TCL has just announced two new smartphones featuring its NextPaper display technology, which aims to reduce eye strain. The phones are called the 50 NxtPaper and 50 Pro NxtPaper, and while they have more in common than their names suggest, they also feature a 5.5-inch touchscreen.
For starters, they share the 6.8-inch NxtPaper display with Full HD+ resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. The NxtPaper panel is curved in 2.5D on the sides, and since it doesn't allow for a fingerprint scanner underneath, the sensor is integrated into the power key.
The 50 has a punch-hole selfie camera, which has an 8MP sensor on the 50 and a 32MP sensor on the 50 Pro. There's no difference on the back, though – both phones have a 108MP main sensor, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro.
Another difference between the 50 and 50 Pro is storage. The former has 256GB, while the latter has 512GB, and both have a microSD card slot.
The phones share 8GB of RAM and Mediatek's Dimensity 6300 chipsets with an octa-core processor. They come with Android 14 out of the box, and TCL is promising two years of OS upgrades and support until 2029 for units available in the European Union.
NxtPaper technology makes the screen appear like paper without reflections. This time, TCL has implemented a physical button on the right side, below the power key, which allows you to immediately switch between Normal, Color Paper and Max Ink modes. The latter mode allows you to read for up to 7 days or get up to 26 days of standby. It allows you to select up to four applications to run in this mode and suspend all others to give you more peace and quiet while reading.
Both TCL phones feature a 5,010mAh battery that supports up to 33W charging, but only the Pro comes with an adapter in the box. The situation is similar with the available accessories: the 50 and 50 Pro can work with a flip case and a T-Pen stylus, but only the Pro will have a so-called PC case.
TCL is offering the NxtPaper 5G 50 and NxtPaper 5G 50 Pro models in gray, blue, white, pink, and gold. The 50 model will be available only in the EU for €229, while the 50 Pro model will be sold in the EU and LATAM regions for €299.
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