TCL Nxtpaper 11

TCL's $229.99 Nxtpaper 11 tablet aims to attract digital readers with a paper-like matte screen that reduces glare and helps filter out blue light. Overall, we like the device's reading experience, decent battery life, and quality hardware. However, the display doesn't quite achieve the same effect as a dedicated ereader with an E Ink panel and tends to blur pictures and videos. Moreover, the tablet suffers from slow performance and wobbly Wi-Fi. For the same price, you're better off with the Amazon Fire Max 11, which offers a better screen, smoother performance, and more reliable connectivity.

A Premium Design for the Price

The Nxtpaper 11 is tall and thin, measuring 10.12 by 6.36 by 0.27 inches (HWD) and weighing 1.0 pounds. It's a bit lighter than both the ninth-generation iPad (9.87 by 8.85 by 0.30 inches, 1.1 pounds) and the Fire Max 11 (10.20 by 6.44 by 0.30 inches, 1.1 pounds). Despite its affordable price, the TCL Nxtpaper 11 looks and feels premium. It uses a combination of aluminum and glass, matching the build quality of both the Amazon and Apple slates.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The back's soft matte finish makes the device easy to hold and does a decent job of warding off fingerprints. A thick, raised module houses a shiny, reflective camera that clashes a bit with the rest of the device’s design language.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

On the front, an 8MP selfie camera supports face unlock, the only biometric option for securing the device. It works well most of the time, though I had to type in my password at times during testing. 

If you hold the tablet in portrait mode, two speaker grilles and a power button are located on the top, while two more speaker grilles and a USB-C 2.0 charging port are on the bottom. A volume rocker and microSD card slot are on the right side. Both the power button and volume rocker emit an audible, satisfying click when you press them. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Like the iPad and Fire Max 11, the Nxtpaper 11 lacks an IP rating for protection against dust and water, so you shouldn't bring it to the beach or pool. TCL doesn't offer a case or cover for the device either. If you want to protect the tablet from minor dings and scratches, you need to look at third-party options.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

TCL sells the Nxtpaper 11 in Dark Gray or Digital Lavender (the version I tested). In the box, you get the tablet, a USB-C charging cable, and an 18W power adapter. The Active T-Pen Stylus is available separately for $39.99 if you want to draw or take notes. It supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and lasts up to 100 hours per charge.

A Suitable Display for Reading

The Nxtpaper 11 has an 11-inch, 2,000-by-1,200-pixel display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It features TCL’s proprietary Nxtpaper 3.0 technology, which adds an anti-glare layer that results in a matte finish. The Fire Max 11 has a more traditional LCD with the same resolution and refresh rate, while the iPad has a higher resolution of 2,160 by 1,620 pixels and a matching 60Hz refresh rate. 

I didn't see much glare on the Nxtpaper's screen even under direct light and the auto brightness setting did an excellent job of adjusting to my environment. You can choose between several display modes depending on which looks best to your eyes.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Of particular importance is the Reading mode, which makes the entire interface grayscale. Text doesn't look as crisp as on a dedicated ereader in this mode, but the effect is as close as a backlit LCD tablet can get. Dedicated ereaders are particularly good for reading since they use E Ink displays that present print-like text, as well as rely on small LEDs in the display for more eye-friendly illumination.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Overall, I found the Nxtpaper display a little bright for reading on the Kindle App, even after I adjusted the brightness to lower than the suggested level. I found myself missing my Kindle Paperwhite. The tablet's Reading mode works well for shorter sessions, but ereaders are still better for serious bookworms.

(Credit: Sarah Lord )

Although the Nxtpaper display is somewhat easier on the eyes for reading than other tablets, it’s not ideal for watching videos since its matte layer effectively mutes colors and decreases sharpness. TCL tries to mitigate this issue with its Nxtvision mode, which enhances the quality of images, videos, and games, but the experience still doesn't match that of the LCDs on traditional tablets. I got used to the display after a while, but ultimately prefer to watch TV and movies on something like the iPad or Fire Max 11.

Rounding out the display modes are Eye Comfort (which filters out blue light) and Sunlight Display (which increases legibility under sunlight). They are accessible via the tablet's swipe-down top menu and make appropriate changes to the screen’s visibility.

Sluggish Performance

The Nxtpaper 11 comes with a MediaTek Helio P60T processor, 6GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. You can add up to 1TB of extra storage via the microSD card slot if you wish. I don't expect the Nxtpaper 11 to be particularly powerful given its price, but it performs poorly even compared with other tablets in its price range.

The lack of pep is evident in real-world use. For instance, the device takes a painful 27 seconds to power on. And, although you can navigate the interface smoothly for the most part, launching and switching between multiple apps often causes visible stuttering.

(Credit: Geekbench 6.0)

I confirmed my findings with benchmarks. On Geekbench 6, which tests CPU performance, the Nxtpaper 11 scored 317 on the single-core test and 1,224 on the multi-core test. The Amazon Fire Max 11 did almost twice as well on the single-core test (691) and much better on the multi-core test (1,914). Even the $139.99 Amazon Fire HD 10 scored higher than the Nxtpaper 11, with results of 515 and 1,516. The iPad outclassed them all, with scores of 1,573 and 4,097.

Unsurprisingly, the Nxtpaper 11 isn’t great for gaming. Genshin Impact was playable at low settings, but still suffered from pixelation and lagging, especially during intense action sequences. The tablet didn't have trouble running Alto’s Odyssey or other less CPU-intensive titles, however. If you want to intense play games on your tablet, you’re better off with the iPad.

Good Battery Life

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Battery life is one of the greatest strengths of the Nxtpaper 11. In my battery rundown test, which involves streaming a full HD video continuously with the screen at full brightness, the 8,000mAh cell lasted 8 hours and 29 minutes. That's far better than the iPad (5 hours, 18 minutes). The Fire Max 11 managed a competitive 7 hours and 55 minutes, while the Fire HD 10 ran for an impressive 10 hours and 18 minutes. 

TCL says that it can take up to four hours to charge the device using the included 18W charger. I found that it took 3 hours and 36 minutes, which felt like a long time.

Woeful Wi-Fi

The TCL Nxtpaper 11 uses the outdated Wi-Fi 5 spec. I generally test products on a Wi-Fi 6 router, since most recent devices use that spec or the newer (and faster) Wi-Fi 7. You won't have any trouble connecting to Wi-Fi, but I noticed slow browsing speeds and app downloads.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

When I ran a speed test with the tablet close to the router, the Nxtpaper 11 topped out at 20.5Mbps down and 22.4Mbps up. An iPhone 14 Pro connected to the same Wi-Fi router managed to pull down 120Mbps.

As mentioned, the Nxtpaper 11 lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack, but its four speakers get loud enough to fill a small room with sound and do surprisingly well with the low frequencies in our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout." You should still opt for Bluetooth wireless headphones or speakers for the best listening experience.

Below-Average Cameras

The Nxtpaper 11 sports an 8MP f/2.0 rear camera and an 8MP selfie camera, but neither will impress you.

The rear camera performs okay in bright light but is pretty poor in any other lighting condition. Photos in indoor settings are generally grainy, pixelated, and slightly blurry, while those in low-light environments appear mostly dark. 

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Snaps from the selfie camera aren’t any better. Further, it’s easy to get motion blur in your photos from camera shake. For instance, I managed to take some blurry shots of my dog (below) who was lying still right in front of the tablet.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

As for video, you can roll 1080p clips at up to 30fps, though, again, I don't recommend it. Video recordings show all the same problems evident in still images, including high amounts of grain, especially when recording indoors.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The selfie camera is acceptable for a quick video call to a friend, but you’re much better off using the camera on your phone. 

Android 13 With a Few Extra Apps

The Nxtpaper 11 runs Android 13 with just a few TCL-specific apps. In addition to the aforementioned display modes in the Nxtvision app, there's a Support Center app that brings you to TCL’s customer support pages. The LiveOne music streaming app comes preinstalled as well.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

TCL doesn’t say how long it will offer software updates or support for the tablet, so you should look elsewhere if you plan to keep the device for several years. Amazon similarly doesn’t commit to system updates but at least promises four years of security updates. Apple, meanwhile, provides several years of OS and security updates to its tablets.

Cool Concept, Lukewarm Performance

The TCL Nxtpaper 11's innovative matte display has a paper-like quality that's appealing for reading, though it's not great for watching videos. The tablet’s decent battery life is a mark in its favor too, but that doesn't make up for the pokey processor and slow Wi-Fi speeds. Overall, we would likely enjoy a version of this tablet with a bit more power. If you want a tablet for entertainment in this price range, you're better off with either the Amazon Fire 11 Max or the ninth-generation Apple iPad, both of which provide more reliable performance and more vivid screens. However, if you want a dedicated ereader, the Editors' Choice-winning Kindle Paperwhite is the way to go.