TCL NXTPaper 14 Review: For the eBooks lover, No one else

In our modern era, it’s undeniable that digital displays have become increasingly pervasive in our daily lives.  Work, study, and even leisure activities are now significantly entangled with the digital world, meaning we are spending more and more of our time looking at screens.

This surge in digital consumption naturally translates to increased eye workload, potentially straining our eyes and heightening the chances of eye fatigue. Recognizing these very challenges associated with prolonged screen time, TCL has stepped up to address these issues head-on with their innovative NXTPaper technology. 

Having already introduced smartphones and tablets featuring this eye-friendly display, TCL has this year released an unexpected variant within their tablet lineup. Today, we are excited to delve into the TCL NXTPAPER 14, a truly remarkable and frankly, quite ridiculous, 14.3-inch tablet.

TCL NXTPaper 14 Overview

The TCL NXTPaper 14 immediately makes an impression with its sheer size, possibly being one of the largest tablets on the market to date.

This expansive display is housed within a clean and understated metal casing, giving it a premium feel despite its dimensions. 

While the large screen is undoubtedly the star of the show, this also contributes to an overall weight that leans towards the heavier side. 

Beyond the standard power button and volume rocker, TCL has thoughtfully included a dedicated NXTPaper button. This unique addition allows users to swiftly toggle between different display modes, offering on-the-fly optimization for various viewing scenarios. 

Furthermore, TCL has equipped the NXTPaper 14 with a robust audio setup, featuring four speakers strategically placed around the casing for immersive sound. 

Adding to the value proposition, TCL bundles the tablet with a sturdy cover. This included cover not only provides protection but also cleverly doubles as a kickstand, enhancing the tablet’s versatility for media consumption and productivity.

NXTPaper 14 Chipset: Giant Tablet, Small Performer

Under the hood, the TCL NXTPaper 14 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 chipset. While this silicon is a capable and proven performer, it’s worth noting that it is a somewhat aged processor choice in today’s rapidly evolving mobile landscape.

Paired with a mere 8GB of DDR4 RAM and a 256GB of internal storage, the NXTPaper 14 provides a configuration that is certainly adequate for many tasks.

However, it’s clear that performance isn’t the primary focus here. Benchmark scores reflect this, with the device achieving a score of 10834 on PCMark and a modest 341 on the demanding 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited test.

In practical terms, users can expect the TCL NXTPaper 14 to handle everyday tasks such as web browsing, email, document editing, and media consumption with relative ease. However, it will likely fall short when pushed with more graphically intensive applications, demanding games, or heavy multitasking scenarios.

Ultimately, the Helio G99 ensures an acceptable range of user experience for general use, but those seeking top-tier performance will need to temper their expectations.

The NXTPaper 14 Display: the centerpiece

Without question, the display is where the TCL NXTPaper 14 truly shines, serving as the centerpiece of this device.  It boasts TCL’s exclusive NXTPAPER 3.0 display technology, presenting visuals at a crisp 2K resolution (2400 x 1600) with a standard 60Hz refresh rate (Yes 60Hz).

However, the magic lies beyond specifications. This display is meticulously engineered for optimal eye comfort, employing multi-layered hardware filters that effectively minimize blue light emission and eliminate glare.

 The result is a screen that is not only bright and vibrant, but also remarkably comfortable to look at for extended periods.  Adding another layer of versatility, NXTPaper 14 provides users with three distinct viewing modes: Regular, Color Paper, and Ink Paper. 

‘Regular’ mode operates as a traditional full-color display, offering vibrant and rich color reproduction. 

‘Ink Paper’ mode transforms the screen into a black and white display, adeptly simulating the aesthetic of an E-Ink panel with its signature noir tones, but crucially, without the latency typically associated with E-Ink technology. 

Perhaps the most intriguing is ‘Color Paper’ mode. This unique setting intelligently lowers the backlight intensity, leveraging ambient light to illuminate the display.  This approach prioritizes viewing comfort, even if it results in a more muted and desaturated color palette.  This mode proves particularly well-suited for content like manga, graphic novels, or magazines, mimicking the look and feel of paper-based media. 

Further enhancing the visual experience is TCL’s integrated NXTVISION display optimizer.  NXTVISION is a sophisticated image engine, akin to Toshiba’s renowned Regza Engine, that works in the background to intelligently optimize image quality. To understand the principles behind such image enhancement, you can explore our in-depth article on Toshiba’s Regza Engine.

For those wanting a deeper dive into the fundamentals of NXTPAPER technology itself, we’ve also previously explored this in detail. 

Ultimately, the display on the TCL NXTPaper 14 is more than just a screen; it’s a carefully crafted visual experience designed with eye comfort and versatile viewing preferences at its core.

Battery performance

Despite boasting a substantial 10000mAh battery and supporting 33W PD fast charging, the TCL NXTPaper 14 unfortunately delivers truly horrendous battery life.  This is a perplexing outcome, especially considering the generous battery capacity that would typically suggest all-day endurance. 

To investigate further, we benchmarked battery performance across the NXTPaper 14’s three distinct display modes.  Operating at full brightness, the standard ‘Regular’ mode yielded a meager 5 hours and 5 minutes of usage.  Switching to the eye-comfort focused ‘Color Paper’ mode, battery life decreased slightly to 4 hours and 38 minutes.  Surprisingly, the power-sipping ‘Ink Paper’ black and white mode offered virtually identical battery performance, clocking in at 4 hours and 37 minutes.  These results are frankly quite shocking for a tablet of this size and battery capacity. 

While the inclusion of 33W fast charging is certainly welcome, it feels almost necessary to mitigate the incredibly short battery life.  Users should be prepared to remain tethered to a power outlet much more frequently than expected with the TCL NXTPaper 14.

Sound performance

The TCL NXTPaper 14 incorporates a quad-speaker system, with four speakers strategically positioned around the tablet’s perimeter. This symmetrical placement strongly suggests an intention to deliver a more immersive, surround sound-like experience.

In practice, while the audio output is certainly functional for general media consumption, the overall sound quality can be described as somewhat hollow or lacking in richness. It’s not a spectacular audio experience by any means, and audiophiles may find it wanting in terms of depth and clarity.

However, where the NXTPaper 14’s audio does redeem itself is in its volume. These speakers can pump out a surprisingly loud sound, easily filling a room with audio. This loudness becomes a definite asset for scenarios like watching movies or videos in bed, where you want room-filling sound without needing external speakers.

In summary, the TCL NXTPaper 14’s audio is adequate and loud, but ultimately prioritizes volume over nuanced sound fidelity. It’s suitable for casual media consumption but may not satisfy those seeking a truly high-fidelity audio experience.

User experience

In daily use, the TCL NXTPaper 14 presents a mixed bag of experiences.  While navigating the interface, a degree of sluggishness can occasionally be observed, hinting at the limitations of its processing power. 

It quickly becomes apparent that this tablet is best reserved for content consumption, particularly document reading and media viewing, rather than demanding productivity tasks or fast-paced applications. 

The expansive screen truly shines when it comes to reading digital magazines; the sheer size allows for viewing pages at their full, intended scale, eliminating the need for constant zooming and panning. 

Furthermore, the large display contributes to enhanced eye comfort in another way:  it allows users to position the tablet further away while still maintaining legibility, potentially reducing eye strain. 

The included cover, which conveniently transforms into a kickstand, proves to be a welcome addition, making it effortless to prop up the tablet for comfortable movie watching and hands-free viewing. 

One can’t help but wish for a built-in feature to utilize this gorgeous display as a secondary screen for a laptop or desktop. However, the tablet’s considerable weight makes it less than ideal for portable secondary display use with a laptop. 

And while it might be technically feasible for a desktop setup, the very essence of the NXTPaper display – designed for comfortable mobile consumption – feels somewhat at odds with a stationary desktop environment. 

Ultimately, the user experience on the TCL NXTPaper 14 is characterized by its strengths in comfortable, large-screen content consumption, tempered by occasional performance hiccups and the practical limitations of its size and weight.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the TCL NXTPaper 14 presents a compelling, albeit niche, offering within the tablet landscape. Priced at RM1749, it undeniably sits on the higher end of the tablet spectrum, and for some, this cost might seem initially prohibitive given its mid-range performance capabilities.

However, to solely focus on the price tag is to overlook the NXTPaper 14’s unique selling points. It stands alone as the only tablet currently available featuring TCL’s groundbreaking NXTPaper display technology, a technology specifically engineered for unparalleled eye comfort and versatile viewing modes.

Furthermore, its impressive 14.3-inch screen places it amongst a select few in the 14-inch tablet category, offering an expansive canvas rarely seen in mobile devices. Indeed, it may very well be the largest NXTPaper display accessible to consumers today.

When considering these factors – the exclusive NXTPaper technology, the expansive display size, and the current lack of direct competitors – the seemingly premium price point begins to appear more justified. While not a performance powerhouse and hampered by disappointing battery life, the TCL NXTPaper 14 carves out its own distinct space by prioritizing eye comfort and large-screen content consumption in a way no other tablet currently does. users who place paramount importance on these specific aspects, and are willing to invest in a truly unique and comfortable viewing experience, the TCL NXTPaper 14 represents a worthwhile, if specialized, proposition.

Help support us!

If you are interested in the Nitro KG241 YP3, we would really appreciate if you purchase it via the links below. The affiliate links won’t cost you any extra, but it will be a great help to keep our lights on here at HelloExpress.

• Shopee: https://s.shopee.com.my/4fhWi4EnYr
• Lazada: https://s.lazada.com.my/s.Lalmy?cc