TCL at CES 2022: 30 V 5G, 30 XE 5G, Project Chicago, NxtPaper 10s

TCL NxtPaper 10S tablet hands-on review

The TCL NxtPaper 10s isn't all that interesting in any particular way. It's an affordable tablet, with a sizeable 10.1-inch IPS panel, with a pretty sharp 1200x1920-pixel resolution. The display does come with a few "extras," though, which are what TCL is hoping to use to differentiate the NxtPaper 10S.

TCL NxtPaper 10s specs at a glance:

• Body: 241.0x158.6x8.3mm, 490g; plastic body; Stylus support.
• Display: 10.10" NCVM IPS, 1200x1920px resolution, 14.4:9 aspect ratio, 224ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek MT8768: Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53); PowerVR GE8320.
• Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 11.
• Rear camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm, AF.
• Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/5", 1.12µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 8000mAh; Fast charging 18W.
• Misc: Accelerometer, proximity; FM radio; 3.5mm jack.

For one, the panel is TUV certified for low blue-light emissions. TCL actually applied a rather heavy-handed matte coating to the display, which they claim reduces blue light emissions by over 50% compared to regular glossy screen devices. TCL promises natural color reproduction and clear viewing angles.

In person, the display on the NxtPaper 10S does, indeed, look very matte. It seems like TCL was going for a paper-like appearance, which should, supposedly, help reduce eye fatigue, particularly when reading text.

That seems to be the most likely intended purpose for the NxtPaper 10S since the tablet comes with a special TCL Kids mode on top of its Android 11 OS, chuck-full of educational resources.

TCL NxtPaper 10Ss

TCL is also offering optional type and flip cases as well as a writing pad accessory. There are POGO pins on the bottom of the tablet for connectivity. The NxtPaper 10S has stylus support for an active T-Pen, which is also pretty cool. TCL is trying to offer some artistic features on top of child-friendly productivity.

As we said, the special display on the NxtPaper 10S looked pretty sharp in person. We can't attest to the qualities of its eye-care features without prolonged use, but at least the colors didn't seem to be obviously affected by the extra matte coating. Perhaps brightness and contrast were a bit lower than what we would have liked, though.

The body on the NxtPaper 10S feels solid, and 490 grams are fairly reasonable, given its 8,000 mAh battery. Color options include Dark Gray and Ethereal Green. The latter looked quite "hip" and "youthful" in person without being too distracting.

While specs-wise, the NxtPaper 10S is nothing to phone home about, with its Mediatek MT8768, 4GB of RAM and rather basic 8MP main camera and 5MP selfie, there is enough power there to get the job done as a kid's tablet/educational tool. Plus, in no particular order, we appreciate the addition of some extras like dual speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, a microSD card slot and FM radio.

The TCL NxtPaper 10S starts at $249 and is coming to China and Europe later this month.