TCL NXTPAPER 10s tablet review

Eye health is the driving factor behind the design of the $499 TCL NXTPAPER 10s tablet, which reduces potentially harmful blue light by over 73 per cent and has a matt screen perfectly suited to reading books and writing essays. DAVE BULLARD tries it out.

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When buying technology it always pays to pause and think about your primary needs. Do you need a top-of-the-range iMac if you’re only using it for emails and browsing the web? No. Should you buy a large phone when you want to carry it in the stupidly small pockets of women’s jeans? No.

Similarly, while TCL delivers some of the best and brightest mobile-device screens through its NXTVISION technology, they’re not really what you want when buying a tablet for going back to school or uni, or for reading in bed.

This is where the NXTPAPER 10s comes in, and the clue is in the name. It has a 10.1-inch FHD anti-glare matte screen that mimics paper – like an Amazon Kindle or other e-reader – and makes reading easier on the eyes and more pleasant.

The tablet also uses a mix of proprietary and award-winning hardware and software technologies to reduce blue light. The light which comes from our devices may look white, but it has an emission spectrum that peaks in the blue range. This has higher photon energy than other visible light and, under certain conditions, excess exposure can cause harm to structures in the eye and affect your circadian rhythm, which regulates your sleep–wake cycle.

While scientists have yet to understand the true long-term effects of blue light on our health, enough concern exists for us to take it seriously. This is especially true for children, who are regarded as more at risk because their eyes absorb more blue light than adults’ eyes.

I really liked the screen when using the tablet to browse the web, read reports and – importantly for a book nut like myself – read e-books. I dislike reading books on electronic devices, as a rule, but I found the TCL NXTPAPER 10s came very close to the real (paper) thing and was easy on the eyes for long periods. Colour-wise, it was accurate and pleasant, just not as bright and vibrant as the image you get from a glossy screen. The display is also fingerprint-proof, which is a nice bonus.

Other features

There are a few other features worth looking at on the TCL NXTPAPER 10s, which runs the Android 12 operating system. Among them are:
Bundled keyboard case – A great extra for students and road warriors alike, having a keyboard case included as part of the package makes the 10s – already very well priced at $499 – even more of a bargain.
PC Mode – When you slot the tablet into the keyboard, it asks if you want to enter PC Mode. This TCL user interface, as you’d expect, gives you a more PC-like way of working – with floating windows and the like – if that’s your preference.
An 8000mAh battery – That’s a pretty good-sized battery that should give you a full day’s work before needing to be recharged. Click here to find out what mAh means on a battery.

The bottom line

While many tablets and phones have a ‘night shift’ or ‘night mode’ to reduce blue light, you generally end up with a yellow cast on your screen. The TCL NXTPAPER 10s is a far more elegant solution that retains the original colours, albeit slightly muted. I found the screen worked well day and night, but it is definitely not made for bright sunlight. It’s also pretty good for watching movies, but if that’s your primary use for a tablet, you’d probably want to go for a product with a brighter, glossier screen – such as the TCL TAB 10s. Performance-wise, the 10s is a little sluggish, but not to the extent that I found it irritating. Overall, at a price point of $499 and with a bundled keyboard case, this is a good-value tablet for those wanting an easier reading experience.

TCL NXTPAPER 10s price

RRP $499

From Big W, Target, Mobileciti and other online retailers

www.tcl.com