If you’re a regular reader here you may have noticed that I’m a fan of smartphones - a big fan. As I mentioned in my recent review of the rather brilliant Nothing Phone 2, I’ve used a big number of flagship phones over those years. Although I follow a number of mobile news sources, there are only a few things that really grab my attention when it comes to smartphones. The big ones are updates on the Google Pixel line that I’ve had great experience with and news about new smartphones that genuinely stand out from the pack.
Smartphones that fit the bill for standing out from the pack are very few and far between in recent years. The Nothing phones do, and that’s what drew me to the Nothing Phone 2. I have tried but I can’t think of a use case I have for a foldable phone, so although those are relatively new and different they’re not a fit for me.
So … a post by C. Scott Brown at Android Authority yesterday caught my eye, and quickly sparked interest. It’s about this upcoming line of TCL 40 NXTPAPER phones, with a promising sounding display technology called NXTPAPER. Brown was first impressed with a concept version of these phones at CES earlier this year. Check out that link to his post above to see his quick video and good impressions of the concept phone, along with his reasons for being a fan of these phones.
These things about this phone make me very interested in following updates over coming months leading to a rumored early 2024 US launch:
The display technology and its promised “built-in multiple layers bring exciting benefits by providing versatile eye protection features”. I’ve spent years working in IT and cybersecurity and spending far too much time at work and outside of work staring at computer screens of all sizes.
C. Scott Brown says “If you’ve ever used a Kindle Paperwhite, you have an approximate idea of what this tech is like (but it’s in full color).” I use the latest version of the Kindle Paperwhite and have been using them since 2019. The Kindle is one of my favorite devices ever. I do something like 90 percent of my reading on it and have been meaning to write something about it here soon. Full color is a nice bonus.
The overall specs of the phone are also strong, not that far off flagship level. The model I like includes a big 6.78” FHD+ screen, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a matte anti-glare screen, a large 5010mAh battery, and what look like quite good camera features. It’s lightweight and there’s even an “artful” pen/stylus for scribbling with.
I will of course be looking out for every shred of detail on the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro, but now I’ll also be keeping a close eye on the TCL 40 NXTPAPER.
What do you think? Does this phone feel like something that’s legitimately different? Different and interesting? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
As Mr. Spock would say, "Fascinating."
That is an interesting approach for the phone display.
Thanks for sharing, Patrick! Ernie