Most smartphone users are happy with all-day battery life, and although some phones offer battery life that can extend into the next day, this is an exception rather than a rule. But what if there was a way to get weeklong battery life from a fully functioning smartphone, all for less than $200?
Last week at CES 2025, I checked out TCL’s new 60XE Nxtpaper 5G phone featuring last year’s Nxtpaper 3.0 technology and a dedicated Nxtpaper key to make it easy to switch between modes. A brief look at it convinced me that the solution to battery life problems is this technology.
TCL’s new phone brings its Nxtpaper technology to North America for the first time. We’ve previously seen it on the company’s tablets, as well as the TCL 50XE Nxtpaper phone from last year, which left us impressed. The company also unveiled a new tablet featuring the Nxtpaper 4.0 technology. It’s all very exciting, and I’m here to tell you why.
A smartphone with weeklong battery life
There are still a lot of specifications that we’re unaware of, but so far, here are the specs of the TCL 60XE Nxtpaper phone that TCL has revealed so far.
| Specs | TCL 60XE Nxtpaper |
| Display | 6.8-inch FHD+ |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz |
| Rear camera | Triple camera featuring a 50MP main camera |
| Front camera | 32MP |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB |
| Battery | 5,010 mAh |
It’s the first smartphone to feature Nxtpaper technology in the U.S. and Canadian markets. At $199, it offers exceptional value for the money, especially considering the battery life potential provided by the Nxtpaper tech.
When used exclusively in Nxtpaper mode, the battery life can be extended to up to a week, which is far more than any other smartphone, especially considering that all features work in this mode.
Nxtpaper 4.0 makes things even better
Like previous versions of the Nxtpaper technology, Nxtpaper 4.0 reduces blue light and glare for a more comfortable viewing experience. TCL uses nano-matrix lithography technology to etch the display surface and achieve this goal.
TCL claims that Nxtpaper 4.0 reproduces colors as they were meant to be seen, and the company has been able to achieve 100% of the sRGB color gamut in a variety of lighting conditions. The company claims that you can use this to view high-resolution media and read small text in documents, regardless of the ambient lighting conditions.
A flick of the Nxtpaper key can enable one of two monochrome modes: black-and-white e-paper mode and a Max Ink mode. In the former, you get to use all of the phone’s features with a glare-free experience, while the latter mode allows you to use just seven apps, but maximizes battery life.
You can easily switch between a glare-free experience and an e-reading experience with just a key flick. During my demo, I found it relatively fast to switch between the different modes. This gives you two different display modes to choose between, although only the Max Ink mode offers the full battery life benefits. When used in this mode, you’ll get up to 28 days of standby and up to seven days of full usage when used as an e-reader.
Why I’m excited about Nxtpaper
The main reason I’m excited about Nxtpaper is the potential for weeklong battery life. With a 6.8-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, this is a smartphone that can transform into an e-reader whenever you want. Crucially, if you’re running low on battery, a quick flick of the Nxtpaper key allows you to extend the battery life considerably without losing functionality.
Traveling and forgot your charger? If you don’t have a USB-C charger, this offers an easy solution. Similarly, out for the night and running low on battery? It’s easy to extend the battery life in a way that ensures you still have access to all your phone’s features.
I’ve previously been ambivalent about Nxtpaper technology as it lacked the clarity and vibrancy I was looking for when not in Nxtpaper mode, but the Nxtpaper display solves this. There are very few reasons not to have this technology on your smartphone, although it’s worth noting that the TCL 60XE Nxtpaper is still an ultra-affordable smartphone and not a flagship phone.
Could we ever see this in a flagship phone?
TCL isn’t known for making flagship phones, but can you imagine this technology in a future Samsung or Apple flagship phone? Although it’s proprietary to TCL, the tech has wide-ranging possibilities for smartphones as a whole, especially if the company were to license the technology to other smartphone makers.
This is highly unlikely, but I would love to see Nxtpaper in a flagship phone. At a retail price of $199, it’s worth tempering your expectations of the experience offered by the TCL 60XE Nxtpaper, but it’s nonetheless one of the more impressive smartphone display advancements over the past few years.
TCL has been working on this technology since 2021, and the improvement has been immense. The latest generation of the technology offers a smooth experience regardless of whether you use it in full-color or Nxtpaper mode, and the TCL 60XE Nxtpaper makes it easy to switch between modes. All of these features have me excited about its potential in future smartphones, although it’s unlikely it will feature in a flagship phone anytime soon.
It’s also unclear when we’ll see Nxtpaper 4.0 technology debut on a smartphone, but the TCL 60XE Nxtpaper is certainly impressive enough. I can’t wait to see a smartphone running Nxtpaper 4.0 and more smartphones in general with this display tech.
