There is one smartphone manufacturer that does something with its display that nobody else does. While the competition promises even more brilliance, even more colors, and even more glow, this device relies on something much older: paper. Not real paper, of course. But it feels like it. You read as if you were looking at a book or newspaper. Letters don’t jump out of the screen at you, and images are pleasantly subtle. Your smartphone suddenly seems like a quiet place. Almost suspiciously quiet for a device that normally vies for your time, attention, and energy.
A Smartphone That Feels Like a Book
So far, users are in awe: “This is the best screen I’ve ever seen.” It sounds like marketing. But above all, it is a sigh of relief. Because this screen doesn’t want to be annoying. It wants to change the way we see the content we consume every day. Blue light is heavily filtered. That’s good for the eyes and even better for sleep.
I took a look at the new device at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. It is the first smartphone with an AMOLED display and this paper functionality. Manufactured by TCL. I went there skeptical and left excited.
A Technological Deceleration
The display is matte. Not shiny like a shop window, but smooth like the pages of a book. It’s not just a simple film, but a filter. You can look at it from any angle without encountering annoying reflections. Even direct sunlight doesn’t impact your viewing experience. And then there’s the sliding button. One click and the smartphone turns into paper. The colors soften, bright icons turn black and white. A second mode makes colors appear again, but softly.
This doesn’t just look good. It also does something to your mind. Colors are distracting. Fewer colors mean: more text, less fuss, less distraction. Deceleration on a device otherwise built for acceleration. In max-ink mode, the smartphone almost turns into an e-book reader. Only faster. And without the tired flickering that many people are familiar with from old readers. Videos work too. But suddenly, you don’t want to watch them so badly anymore.
It’s Worth a Look
At TCL, NXTPAPER means: eye-friendly reading on a smartphone. Blue light is almost completely filtered out. The display’s surface is textured so that it feels like paper. For once, technology doesn’t pretend to be better than the world. It acts as if it were a part of it. Perhaps this is the real revolution: a phone that doesn’t scream for attention and floods you with news, but instead treats you with care and gentleness. If you have the opportunity, you should take a look at the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro. Current price: Roughly 300 Euros.
