CES 2024: TCL Launches Nxtpaper 3.0 With New Tablets And 50-Series Phones

TCL is best known for its affordable televisions and sound bars, but lately, it's been expanding its market into smaller screens. The tech company has been branching out into budget-friendly Android smartphones and tablets, rapidly launching several generations of new mobile devices. It has a wide range of products on offer, and it seems that it's about to expand that range even further. TCL unveiled its latest designs in Las Vegas on January 8 during CES 2024. 

Among the many tech marvels on display were TCL's new tablets and 50 series phones, but perhaps the most notable new tech TCL revealed was the latest iteration of the display technology software used by these devices: Nxtpaper 3.0. This impressed judges at the show so much that the company received the coveted CES 2024 Innovation Award. Here are all the new models TCL has on offer and a little more information about why their new display tech is so exciting.

Not to sound like your optometrist, but it's no secret that staring at screens for extended lengths of time isn't exactly good for your eyes. Knowing this and actually forming good viewing habits are two completely different things, however. So much of what is available on smart devices is designed to be addictive and consume hours of time that it can be hard to break away without a little reminder now and then.

According to TCL's press release (docx), its Nxtpaper technology "includes a built-in eye-care assistant to send reminders and support users in developing healthier digital viewing habits. The rest reminder encourages breaks during prolonged use, assisting users in adopting the '20-20-20' rule, namely a 20-second break every 20 minutes and focus on an object 20 feet away, a practice often recommended by eye health experts. In addition, the function can also detect poor lighting or whether a user is too close and send gentle reminders." This could be extremely beneficial for those who have difficulty moderating their screen time. TCL also mentions that those who prefer not to receive these notifications can turn them off with a single click.

The new 3.0 update has several new features as well, including a new user interface and "3-in-1 UI optimized for different viewing scenarios," which offers a normal viewing screen that defaults to a low blue-light setting without the yellow tint, a low-contrast Color Paper Mode which it claims is designed for comic reading, and a black and white Ink Paper mode that is designed for users to comfortably read e-books.

Now that you know about the software, you might be interested to learn a little bit about the new devices that TCL has just announced. The company showcased two new tablet models at CES 2024, the TCL Nxtpaper Pro and the TCL TAB 10 Nxtpaper 5G. The Pro is going to be the first to come equipped with Nxtpaper 3.0. "Its large 14" 2.8K display, equipped with CPL technology and DC dimming, provides unprecedented eye comfort," states the press release. "Despite its expansive display, the TCL NXTPAPER 14 Pro maintains a slim and lightweight profile." This device is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 80, which is an 8-core 5G integrated SoC (system on chip) that operates at up to 2GHz, and 12GB Ram. It also boasts "a substantial 12000mAh battery, 33W fast charging, and 256GB ROM"

The Tab 10 is smaller, at 10.4-inches with a 2k Nxtpaper display. TCL states that this tablet will run on Android 14 and that it, like the Pro, also has an 8-core processor and 5G connectivity.

On top of it's new tablets, TCL will be launching seven new smartphone models as part of its new 50-series line: the TCL 50 SE, 50 5G, 50 XL, 50 XL 5G, 50 XG, 50 XE 5G, and the 50 LE 5G. Previous generations of TCL's budget friendly smartphones were not made available in the U.S., but American tech enthusiasts will be excited to learn that the XL 5G and XE 5G models will be available stateside.