The Android tablet market is pretty much a wasteland, with the exception of Samsung’s wide-range of options and Amazon’s Fire Tab lineup. TCL is still trying to make some headway to take some of the market share away from the two giants. Perhaps it will take a new piece of display technology with promises to bring the comfort-reading of an e-ink display with the video playback capabilities of traditional tablets. Along with the company’s other CES 2021 announcements, TCL also revealed two new tablets that will be launching in the next few months.
At IFA 2020, TCL announced an all-new display technology that provides the benefits of an e-ink display along with the ability to view videos on a traditional LCD screen. The technology was originally dubbed NXTPAPER, and TCL has just taken the wraps off a brand-new tablet of the same name.
It’s no secret that an e-ink display is much better on your eyes than the normal LCD or even OLED displays found on smartphones and tablets today. NXTPAPER makes it feel like you’re holding a piece of paper in your hand while using it as if it were a regular old tablet. The display uses an IPS screen, which makes use of natural light without the harmful blue light or flickering found on traditional displays.
As for the actual tablet portion of the NXTPAPER, TCL is offering an 8.88-inch display, along with the MediaTek 8768E chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of expandable storage. There are a few extra software features on board, with quick access to Google Assistant and even a dedicated ‘Kids Learning’ mode. This provides a kid-friendly interface, giving the children access to only apps that they are approved to use.
Battery life with the NXTPAPER could be the most impressive facet of this tablet, other than the display itself. The 5,500mAh battery may seem a bit small, but TCL states that you’ll get more than a day with regular usage, along with up to FOUR HUNDRED hours of standby time. This is absolutely incredible, and is on par with the likes of Kindles, but with the benefits of a regular Android tablet.
The TCL NXTPAPER will launch in select markets, including Europe, Latin America, and others, in April 2021. The tablet will be priced at 349€.
Those looking for a more-traditional tablet will want to check out the TCL TAB 10S. This tablet is geared towards students and families with its 10.1-inch display and 8,000mAh battery. TCL is really pushing the “learning from home” initiative here, with a solid 5MP front-facing camera, along with dual speakers and dual microphones.
Powering the TAB 10S is the MediaTek MT8768 chipset, which is paired with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of expandable storage. Battery life is rated for two weeks of standby time and eight hours of video playback thanks to the built-in 8,000mAh battery.
Another great reason to consider the TAB 10S is thanks to the pogo pins that are found on the back. These make it easy to connect to various TCL tablet peripherals, so you can create a productive setup ready for anything that you need to do. And although this tablet doesn’t feature the company’s NXTPAPER technology, there are a few software features geared to help protect your eyes with brightness and tonality controls, along with no blue light and even alerts if you are too close to the display.
The TCL TAB 10S will launch in a myriad of regions including the EU, North America, China, and others in March 2021. Pricing will start at 199€ for the Wi-Fi model, and 249€ if you want the 4G LTE variant.