Earlier this year, I reviewed the Mudita Kompakt, a minimalist phone with an e-paper display. Designed to reduce distractions, I recognized that this goal made it incapable of fully replacing a standard Android smartphone.
That was fine; that was the point of the device.
Last year, I reviewed the Boox Palma 2 Pro, an e-reader with lofty aspirations. Unlike the Kompakt, it offered the full Android experience, and despite its shortcomings, I saw potential for an E Ink smartphone.
That phone is here. But the TCL P80 Ultra’s NxtPaper display isn’t a gimmick; it’s what every smartphone needs.
The TCL P80 Ultra finally showed off its technology in the best light
The first dual-display TCL phone that can compete with similar devices
TCL has been launching phones with its NxtPaper display for years. However, in pursuit of this goal, the company has been forced to make compromises that put its phones firmly in the “quirky” category.
The phone’s concept is simple. With a flick of the switch, the phone turns off its AMOLED display and turns on its e-paper NxtPaper display. Easier on the eyes and the battery, this display is the elegant e-paper display I want from a smartphone.
The problem with previous NxtPaper devices is that the technology forced too many compromises on the standard display. However, with the P80 Ultra, TCL has introduced an AMOLED display that would fit on any modern Android smartphone.
The 6.83-inch AMOLED display can reach 3,200 nits max brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. That’s nearly identical to a Google Pixel 10’s display.
Importantly, TCL isn’t compromising the rest of the hardware. The $650 phone is an exemplar of what a modern midrange phone should offer, but with the awesome e-paper display thrown in as a bonus.
TCL’s technology should be the standard on all Android phones
I see the need for it every day
The Mudita Kompakt is a brilliantly engineered device. I’ve enjoyed using it as a “sidephone” since I got it, and there’s no denying it cuts down on my doomscrolling.
However, juggling two devices will always be frustrating. Every time I forget where I put it or realize it’s out of battery, my desire to use it drops a tiny bit.
What I want is a smartphone that does both. What I want is the TCL P80 Ultra.
The Kompakt opened my eyes to how clever an e-paper phone can be, but the Boox Palma 2 Pro showed me how many of my actions are just as achievable on an e-paper display as on an LCD or AMOLED display.
An e-paper display struggles with games or videos, but it excels at web browsing, texting, typing emails, and, of course, reading.
How well it does this depends on the display’s quality. The Palma 2 Pro’s ambitious color display looks good, but it was slow and too low-resolution to work effectively.
TCL knows the limitations of its technology, so switching to one of its two e-paper displays isn’t only a display refresh. While you can add any app you want, by default the switch removes most apps from the home screen and adds a prominent e-reader app.
I discussed before how e-paper displays aren’t ready to replace AMOLED displays (and I doubt they ever will). However, they have a clear use, as I discovered with the Kompakt and Palma 2 Pro.
E-paper displays solve a long-running problem with Android phones
They fix social and hardware issues
As Android hardware becomes more powerful and software becomes more demanding, pressure on our phones’ battery life increases. The standard way manufacturers compensate is to add bigger batteries, but current battery technology has limits.
Solid-state batteries might hold an answer. They are smaller, and thus create space for bigger batteries.
But why not solve the problem at the source? Using an e-paper display as standard, then switching to an AMOLED display when necessary would save hours of battery life.
Then there are the social benefits. E-paper displays are softer on the eyes and reduce screen time. It’s the same idea behind the grayscale filter that Android phones offer to reduce eye strain at night.
E-paper displays might not be sexy, but they solve many of the problems we encounter with Android phones every day. But they come with their own share of issues, which is why TCL’s solution is best.
Manufacturers are now searching for gimmicks to improve their displays
There’s always room for improvement, but there’s a distinct sense that smartphone displays have become as good as they can be.
Take a look at Samsung’s advances in display technology over the last few years. The Galaxy S26’s display is incredible; I didn’t realize how beautiful it was until I handled it in person.
But where does Samsung go from there? Privacy Display is a neat touch, but it feels more like a gimmick than something truly useful. Why not add something that actually solves problems? TCL has the answers, so why doesn’t anyone else?