TCL Phone Deals

What NXTPAPER displays actually are

NXTPAPER is TCL's matte display technology, designed to reduce glare and blue light and to read more like paper than a conventional glossy phone screen.

The practical effect is a screen that is more comfortable for extended reading and easier to see in bright light, at the cost of the vividness and contrast that a standard display offers. Video and photographs look less punchy. Text looks calmer.

Whether that is an advantage depends entirely on what you use a phone for. If you read a great deal on your phone, or find screen glare uncomfortable, it is a genuine benefit that no other brand at this price offers. If you mostly watch video or care about photographs looking their best, a conventional display is the better choice.

Some TCL models also offer a dedicated reading mode that shifts the display further towards a paper-like appearance. This is the clearest example on this site of a specification that is either exactly right for a buyer or entirely irrelevant, which is why it is worth understanding before comparing on price.

Where TCL sits on price

TCL competes in the budget and lower mid-range segments, and its handsets generally appear among the lower total costs we track.

Specifications elsewhere on the handset are ordinary for the price rather than exceptional. Processor performance, camera quality and charging speed are broadly what you would expect at the money. The display is the reason to choose TCL, not the rest of the specification sheet.

If the display technology is not what you are after, compare TCL directly against budget models from larger brands, where software support commitments are frequently longer.

Software support and contract length

TCL's software support commitments are generally shorter than those published by the largest brands, and vary by model rather than following a published range-wide policy.

Apply the same rule that applies across this site: match the support period against the contract length. On a 36 month contract a budget handset with a short update commitment will spend part of the term without security patches, and that is a real cost even though it does not show in the price.

If a shorter commitment suits you better, Talkmobile offers 30 day and 12 month terms, and compare SIM-free phones shows what buying the handset outright would cost instead.

Storage and everyday specifications

Several TCL models retain memory card slots, which is useful at this end of the market where internal storage is limited and reduces the need to pay for a higher storage tier. Our guide to what storage size do I need on a phone covers how to judge what you need.

Water and dust resistance is generally lower than on premium handsets and varies across the range. Our guide to IP ratings on phones explains how to read the ratings.

What to compare when choosing a TCL phone

Decide whether the NXTPAPER display is what you want, because it is the main reason to choose TCL over a budget handset from a larger brand. It suits heavy readers and anyone who finds screen glare uncomfortable, and it suits video and photography less well than a conventional display.

If the display is not the draw, compare TCL against budget models from larger brands on total cost and software support, where the larger brands frequently commit to longer periods.

Then check whether the model retains a memory card slot, since that changes how much internal storage you need to pay for, and match the support period against the contract length.

If you are moving from another provider and want to keep your existing number, our guide on how to keep your number when switching explains the process. If you are deciding how much data to pay for, our guide to what is a good data allowance covers what different types of use consume.