Screens are everywhere—on our desks, in our pockets, even on our wrists. Yet, for all their brilliance, they’ve carried a persistent flaw: they’re not particularly kind to our eyes. TCL, a company better known for its TVs and affordable smartphones, has been quietly working on a solution. Enter NXTPAPER, a display technology designed to make digital screens feel more like paper—comfortable, glare-free, and easier on the eyes.
This article takes you through the story of NXTPAPER: what it is, how it works, why it matters, and where it’s headed.
The Problem with Conventional Screens
Before we dive into NXTPAPER, let’s set the stage.
- Blue light fatigue: Traditional LCD and OLED panels emit significant amounts of blue light, which can disrupt sleep cycles and cause eye strain.
- Glare and reflections: Sunlight or bright indoor lighting often makes screens hard to read.
- Flicker and brightness: Many displays rely on pulse-width modulation (PWM) to control brightness, which can cause subtle flickering that tires the eyes over time.
- E-ink trade-offs: E-ink displays (like those on Kindles) solve some of these issues but sacrifice color, refresh rate, and versatility.
TCL’s engineers asked: What if you could combine the comfort of paper with the versatility of a full-color LCD?
What is NXTPAPER?
NXTPAPER is TCL’s proprietary display technology, first introduced in 2021 and now in its fourth generation (NXTPAPER 4.0). At its core, it’s an IPS LCD panel that’s been heavily modified with special optical layers and light management techniques.
Think of it as a hybrid between a tablet screen and a sheet of paper:
- Paper-like texture: The surface is etched with a nano-matrix pattern that diffuses light, reducing glare and reflections.
- Eye-care focus: It filters harmful blue light without distorting colors.
- Natural light mimicry: Using Circularly Polarized Light (CPL) technology, NXTPAPER rotates light waves to simulate the way natural light behaves in the environment.
- Zero flicker: Unlike many LCDs, it avoids PWM dimming, eliminating invisible flicker.
The result is a display that feels softer, calmer, and more natural to look at—even for long hours.
The Evolution of NXTPAPER
NXTPAPER 1.0 (2021)
The first generation appeared in tablets like the TCL NXTPAPER 10s. It was marketed as a “full-color e-paper” display, offering a matte finish and reduced glare. While innovative, it was limited in brightness and sharpness compared to mainstream tablets.
NXTPAPER 2.0 (2022)
TCL improved brightness levels and color reproduction, making the displays more practical for everyday use.
NXTPAPER 3.0 (2023–2024)
This version introduced better blue light filtering and adaptive brightness, making it more competitive with OLED and LCD rivals.
NXTPAPER 4.0 (2025)
The latest generation, unveiled at CES 2025, represents a major leap:
- Nano-matrix lithography for sharper text and images. 1
- ΔE < 1 color accuracy (meaning near-perfect color reproduction).
- 100% sRGB coverage, making it suitable for creative professionals.
- AI-driven Smart Eye Comfort Mode that adapts to different usage scenarios.
- Circadian screen comfort, shifting tones throughout the day to align with natural rhythms.
NXTPAPER 4.0 is now appearing in devices like the TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra smartphone and the NXTPAPER 14 tablet.
How NXTPAPER Works: The Science in Simple Terms
At first glance, NXTPAPER looks like any other LCD. But under the hood, several innovations make it unique:
- Multi-layer optical stack
- A series of diffusers and filters scatter incoming light, reducing glare.
- This creates a matte, paper-like finish without sacrificing clarity.
- Circularly Polarized Light (CPL)
- Normal LCDs emit linear light waves, which reflect harshly off surfaces.
- CPL rotates light waves in a circular motion, mimicking natural sunlight and reducing reflections.
- Blue light purification
- Instead of just applying a yellowish filter, NXTPAPER uses advanced filtering that preserves color fidelity while cutting harmful wavelengths.
- Nano-matrix lithography
- A microscopic etching process that sharpens text and images, making them crisper and easier to read.
- Adaptive comfort modes
- AI-driven adjustments for brightness, contrast, and color temperature.
- Circadian mode warms the screen at night, cools it during the day.
NXTPAPER vs. Other Display Technologies
| Feature | Standard LCD | OLED | E-Ink | NXTPAPER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Color | Good | Excellent | Limited (mostly grayscale) | Excellent (ΔE < 1 accuracy) |
| Refresh Rate | High | High | Very low | High (up to 120Hz) |
| Eye Comfort | Moderate | Moderate (blue light issues) | Excellent | Excellent |
| Glare | High | Moderate | Low | Very low |
| Power Efficiency | Moderate | High (per pixel) | Very high | Moderate–High (with e-ink mode) |
| Use Case | General | Premium visuals | Reading | Reading + general use |
NXTPAPER essentially tries to bridge the gap between LCD/OLED and E-ink—offering the comfort of paper without giving up color, speed, or versatility.
Real-World Benefits
- For readers: Long-form reading feels more natural, with less eye fatigue.
- For students: Stylus support (via TCL’s T-Pen Magic) makes note-taking feel closer to writing on paper.
- For professionals: Accurate color reproduction means you can edit photos or design layouts without worrying about distortion.
- For night owls: Circadian comfort mode helps reduce sleep disruption.
- For outdoor use: Anti-glare layers make the screen readable even in sunlight.
NXTPAPER in Action: The TCL NXTPAPER 60 Ultra
The NXTPAPER 60 Ultra smartphone is the flagship showcase of this technology:
- 7.2-inch FHD+ NXTPAPER 4.0 display with 120Hz refresh rate.
- Stylus support for note-taking and sketching.
- Max Ink Mode: A special e-ink-like mode that turns the screen into a distraction-free reading environment.
- Eye-care certifications from TÜV and SGS.
- AI features like audiobook mode, podcast transcription, and outline generation.
It’s not just a phone—it’s TCL’s argument that eye comfort should be a core feature, not an afterthought.
Challenges and Trade-offs
Of course, no technology is perfect. NXTPAPER faces a few hurdles:
- Brightness ceiling: While improved, NXTPAPER panels still don’t reach the dazzling brightness of OLEDs.
- Contrast: Blacks aren’t as deep as OLED, since it’s still fundamentally an LCD.
- Market adoption: Convincing consumers to care about eye comfort as much as resolution or refresh rate is a challenge.
- Cost: The extra layers and etching process make NXTPAPER devices slightly pricier than standard LCD counterparts.
Why NXTPAPER Matters
We live in a world where screen time is unavoidable. From remote work to streaming, our eyes are under constant strain. NXTPAPER represents a human-centered approach to display design—one that prioritizes comfort and health without sacrificing performance.
It’s also part of a broader trend: technology that adapts to us, rather than forcing us to adapt to it. Just as noise-canceling headphones protect our ears, NXTPAPER aims to protect our eyes.
The Future of NXTPAPER
Looking ahead, TCL is likely to expand NXTPAPER beyond tablets and smartphones:
- Laptops: Imagine a paper-like display for long work sessions.
- Monitors: Eye-friendly screens for coders, designers, and office workers.
- E-readers with color: A true Kindle competitor that doesn’t compromise on speed or versatility.
With each generation, TCL has refined the formula. NXTPAPER 4.0 is already a leap forward, and future iterations may close the gap with OLED in brightness and contrast.
Final Thoughts
NXTPAPER isn’t just another display spec—it’s a philosophy. It asks: What if screens could feel as natural as paper?
By combining optical engineering, AI-driven comfort modes, and a relentless focus on eye health, TCL has created something genuinely different in a market that often feels like a race for higher resolution and brighter colors.
If you spend hours a day staring at screens (and who doesn’t?), NXTPAPER might just be the reset button your eyes have been waiting for—bringing the clarity of paper, the vibrancy of color, and the comfort of natural light into one display.
Footnotes
- Nano‑matrix lithography is a fascinating offshoot of nanolithography, the science of “writing with light” at the scale of billionths of a meter. The term itself comes from the Greek roots nano (dwarf), lithos (stone), and graphein (to write), literally meaning “tiny writing on stone”. What makes the nano‑matrix approach special is its use of patterned, grid‑like etching at the sub‑100 nm scale to sharpen edges and improve uniformity—almost like laying down a microscopic graph paper for light to follow. This technique, while still evolving, has been applied in semiconductors, photonics, and even display technologies like TCL’s NXTPAPER, where it helps text and images appear crisper and more paper‑like. Fun fact: the roots of lithography go all the way back to the late 18th century, when it was literally about greasy ink on limestone slabs—a far cry from today’s nano‑engineered optical stacks.