Back at CES, Chinese manufacturer TCL announced a whole host of phones and tablets for sale this year. We knew they would be on the budget end of the spectrum given the company’s general target market, but with current inflationary pressures, it wasn’t clear just how inexpensive ‘cheap’ would be.
It turns out that the full range will be very competitively priced indeed. At MWC in Barcelona, the company has unveiled pricing for its full range of phones and tablets, with prices starting at just €109 (around $115).
TCL NXTPAPER devices
The most interesting device is the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus, which will cost €249 (~$262) in Europe, with North American pricing to follow.
“NXTPAPER”, for the uninitiated, is TCL’s more paper-like screen technology, designed to ease eyestrain and make reading more pleasurable.
It feels more like pen-on-paper when paired with a stylus, and can even switch to monochrome for an e-book reader-style experience.
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The specs sound impressive for the price. The 11-inch tablet is powered by the MediaTek Helio G100 chipset, backed with either 8GB or 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. The 8,000mAh battery supports 33W fast charging, too.
It’s not just the tablet that benefits from the NXTPAPER technology. If you want something more portable, then three TCL phones use it too. The cheapest of these is the €189 (~$199) TCL 60 SE NXTPAPER 5G which packs a MediaTek MT6835V processor, 8GB RAM and a 50MP main camera into its 6.78-inch frame.
For €10 more, the regular TCL 60 NXTPAPER improves on this with a MediaTek G92 chipset and a 108MP camera.
While these aren’t listed as coming to the U.S., there’s a North America-exclusive model: the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER. It costs CA$325 (~$225), but on paper, it’s not clear how it differs to the 60 SE mentioned above. Both have a 6.78-inch FHD+ display, 8GB RAM, 256GB of storage and the MediaTek MT6835V processor, and the 50MP-led camera array sounds the same too.
Even cheaper options
TCL also has a bunch of phones without NXTPAPER, and these are generally even cheaper, though without a U.S. launch on the cards, by the looks of it.
The most affordable is the TCL 605, which is sold for just €109 (~$115). It’s a 6.67-inch HD+ device which packs the MediaTek G81 processor, backed by 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage, with a 256GB option available. It has a 50MP rear camera, a 5MP selfie cam and a 5,200mAh battery.
For €10 more, you can get the TCL 60R 5G, which seems very similar, only with the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset, an added depth sensor and the front-facing camera upgraded from 5MP to 8MP.
Jumping to €169 (~$178) can get you either the TCL 60 5G or the TCL 60 SE. Both share the same 6.67-inch screen, a 50MP main camera and an 8MP front-facing one. While the former uses the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, the latter comes with the G81 chipset.
Full availability will likely be confirmed over the next few weeks, along with American pricing where applicable. While the handsets likely won’t compete with the best cheap phones you can buy, if price is the number-one factor, they may well be worth considering.
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