The TCL Nxtpaper 60 Ultra is an affordable Galaxy Note with a difference

By Nirave Gondhia Published September 6, 2025

When it comes to phone screens, most companies take a similar approach, opting for an OLED display that’s designed to be eye-popping, colorful, and vibrant. However, OLED displays emit considerable amounts of blue light, which can cause significant eye strain, and often have poor visibility under direct sunlight.

For years, TCL has been developing its solution to this, and the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra marks the fourth generation of NxtPaper technology for phones. Here in Berlin at IFA 2025, I had the opportunity to check out the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra, and I was impressed with the screen’s quality, the e-reader mode, and the overall premium feel of the TCL experience. 

It’s one of the biggest phone screens outside of the best folding phones, and the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra even comes equipped with a stylus and telephoto camera, which aren’t often found in phones at this price point. Here’s why TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is a phone you should try — if it eventually launches in the US — and why your eyes will likely thank you.

Aside from a specs sheet that stands out considering the price, there’s one key reason to buy the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra: the NxtPaper 4.0 screen.

This screen tech offers a natural display that features zero flickering, no reflection, and an anti-glare coating that stands out as it makes the screen feel as premium as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Then there’s the 7.2-inch display, which is the largest among the best phones, and helps reduce or eliminate the impact of blue light on your eyes.

I’ve experienced the NxtPaper technology on previous devices, but the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra screen feels extremely premium. Yes, it’s an IPS display, so it lacks some of the richest contrasts and colors from OLED technology, but instead, you get an experience that’s second to none. 

Crucially, it’s also designed to offer fantastic battery life thanks to the revolutionary e-ink mode. With a simple flick of the toggle on the right, you can switch from the full-color display to an e-ink mode that is perfect for low-refresh-rate use cases like reading an e-book or scrolling social media. 

If you’ve experienced one of the best e-book readers, like the latest Amazon Kindle, you’ll find the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra display familiar and comfortable to use. This low-power environment is also designed to maximize the battery life offered by the 5,200 mAh battery, which is paired with 33% wired charging that can recharge the phone to 50% in just 30 minutes.

The TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is more than just a phone with a great screen, as its €499 price tag puts it firmly against rival phones such as the Google Pixel 9a. To compete with the best affordable phones, the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra sets out a stall that brings several features that help it stand out from the competition.

Chief among these is the 50MP periscope telephoto that offers 3x optical zoom with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and optical image stabilization (OIS). This is paired with a 50MP main camera (also with PDAF and OIS), as well as an 8MP ultrawide camera. There’s also a 32MP selfie camera on the front.

On paper, this setup is similar to the one offered in the Oppo Find N5 folding phone, but the addition of a telephoto lens firmly puts the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra above its key rivals at the same price. Of course, we haven’t been able to test the camera yet, but on paper, this is a solid smartphone camera offering that should be able to capture great photos in most lighting conditions.

The TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is designed to offer the best of TCL’s considerable smartphone experience, and also comes equipped with an embedded stylus. In many ways, the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is the affordable Galaxy Note that I’ve been waiting for; the stylus and the extra-large screen are reminiscent of the original Galaxy Note and the new standards that it set for the smartphone industry.

The TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is available to purchase today in Europe, LATAM, and APAC at a starting price of €499, which is equivalent to approximately $581 at the time of posting. 

There’s no confirmation on whether this will launch in the US, but I hope it does, as the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra solves a key problem with phones: eye strain. The NxtPaper technology is wonderful to look at, and I hope we’ll see this technology come to phones in the US in the near future.

The TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 processor, paired with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. It also features Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 6, quad-positioning support (GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, ånd BDS), and an infrared port. There’s also a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that’s positioned so your thumb sits perfectly on it.

The TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra is available in two colors: Lunar White and Nebula Black. The Lunar White version features a unique wave-like design on the rear, as well as a pearl-like finish around the camera that looks stunning when refracting light. 

It’s worth mentioning that the $581 equivalent price tag makes the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra more expensive than the Google Pixel 9a and more comparable to the OnePlus 13R, which costs $599. The latter does feature a telephoto camera, but matches the overall specifications of the TCL NxtPaper 60 Ultra with a smaller display, albeit with a bigger battery and faster charging.