phone we look back good . We utilize industry - standard tests to compare lineament properly and we expend the phone as our main equipment over the review menstruation . We ’ll always differentiate you what we discover and we never , ever , accept money to review a product .
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FAQs
It has no water resistance rating .
No , it employ an liquid crystal display screen but has a mode that face exchangeable to E - Ink in some lighting conditions .
It support wired charging only .
Test Data
Full Specs
