TCL NxtPaper 11 overview: a price range pill that stands out

TCL NxtPaper 11 overview: a price range pill that stands out

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TCL NXTPAPER 11 display angled view.

TCL NxtPaper 11

MSRP $230.00

“Although the NxtPaper 11 is a price range pill, the physique feels premium and the show is nice for studying.”

Professionals

  • Premium really feel
  • Light-weight and moveable
  • Anti-reflective matte show
  • Nice for studying
  • Lengthy-lasting battery

Cons

  • Gradual efficiency
  • Show nonetheless will get fingerprints and smudges
  • Low show brightness
  • Most 60Hz refresh fee
  • Excruciatingly gradual charging

Tablets are an fascinating product class — someplace between a smartphone and a laptop computer. It may be onerous to discover a good use for a pill, to be sincere, however considered one of its best use circumstances is for media consumption. Whether or not studying or watching movies, tablets can excel in that space.

However once you have a look at the pill market, Apple’s iPad largely dominates it, and it’s troublesome to search out an Android pill that stands out from the group — particularly for the decrease to mid tiers. That’s the place TCL and its NxtPaper units are available in.

The TCL NxtPaper 11 is a price range Android pill with a particular, paper-like matte show that makes it an important studying pill. Is it value a purchase? Let’s discover out.

TCL NxtPaper 11: design

TCL NXTPAPER 11 in hand showing back.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

The general design of the TCL NxtPaper 11 isn’t groundbreaking. It’s your typical slab of pill, with flat edges which have change into commonplace on nearly each pill since Apple began doing it with the iPad Professional.

Although the TCL NxtPaper 11 could be thought-about a price range pill, the construct high quality doesn’t fairly really feel that approach. The aluminum body and physique are remarkably slim and light-weight, making it comfy to carry and carry round. On the again are a easy single-lens 8MP digital camera module, the TCL brand, and a darker-colored antenna strip alongside the highest edge.

Though the NxtPaper 11 is a price range pill, it has a premium appear and feel.

Alongside the highest edge (horizontal orientation) is the amount rocker and microSD card tray. Alongside the edges are the quad audio system, and the sleep/wake button is on the left edge.

TCL NXTPAPER 11 on bench showing display with home screen.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

Once more, although the NxtPaper 11 is a price range pill, it has a premium appear and feel. However that doesn’t lengthen to the entrance, as there’s a thick bezel across the show. Nevertheless, that’s to be anticipated with a lower-tier pill, and it’s simply one thing you’ll get used to after some time.

TCL NxtPaper 11: show

TCL NXTPAPER 11 reading mode e-book.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

Essentially the most distinctive factor in regards to the TCL NxtPaper 11 is the show. It sports activities an 11-inch 2K show with 2000 x 1200 pixel decision. It’s definitely not the best decision on the market, however it will get the job carried out. Nevertheless, the brightness solely will get as much as 500 nits, and the refresh fee is barely 60Hz, and it positively exhibits as you employ the pill.

However that’s not the fascinating factor in regards to the show. No, probably the most distinctive factor in regards to the show is that although it’s an LCD panel, it’s paying homage to an e-reader due to a nano-material layer on the highest, giving it a matte and anti-reflective look and a sense much like paper. This layer additionally impacts what you see on the display, which is why not all the things seems to be as sharp as you’d like.

TCL claims this layer is meant to get rid of fingermarks, however that isn’t completely true — I skilled fingerprints and smudges like a daily pill or smartphone show.

The NxtPaper show expertise can be supposed to assist cut back the attention pressure you get with commonplace LCD screens. There are additionally totally different viewing modes that you may toggle on by NxtVision, together with a devoted Studying Mode that turns the show right into a grayscale display like a Kindle, or Eye Consolation Mode that filters out all blue gentle from the show.

TCL NXTPAPER 11 showing Google Photos.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

Whereas I like how the show seems to be total, particularly the anti-reflective half, I’m not a fan of how straightforward it’s to get fingerprints and smudges throughout. And since it’s mainly one other layer on prime of the show, this isn’t the best choice for consuming video, as visibility is affected. The TCL NxtPaper 11 is nice for studying, although.

The 60Hz refresh fee can be disappointing, as it is vitally obvious once you do just about something on the pill. There’s stuttering as you turn between apps or return to the house display, and scrolling by issues is just not clean. A 60Hz show is just not as noticeable on a small smartphone display (just like the iPhone 15) however a lot simpler to note on bigger pill shows.

TCL NxtPaper 11: efficiency and software program

Since this can be a price range pill, don’t count on any flagship chips or processors, particularly for the worth. The TCL NxtPaper 11 comes outfitted with a MediaTek Helio P60T chip, 6GB RAM, and 256GB storage that’s expandable as much as 1TB by a microSD card.

The Helio P60T chip is a chip that’s typically been seen in Chromebooks. The Helio P60T isn’t probably the most performant chip on the market, and it positively exhibits as you employ the TCL NxtPaper 11 — particularly when it solely has 6GB RAM.

You get Android 13 with TCL’s customized UI on the NxtPaper 11. The general expertise with it isn’t as clean as I hoped. I skilled noticeable lag and stutter when navigating the house display and menus, opening and scrolling by apps, and generally even the Wi-Fi feels a bit gradual. Throughout my preliminary setup, I bear in mind it appeared to have a problem connecting to my Wi-Fi community, which I’ve by no means skilled earlier than when testing numerous totally different smartphones and tablets.

TCL NXTPAPER 11 reading mode app drawer.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

On the software program entrance, it’s a reasonably clear tackle Android 13. You could have your typical Google suite of apps, and I didn’t get a number of bloatware on my unit. The drop-down panel for notifications is barely totally different from most different Android tablets I’ve tried, however the performance is similar.

TCL does have an non-compulsory T-Pen stylus that has 4,096 ranges of strain sensitivity, however I didn’t get one with my unit. It’s a bit odd, although, as that is the form of pill you’ll positively count on a stylus to come back commonplace; the paper-like display is simply begging for it.

General, the efficiency of the TCL NxtPaper 11 is just not too spectacular. You shouldn’t go right into a pill at this value anticipating breakneck efficiency, however even contemplating the worth, the NxtPaper 11 is disappointing.

TCL NxtPaper 11: cameras

TCL NXTPAPER 11 camera module.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

Nobody buys a pill for the cameras — a minimum of you shouldn’t. I’ll at all times be a part of the group that thinks it’s by no means okay to make use of a pill for capturing images except you actually can’t get to your smartphone. Regardless, the TCL NxtPaper 11 doesn’t impress with the cameras.

The TCL NxtPaper 11 has a single 8MP digital camera on the rear and an 8MP selfie digital camera alongside the longer fringe of the show. It will possibly additionally file video at 1080p decision and 30 frames per second.

Most units have a minimum of 12MP cameras, so the NxtPaper 11 doesn’t take good images. They lack element, the colours don’t look nice, and the selfie digital camera is even worse; it made me look orange as I sat at my desk. I instantly deleted it as a result of it seemed horrendous.

You can use the selfie digital camera for video calls for those who completely should, however it gained’t look nice. And I suppose it’s respectable sufficient to scan paperwork if it’s worthwhile to. However past that, don’t count on way more in any respect.

TCL NxtPaper 11: battery and charging

TCL NXTPAPER 11 on bench showing back.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

TCL put an 8,000mAh battery within the NxtPaper 11, which is fairly good for a pill of this dimension. It can final a minimum of a full day or two with reasonable to heavy utilization and several other days with lighter use. After all, this doesn’t fairly match as much as a typical e-reader, equivalent to Kindle, as these can final weeks, not days.

However the worst a part of the TCL NxtPaper 11 is the charging. It comes with a 5W charger within the field, which is extremely gradual. Should you use it, it’ll take about 4 hours to get a full cost. TCL says it might help as much as 18W quick charging, however for an 8,000mAh battery, that may nonetheless be painfully gradual.

Whereas the NxtPaper 11 has spectacular stamina, that gradual charging is an actual drag. That is completely a kind of units you’ll must cost up in a single day.

TCL NxtPaper 11: value and availability

TCL NXTPAPER 11 reading mode home screen.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

The TCL NxtPaper 11 is available in two colours: darkish gray and digital lavender. It retails for $230, and you will discover it straight on the TCL web site. Nevertheless, it seems to be out of inventory in the mean time, so if you wish to purchase one, you’ll should examine again.

Although the TCL NxtPaper 11 presents a singular show paying homage to an e-reader, there are different alternate options you can contemplate if you wish to keep strictly on this value vary.

For instance, there’s the Amazon Hearth Max 11, which is in our greatest tablets roundup. Whereas it’s not the best possible pill on the market, it does provide you with a number of bang on your buck. It’s an 11-inch pill that’s light-weight, straightforward to make use of, and packs a good quantity of energy in a small package deal. It does have its personal set of quirks, like not coming with the Google Play Retailer by default, however it’s considered one of Amazon’s higher choices recently. And you’ll’t beat the worth — $230, at present on sale for much less, and available.

TCL NxtPaper 11: verdict

TCL NXTPAPER 11 in hand outside reading comic.
Christine Romero-Chan / Digital Traits

I used to be initially drawn to the NxtPaper 11 due to the distinctive show. And for that, it’s nice — particularly for those who do a number of studying. I really like the matte end as a result of it’s anti-glare and simpler on my eyes. However I used to be additionally disenchanted that it’s simply as straightforward to get smudges throughout, regardless of TCL’s declare that it isn’t.

The general efficiency of the NxtPaper 11 can be disappointing. There’s a number of stutter and choppiness when simply navigating round, and once you mix a mediocre chipset with a 60Hz refresh fee, properly, issues simply aren’t clean. And whereas the battery life is nice, I don’t know what made TCL suppose that together with a 5W charger with an 8,000mAh battery pill is okay.

Whereas it has a strong construct and promising options, it’s very evident as soon as you employ the TCL NxtPaper 11 that this can be a price range pill. It’s a good possibility to think about primarily for its NxtPaper show tech, however past that, you are able to do higher elsewhere.

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