In a world of smartphones with an ever-larger screen (when not doubled, as in the case of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3), are tablets still useful? It is difficult to give a definitive answer, but in cases like that of TCL’s NXTPaper 10s, in which you try to position the device in extremely specific use cases, the reply it can only be positive, even net of certain limits, or of potential and valid alternatives.
Presented by the Chinese company on the occasion of CES 2022 and arrived in Italy in March with a list price of 249.99 euros (but more and more frequently it is at least 30 euros less), and two colors (dark gray or teal) has an ambitious name and very specific objectives in mind, despite the low cost: to act as a sort of evolution of the card. Better: to offer a type of experience, both in writing and in reading, similar to that of a drawing pad or a book.
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TCL NXTPaper 10s, technical specifications
To do this, TCL has given him a screen made up of 10 layers of optical coatings that offer various benefits, starting with a not bad resistance to annoying reflections found by holding numerous tablets when you move a little and change angles, up to the block of blue light that promises to strain the eyes less. Then there is an anti-yellowing effect which, net of the numerous layers and thanks to nature hardware and not software of the solution devised by the Chinese company, does not affect the quality of the colors. In short, it is as if the NXTPaper 10s offered the same benefits of the Reading Mode typical of tablets and smartphones, reducing the strain on the user’s eyes, without compromising on image quality.
Impossible to prove it in practice, not having the right equipment, but there is TÜV Rheinland certification, a company predisposed to this type of test, to corroborate TCL’s thesis. On our side, we can only note an absence of annoyances or fatigue of any kind after frequent use at night, even at the end of long days of work.
The rest of the technological offer is in line with the range in which the device arises, but with some pleasant additions: schermo IPS Full HD da 10.1”64 GB of memory (expandable up to 256), 4 GB of RAM, Android 11 operating system, 8-core Mediatek Helio MT8768E processor, 8000 mAh battery and dual camera, one 5 MP front (also useful for facial recognition ) it’s a rear 8 MP (both capable of shooting at 1080 and 30 FPS). All in 490 grams of tablet, only 8.3 mm thick. In the package are included also a metal pen and a charger USB-C da 15 W.
TCL NXTPaper 10s, how it behaves
The goodness of TCL’s words and intentions are found in our opinion not so much in the standard use of the tablet, or in the use of content via app or Web (from social networks to video su Twitch e YouTube), or in video games (but not all: better forget Diablo Immortal and the most expensive titles in terms of hardware resources), also because the performances tend to be normal or in the general image quality. Also with regard to the photographic sector, impossible to expect a high level result, given the not exciting number of megapixels of the cameras. For its part, the sound one defends itself well, thanks to the 4 speakers (lateral, holding it horizontally), resulting powerful and crystal clear, but lacking in bass and not very enveloping. In short, it does the same, but not too much better than its competitors in the same price range.
Treating it like an enhanced eReaderhowever, we began to see its merits: we dedicated most of the tests to the use of PDFs and eBooks, squeezing the Kindle app to the maximum, finding a good use of textual content, thanks precisely to the benefits of 10-layer solution designed by TCL. That sort of opaque patina present on the screen repels reflections, and even after a few hours of use you feel less fatigue.
Holding the stylus (included), that’s where the TCL NXTPaper 10s reveals the real ace up its sleeve, transforming itself into a technological notepad able to get the best of both worlds: it is not (and does not want to be) a substitute for a graphics tablet, so it lacks the extreme precision necessary for digital artists, but the feeling it gives back is really that of writing on a sheet of paperwith the difference that, at any time, you can change the stroke, color, size and so on.
Great for kids (who can make the most of it thanks to the TCL Kids app), but also excellent for taking notes by hand during a meeting or a presentation, it still manages to guarantee a good level of precision and cleanliness of the line, which is why it knows its stuff also in terms of concept design and creation of drafts, for artists looking for inspiration. The merit, as mentioned, is of the particular structure of the panel, which offers the same one resistence, and also gives the sensation of having a pencil in your hand, rather than a cold piece of metal from the sound point of view. Battery life is also good, which gave us an average of 12-13 hours of read onlyroughly half drawing at full capacity, and taking just over 2 hours to get back to 100%.
Less exciting are the more classic performances with the use of entertainment content, not always snappy or of excellent quality. Another really negative element, which disfavors him in a possible comparison with a good level eReader (but not with other tablets, all afflicted a bit by the same problem), is the impossibility of exploiting it properly under direct sunlight: TCL’s gimmick works great indoors, much less outdoors. Finally, there is a sort of implicit obligation to purchase a case, between the absence of any housing for the nib and one camera protrusion posterior which puts him at risk every time he is placed on a hard surface.
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What we like
What we don’t like
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Unusable under sunlight
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The rear camera protrusion
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The overall image quality of the videos