TCL’s new Nxtpaper phone offers both e-reader and OLED

With the P80 Ultra, TCL’s E Ink-esque Nxtpaper phones are finally going OLED. Just like previous LCD models, the phone can switch to a low power, monochromatic display mode that replicates the look of paper when you want to read or minimize distractions. Only now you can switch back to what the company calls a “flagship-level” OLED experience the rest of the time.

TCL first revealed the OLED Nxtpaper technology at MWC in March this year, but without any products that took advantage of it. The P80 Ultra is the first, with a 6.83-inch panel that delivers high-end OLED specs in most respects: a 1.5K resolution, 120Hz refresh rates, 3,200 nits of peak brightness, and coverage of 100 percent of the DCI-P3 color space. In fact, TCL argues that its Nxtpaper innovations actually make this OLED better than some other flagship phones, because it benefits from an anti-glare coating that should be among the best on the market. I’ll be getting the chance to try the P80 Ultra in person at IFA this week, and I’m excited to see whether the OLED panel lives up to that promise.

Like other Nxtpaper handsets, the P80 Ultra will run just like a regular Android phone 90 percent of the time. Flick the dedicated Nxtpaper Key and it switches to Max Ink Mode though, turning the phone into something more akin to an e-reader: a monochromatic, paperlike display; a custom Android UI with fewer apps and notifications; and dedicated software to use it as an e-reader. Max Ink Mode has another benefit, extending the life of the 5,800mAh battery to a full seven days of active use, or up to 26 days of standby time.

The phone’s sculpted rear design is intended to feel fairly premium, but the remaining features fit squarely in the upper midrange market. You get 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB storage, a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Elite chipset, and 45W wired charging. The 50-megapixel, 1/1.56-inch-type main camera should be fairly capable, though TCL’s image processing lags behind that of bigger name rivals. An 8-megapixel ultrawide doesn’t sound especially impressive, but a 50-megapixel, 3x telephoto lens is a welcome inclusion that adds versatility to the cameras.

The P80 Ultra is joined by two cheaper models. The P80 Pro features almost all the same specs, including that OLED panel, but drops to a dual rear camera, omitting the telephoto. The regular P80 is a different beast entirely: It keeps the OLED but lacks the Nxtpaper features, removing TCL’s key selling point, and runs on a smaller 5,000mAh battery.

All three phones arrive running Android 16. The Ultra and Pro will receive four years of OS updates and seven of security support, while the base P80 gets one fewer Android version update.

The new phones are launching in Europe today, with a Latin American release following in October, and the US “a bit later,” TCL told me during a press briefing. The P80 Ultra starts from €549 (about $635), the P80 Pro from €429 ($500), and the P80 from €349 ($400).