The period of actually good funds telephones is over, and you may blame AI for that. Because of the rising chip prices, even flagship telephones are feeling the pinch. And that’s why, when TCL lastly introduced the NXTPAPER 70 Professional to the US, it got here as an enormous shock to me. The telephone prices simply $199, practically half the value you’d pay in different markets.
Sure, the telephone is unique to T-Cellular, however at $199, the NXTPAPER 70 Professional felt one thing else. A 6.9-inch 120Hz show, IP68 water resistance, 5,200mAh battery, 50MP digital camera, and TCL’s NXTPAPER 4.0 show know-how, which is genuinely not like the rest at this value. Naturally, I wished to check it to telephones in an identical value vary to see whether or not I can discover a higher deal.
So, I went on the lookout for options at an identical value and located three value evaluating: the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, the Motorola Moto G Energy 2026, and the Pixel 10a. None of them can beat the TCL in value, efficiency, or options, and I concluded that there’s no purpose to decide on another telephone over the NXTPAPER 70 Professional proper now. Let me present you what I imply.
However first, a fast specs comparability
SpecificationTCL NXTPAPER
70 ProfessionalGalaxy A17 5GMoto G Energy
2026Google Pixel 10aShow6.9 inches, IPS LCD, 120Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels)6.7 inches, Tremendous AMOLED, 90Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels)6.8 inches, IPS LCD, 120Hz (1080 x 2388 pixels)6.3 inches, P-OLED, 120Hz (1080 x 2424 pixels)ProcessorMediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm)Exynos 1330 (5 nm)Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm)Google Tensor G4 (4 nm)CamerasForemost:
50MP, f1.9, 24mm
Ultrawide
8MP ultrawide (120˚)
Selfie
32MP, f/2.0, 28mmForemost:
50MP, f1.8, 24mm
Ultrawide
5MP ultrawide
Macro
2MP
Selfie
13MP, f/2.0Foremost:
50MP, f1.8
Ultrawide
8MP ultrawide (119˚)
Selfie
32MP, f/2.2Foremost:
48MP, f1.7, 25mm
Ultrawide
13MP ultrawide, f2.2 (120˚)
Selfie
13MP, f/2.2, 20mmBattery5200 mAh5000 mAh5200 mAh5100 mAhWorth$199 (T-Cellular)$189 (T-Cellular), $199 (unlocked)$189 (T-Cellular), $299 (unlocked)$499 (unlocked)
Is there any competitors at this value?
The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is the plain first comparability. It’s Samsung’s best-selling funds telephone, and for good purpose. You get a strong 6.7-inch Tremendous AMOLED show, a triple digital camera system, and a powerful six years of software program updates.
Samsung
It’s a dependable, no-frills telephone that does the fundamentals effectively. But it surely runs on the Exynos 1330, a chip that has been particularly known as out for poor efficiency. In comparison with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 powering the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Professional, the Exynos 1330 is slower throughout CPU, GPU, and battery efficiency. Check out the comparisons under:
Versus
It additionally has an IP54 ranking, which implies it’s splash-resistant however not submersible. The NXTPAPER 70 Professional, by comparability, has a greater chip, a greater show, IP68 water resistance, and a extra attention-grabbing function set. The A17 sells for round $175 to $199. Merely put:
Similar value. No contest.
Motorola
The Moto G Energy 2026 provides an identical 6.8-inch LCD show and the identical 5,200mAh battery, however the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 inside is a step down from the NXTPAPER 70 Professional’s Dimensity 7300. The Dimensity 7300 makes use of a more recent 4nm fabrication course of (in comparison with the Dimensity 6300’s 6nm) and delivers as much as 67% higher efficiency. Take a look on the efficiency figures:
Nanoreview
There are a number of components working in favor of the Moto G Energy (2026). It options a greater Gorilla Glass 7i safety and IP68/IP69 mud and water resistance, however that’s about it. On all different fronts, the NXTPAPER 70 Professional both provides equal or higher options. Moto G Energy 2026 prices $189 in the event you get it on an identical T-Cellular contract and $299 on Amazon with out a contract, so there’s no value benefit both.
As you’ll be able to see, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Professional beats the Samsung Galaxy A17 and Moto G Energy 2026 on most fronts at an identical value.
What concerning the Pixel 10a?
That is the place it will get attention-grabbing. At $499, the Google Pixel 10a isn’t a telephone I ought to take into account for this comparability. However it’s a genuinely nice telephone, a gold commonplace for mid-range Android, and I’m not going to fake in any other case.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Developments
It incorporates a 6.3-inch OLED show, a 48MP digital camera, seven years of updates, a extra highly effective Tensor G4 chipset, and Google’s AI options baked deep into the software program.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Developments
However the Pixel 10a doesn’t have a much bigger battery and doesn’t help expandable storage. Additionally, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Professional prices $199, and the $300 hole is doing a whole lot of heavy lifting. And all through our comparisons, we haven’t even touched on the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Professional’s standout function: the NXTPAPER 4.0 show.
That show is what makes this telephone genuinely particular. TCL’s NXTPAPER 4.0 isn’t a software program evening mode or an affordable filter. It makes use of hardware-level adjustments, together with round polarized gentle, DC dimming that eliminates display flicker, and a filter that reduces dangerous blue gentle.
TCL
The telephone is licensed by TÜV and SGS, unbiased our bodies that take a look at these items quite than take an organization’s phrase for it. A devoted NXTPAPER key on the aspect immediately switches between full-color mode, Ink Paper Mode, and Max Ink Mode, permitting you to make use of it as a standard telephone or as an e-reader expertise. In Max Ink mode, the battery lasts as much as seven days.
TCL
Not one of the different telephones on this checklist supply these unbelievable show improvements. This function alone makes the NXTPAPER 70 Professional value shopping for. However even in the event you disregard it, you might have seen that the NXTPAPER 70 Professional provides higher options at comparable costs to all different telephones in its value phase.
For those who spend lengthy hours looking at your telephone for work, college, or studying, no telephone at this value comes near what TCL is providing. At $199, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Professional isn’t a funds telephone that asks you to make compromises. It’s a genuinely good telephone with one function that nobody else has discovered but. That makes it an easy suggestion.
