The TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra is a big wedge of a smartphone, but it has some of the best display technology around

TCL's Nxtpaper 60 Ultra is a strange product, to say the least. It's a smartphone with a giant circular camera bump, a range of different gray and color modes for its display, and it comes with a little stylus that needs its own special accessory to clip it to the device. It's a tough one to describe.

It is a budget smartphone at just under $500, one that has plenty of features that are useful for work. But it isn't pretty, or all that powerful. And there's not much 'AI-powered' spiel in its marketing, which is frankly refreshing in this day and age.

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TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra: Design

The Nxtpaper 60 Ultra is bulky to look at, but surprisingly light at 227g. Sure, there are more lightweight phones around, but given the thickness of the chassis and camera module, one expected the Ultra to be a bit of a paperweight.

Overall, the design is OK, somewhat clunky in places, and very different from the more refined models we like from Samsung and Apple. The Ultra measures 81 x 175 x 7.6m,m and there is a fair bit of plastic used in its build. Our review unit is black, though it has a blueish hue in and around the camera bump – which is arguably its most eyecatching feature.

Inside the box, you also get a plastic case and housing compartment for the stylus that clips on the side. These are both useful, but it makes an already bulky device quite a lump. It's tough on pockets and unwieldy in the hand.

TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra: Display

The 7.2in IPS LCD display is where things get more interesting, as it features TCL's Nxtpaper technology; one of the great features here is the different color modes, which include e-ink. This is great for reading or black and white doodles with the mini stylus.

In its default color settings, we were able to record a peak brightness of 657cd/m2, which is very impressive. And we also saw a color accuracy of 98%, which is again, a top score – both brightness and color representation match the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, which is more expensive.

For e-ink modes, there are three options, with 'Color Paper Mode' arguably the best of those. It is similar to the Remarkable Paper Pro with its muted colors, the kind one would find in old magazines and comics. Ink Paper and Max Ink Mode are more for books and documents, but there are benefits for distraction-free reading.

What makes the whole thing work, though, is the matte finish (the Nxtpaper coating), which reduces almost all glare. Using the phone in direct sunlight or under harsh indoor lights is fine, as it blocks all. However, there are a few different controls for reducing blue light and helping with eye strain – if there is one part of the device that is near perfect, it is the display.

TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra: Specs and performance

Inside the Nextpaper 60 Ultra is a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 chipset and a healthy 12GB of RAM. The 7400 is no slouch, but it isn't in the same league as the S25 FE, and certainly nowhere near any of the last few iPhones.

In Geekbench 6, the 60 Ultra scored 1029 for single-core and 3073 for multithreaded performance. Neither really suggests this to be a powerhouse, particularly at this price range. You can even go back a few years and find more powerful devices, like the Pixel 8 and the iPhone 14.

For our modest use, however, the 60 Ultra is more than capable. Be it doodling, browsing, or reading, it has more than enough to get you through your workday. And it will indeed last long enough; in our looped video test, the Ultra held out for 17hrs and 54mins – more than enough for work purposes.

TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra: Cameras

If you have a massive, unsightly camera bump, it's best that those lenses perform well, and the three rear ones on the Nxtpaper 60 Ultra are surprisingly good. Starting with the 50MP main camera, which has a large 1/1.55in sensor. It takes in really fine details, like the thread of a rug, or the strands of hair, for a fuller, richer image. This was even the case in low-light settings, too.

The second 50MP lens, which is the periscope telephoto one, is a bit of a luxury at this price range, offers 3 x optical zoom. These might not be anything like what you find on a Galaxy or Huawei smartphone, but still pulled in incredible details from a great distance. Where it lets you down is the hybrid zoom, where the quality seems to go as it gets blurry – we found it best to stick to under 30 x.

For wide shots, you only have an 8MP lens, though it is fairly decent. Same too for the selfie cam, which shoots video in 4K at 30fps. However, the best element of the whole setup is the half-circle interface for Zoom – it's pretty handy and nothing you'll find on any other smartphone.

TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra: Is it worth it?

If you want a smartphone that offers a range of different screen modes, the Nxtpaper 60 Ultra is pretty much unparalleled. The Color Ink mode is as good as you'll find on the Remarkable Paper Pro, and the regular e-ink setting is like a Kindle.

However, aside from that quite niche capability, there isn't anything here, for its price range, that you won't find anywhere else. The cameras are good, but not anything Samsung or Apple should worry about. The battery life is decent, not great, just decent. And the MediaTek processor is middling. All in all, it's an OK effort, but it really needs you to want e-ink capabilities.

TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra specifications