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TCL upgrades eye-saving NXTPAPER series with a new phone and note-focused tablet

The NXTPAPER lineup from TCL is getting more love, with a new Android phone and tablet with better quality-of-life features that are built to make use more comfortable.

The NXTPAPER series from TCL has been around for some time, and it’s found a niche audience. In essence, the displays act as full-color panels with the ability to switch to a monochrome, e-paper display for easier reading or sketching.

The NXTPAPER 70 Pro features three modes: Color Paper, Ink Paper, and Max Ink. Each has a use case, with color paper being the go-to for consuming content or using your phone as, well, a phone. The Ink Paper and Max Ink modes offer alternative e-paper color reproduction that minimizes battery strain and presents a preferable display for certain types of content, like books or web articles.

Each of those modes is accessible via the NXTPAPER Key, which is, admittedly, a more appealing use of a secondary button than an AI key some manufacturers have drifted towards. The NXTPAPER 70 Pro does utilize Android’s Gemini for those who wouldn’t want to give up some of Google’s more advanced tools. TCl does bring its own models into play, with AI-driven notes that convert from handwriting with the optional T-Pen Stylus.

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TCL’s new phone also makes some improvements in light reflections and blue light purification, as the 6.9-inch FHD+ display is built specifically to cater to the human eye.

Internally, the phone uses a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC with up to 16GB of RAM. The phone would operate daily without issue on a 5,200mAh battery, but it’ll likely stretch much farther using the monochrome modes added in.

TCL also debuted the Note A1 NXTPAPER. The tablet brings an MTK G100 SoC with 8GB of RAM and an 11.5-inch display, unlike the 8-inch tablet released last year. That display takes the same advantages, more or less, with separate ink modes for reading and other content. The display automatically adjusts to match what you’re doing, being able to go full-color in apps like Microsoft Edge while sticking to an ink look when taking notes or using other features. That’s one of the big advantages of this display tech over a traditional e-paper display.

Notably, there’s no way to add additional apps to the Note A1 despite the tablet being based on Android, but it comes pre-loaded with a select few Microsoft apps, and TCL says you can also use web apps.

The tablet is powered by an 8,000mAh battery and brings support for TCL’s T-Pen Stylus. Note A1 NXTPAPER is available for pre-order now starting at $419.

TCL notes the NXTPAPER 70 Pro will be available starting in February.

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