I shouldn’t need to tell readers that color e-readers have been much in the news laterly. In this context, the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus is a device I’ve been eagerly awaiting ever since I saw advance coverage of it online some months ago. Some might ask why. After all, it’s a fast and reasonably powerful 11-inch Android tablet, with fairly solid specifications and the latest version of Android, as well as an attractive price point. but there are plenty of other similar competing offerings on the market, including those from the likes of Samsung. So what’s so different and special about this one?
The answer, for a keen onscreen reader like me, lies in its NXTPAPER 4.0 display. This is specifically not an ePaper display. Instead, it’s a matte finish screen that can be switched from full colour to ePaper-like monochrome literally at the touch of a button. As the TCL blurb describes it, “the fingermark-free NXTPAPER matte surface is anti-reflective at any angle. NXTPAPER 4.0 employs 60-million-level nano-matrix lithography in its etching process, greatly enhancing display clarity.” Display technology buffs might argue the specifics here, but the result is a unit that packs a regular Android tablet and a Kindle-like reading experience into one device.
The TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus actually offers three display modes: full colour regular mode, like a normal tablet; colour paper mode, a toned-down comic book-like colour mode most similar to today’s colour ePaper devices; and ink paper mode, the full monochrome experience. The display can be switched between these, whatever the content onscreen, with the NXTPAPER key at one corner of the tablet. A momentary whirlpool-like effect, more for show than anything else, and even a YouTube video will switch from full colour to black and white on the fly.
It’s the combination of this monochrome option with the unreflective paper-like feel of the display that truly makes this device sing, though. Reading text under bright sunlight is absolutely doable. I’ve used the device in full daylight under open skies with no detectable screen issues whatsoever. True ePaper might offer a marginally better reading experience, but the difference is hardly quantifiable for most reading scenarios, and the added versatility of the device more than makes up for that narrow margin. And you can access your Kindle library through the usual Android app as with any other Android device.
I do most of my productivity through Google, and for me, the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus makes any other device pretty much redundant for 90% of the working day. Even a light mini laptop seems needlessly burdensome and limited by comparison. Not just reading but actually working under bright sunlight becomes a genuine option.
I’ve seen some extravagant claims of battery life using the monochrome setting. So far from what I see, battery life is excellent, especially with the energy saving standby mode, but not quite on a par with ePaper devices. In practice, that’s hardly much of a downside. I’m still looking at several days of continuous use on one charge, and I haven’t had call to restart the device for as long. Plus, the sheer cool factor of zipping around the home screen interface with a black and white paper-like experience is so enthralling that it’s hard to break out of it. The TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus does have excellent colour display quality, although I’m not sure whether it would class as a true market leader in that respect. But monochrome mode is addictive.
I’m a huge fan of upcoming developments in full colour ePaper, and can’t wait to see where these will be in a couple of generations. However, right now the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus pretty much achieves the same end goals with far better results and fewer compromises, to my mind. And at an unbeatable price point too – currently just under 250 Euros. If TCL introduces a smaller NXTPAPER 4.0 device to go head-to-head with the current generation of Kindles and Fires, I’d jump at that as well.
There are plenty of other latest-generation features on the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus, including AI integration. Almost all of these are similar to what other comparable devices are offering, though. It’s the display technology that’s the true USP. After weeks of using this on the move, I’m desperate to ditch my regular laptop options and switch to true portability. Until Amazon or someone comes along with true full-colour high-speed ePaper technology, I’m sold on the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus. And I hardly needed to make a dent in my pocket to get it.
[Note: I’m not sure of US availability and prices on this item, given the potential spillover impact of tariffs, etc. Interested parties are advised to Google for themselves.]
