TCL 40 NxtPaper Smartphone Review – The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G and 5G are two new releases by TCL. These two new smartphones were released in August 2023 and they are designed for users who don’t want to put extra stress on their eyes. These new TCL smartphones come with their latest iteration of NxtPaper display that is pleasing to the eyes while maintaining a similar quality of content and color reproduction.
Both TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G and 5G smartphones have launched in Europe with plans for a global launch happening later this year. As the name suggests, one of the smartphones has 5G connectivity and the other doesn’t. The 4G model features smartphones and also new design language. Let’s review both TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G and 5G smartphones and find out all they have to offer.
Table of Contents
TCL 40 NxtPaper Smartphone Review
Highlights
- The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G features a 6.78-inch IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz high refresh rate. While the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G features a 6.6-inch LCD display with HD+ resolution, 90Hz, and 500 nits of peak brightness.
- The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G smartphone is powered by the 12nm Mediatek MT6769H Helio G88 chipset, which is clocked at 2×2.0GHz. While the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G smartphone is powered by the 7nm Mediatek Dimesnity 6020 5G chipset, which is clocked at 2×2.2GHz.
- Both smartphones come pre-loaded with Android 13 with a TCL user interface for more customization.
- The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G and 5G feature a 50MP rear camera system. For the selfie camera, the TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has a 32MP selfie sensor, while the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G has an 8MP selfie sensor.
- The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has a Li-Po 5010mAh long-lasting battery with 33W fast charging support, while the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G has a 5000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.
Design and Display
The design of the new smartphones is at complete odds with each other. The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G model features a design that is similar to other TCL smartphones. It has a large camera module in the rear and a matte design that can still reflect some shine. However, the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G model features a complete matte finish with no shine whatsoever, which is in stark contrast to the 4G model. Both smartphones are made of polycarbonate material and are very rigid. The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G is available in two colors, Midnight Blue and Opalescent.
While the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G smartphone is available only in Starlight Black, the 4G smartphone also have official stylus support for the display. Speaking of the display, the TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has a 6.78-inch IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution and a 90Hz high refresh rate. While the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G features a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The 5G model’s display can also get as bright as 500 nits of peak brightness. However, both smartphones feature a custom-made NxtPaper display that reduces glare and eye strain, thereby improving eye comfort.
Memory and Internal
The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G smartphone is powered by the 12nm Mediatek MT6769H Helio G88 chipset, which is clocked at 2×2.0GHz. But the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G smartphone is powered by the Mediatek Dimesnity 6020 5G chipset, which is clocked at 2×2.2GHz. The 5G chipset is not only more powerful but also features higher clocks. The higher clock speed combined with the better chipset cores allows for a better experience on the 5G smartphone. On top of that, the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G will allow you to decent-level download speeds that you can’t on the 4G model.
However, the chipsets of both smartphones have enough power to easily handle your day-to-day tasks. The GPU of both chipsets is also quite good at gaming and is quite similar to each other in terms of raw power. They can run games like PUBG and CODm at relatively smooth framerates. For RAM, TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has 8GB of RAM, while TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G has 6GB of RAM. For storage, both smartphones have 256GB of internal storage. When it comes to the software side of things, the new smartphones are running on Android 13 with a TCL user interface for more customization. There’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Camera
Both TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G and 5G smartphones sport a 50MP triple rear camera system. The rear camera performance is similar for both smartphones and both of them are capable of taking decent photos with a good amount of detail and high dynamic range. It’s all thanks to the use of a 50MP sensor that is optimized to capture more light than other sensors. The other two cameras are 2MP macro and depth cameras in the 5G variant, while the 4G variant has a 5MP ultrawide and 2MP macro lens.
The night camera performance from the rear camera of both smartphones is decent but the shutter speed is a bit on the lower side, so it may take a while. On the front, the TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has a 32MP selfie camera, while the 5G model has an 8MP selfie sensor. Both models can take some decent selfies, but the 4G model has significantly better detail levels and overall lighting on the subject’s face. As for video recording, both smartphones record videos at a maximum of 1080P@30FPS from both the rear camera and the selfie camera.
Battery and Others
The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has a Li-Po 5010mAh long-lasting battery, while the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G has a 5000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support. The difference in battery size between the two smartphones is very minute, so there won’t be any difference in actual battery backup. So, both smartphones can last for 2 – 3 days with light usage. But if you have a habit of playing too many games on a smartphone, then the battery will last less than that. But there’s nothing to worry about as both smartphones have support for fast charging.
The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G has support 33W wired fast charging support, while the CL 40 NxtPaper 5G has 15W fast charging support, which is slower compared to 33W charging support in the 4G model. Apart from that, the phone has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, NFC, GPS, and a USB Type-C port for charging. The TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G is available starting at $217 (Rs 17,999 in India) approx, While the TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G is available starting at $270 (Rs 22,300 in India) approx.
TCL 40 NxtPaper Specifications Detail
Down below you can see the full specifications of the TCL 40 NxtPaper smartphone.
| Specifications | TCL 40 NxtPaper 4G | TCL 40 NxtPaper 5G |
| Network | 2G, 3G, 4G | 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G |
| Announced | August 2023 | Same |
| SIM | Dual SIM | Same |
| Dimensions | 6.62 x 2.96 x 0.31 inches | 6.48 x 2.97 x 0.35 inches |
| Weight | 195 g | 192 g |
| Size | 6.78 inches | 6.6 inches |
| Display | IPS LCD 90Hz ~396 PPI density | IPS LCD 90Hz 500 nits brightness 20:9 ratio ~267 PPI density |
| Protection/Others | Stylus support | No |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2460 pixels | 720 x 1612 pixels |
| OS | Android 13, TCL UI | Same |
| Chipset | 12nm – Mediatek MT6769H Helio G88 | 7nm – Mediatek Dimensity 6020 |
| CPU | Octa-core 2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55 | Octa-core 2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 MC2 | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot) | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB |
| Internal | 256GB | Same |
| Camera | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 5 MP (115° ultra wide) 2 MP (macro) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps | 50 MP (wide), PDAF 2 MP (macro) 2 MP (depth) LED flash, HDR, panorama Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Selfie | 32 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps | 8 MP (wide) Max – 1080p@30fps |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with dual speakers | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Same |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Same |
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE | Same |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | Same |
| NFC | Yes | Same |
| Infrared port | No | Same |
| Radio | Yes | Same |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 | Same |
| Sensors | Side-mounted fingerprint, accelerometer, proximity, compass | Same |
| Battery | Li-Ion 5010 mAh 33W wired | Li-Ion 5000 mAh 15W wired |
| Colors | Midnight Blue, Opalescent | Starlight Black |
| Expected Price | $217 (Rs 17,999 in India) approx | $270 (Rs 22,300 in India) approx. |
Conclusion
Both TCL 40 Nxtpaper 4G and 5G smartphones are a great addition to the 2023 lineup of smartphones made by TCL. They provide some great specs for the price that are not easily available in other smartphones in the same price bracket. Even if you find similar or better specs in other smartphones, they don’t exactly provide a similar experience.
If the above specs satisfy your needs and if you really care about eye comfort, then the new smartphones make perfect sense, but they are not for everyone. If you also want a great camera experience, then there are better options. The Realme 12 Plus will be better for the camera. Choose a smartphone that best suits your needs. Think about components such as the NxtPaper display, 5G, chipset, and even the camera performance when deciding on choosing a smartphone. Not to mention, price plays a big role and there’s a subtle difference in pricing between the two smartphones.
