TCL’s NxtPaper debacle
The confusing development of TCL’s NxtPaper tablets
TCL has caused some confusion with the recent release of two NxtPaper tablets – NxtPaper 10s followed by NxtPaper 10s Max. To provide some context, in early 2021, a novel 8.88-inches tablet was announced with a transflective LCD screen that TCL envisaged to be an alternative to E Ink. The tablet was meant to be available in April 2021, but the product never materialised. Seemingly cancelled, it was presumed the product was not ready for release. However, it seems the same tablet is now available in China. It was also seen at MWC 2022.
Transflective displays are not new – but it is relatively novel to see the technology used in a tablet. Transflective displays are more flexible than RLCDs as they can operate in two modes: In the first mode, the backlight is active, and in the second, it can be turned off to reflect external light in bright conditions. An example of a transflective LCD is the now-defunct Pixel Qi screen technology. As a transflective display is an LCD-based technology, it is capable of high refresh rates. The downside is lower contrast in reflective mode when the backlight is turned off.
Oddly, when TCL demonstrated the proto-type of NXTPAPER 8.88, it stated it had no backlight. Hence we have two contradictory statements – on the website, the display is stated to be transflective, but it was officially announced with no backlight (RLCD).
Regarding NxtPaper 10s and NxtPaper 10s Max, TCL claims both are part of their NxtPaper line, but they appear to use transmissive IPS screens and cost less. TCL markets these tablets as 'paper-like' with in-built hardware features – according to TCL, there are ten layers between the backlight and screen - to reduce blue light emission and retain natural colours. Added to these composite layers is an anti-glare coating to reduce screen reflectivity. Whether the inbuilt hardware features make a difference does not negate that both tablets utilise a traditional LCD screen with a backlight.
TCL has led us to a strange situation. First, we have a tablet with a transflective screen that was never released (or was it released only in China?). After that, two so-called 'paper-like' larger tablets are released with a traditional backlit LCD, followed by the re-appearance of the previously announced NxtPaper transflective model (or is it RLCD?). Confusing? I think so!