In a sea of budget phones chasing flagship features, the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER takes a second to focus in on a niche, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting. Rather than doubling down on raw power or flashy cameras, TCL’s latest budget contender focuses on something refreshingly simple: how it feels to actually use your phone. It’s not trying to be the fastest or the flashiest, but it is trying to be easy on the eyes, your attention span, and your battery life. And in an era where we are all attached to our phones, that might be the smartest flex of all.
The main hook of the 60 XE NXTPAPER is the screen, or more specifically, TCL’s NXTPAPER technology, which gives the display a matte, low-glare finish designed to reduce blue light and eye strain. On first glance, the 6.78-inch screen doesn’t scream “premium,” but once you spend a few hours reading or watching Netflix or YouTube on it, you start to get why this might matter. It’s easier on the eyes, especially in dim settings, and the texture of the display has this unexpected paper-like tactility that works particularly well when reading e-books, or even just doom-scrolling through feeds at night.
There’s also a dedicated physical button that lets you flip through different modes: a softer color paper mode, a grayscale ink mode that mimics an e-reader, and a Max Ink mode that basically turns your phone into a minimalist, digital notebook. It’s weird, and it works.
The display refreshes at 120Hz, which is impressive for a phone that retails at around $325, and while it’s not OLED or mind-blowing in contrast, it holds its own in terms of sharpness and usability. In Max Ink mode, the refresh rate drops, colors vanish, and background apps shut down to stretch battery life, and that’s where things get kind of surreal. It feels like using a Kindle that moonlights as a smartphone. Not for everyone, but the appeal is real if you’re someone who spends hours glued to their screen and needs a break without unplugging entirely.
“In a sea of budget phones chasing flagship features, the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER takes a second to focus in on a niche, and that’s exactly what makes it interesting.”
Performance-wise, the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER is what you’d expect from a budget mid-range phone. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chip, housing 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, expandable if you slot in microSD cards. It’s snappy enough for daily tasks like browsing, streaming, messaging, even light gaming. But you’ll notice the seams if you push it with heavier apps or multitasking more intensive apps. This isn’t a power-user device. It’s more for the everyday crowd who want something reliable, and maybe just a little different.
The camera setup is, again, on-brand for this price point: functional, decent in daylight, and a little grainy in low light. The 50MP main lens does fine in bright conditions, colours lean toward natural rather than oversaturated, and there’s a 5MP ultrawide and a 2MP depth sensor that exist more as supporting cast than anything standout. Up front, the 32MP selfie camera is surprisingly good for video calls and some lite social media posts. Don’t expect magic, but also don’t write it off.
Where TCL’s budget ambitions really start to shine, though, is in battery life. With a 5,010mAh battery in it, this thing just keeps going. In regular use, you’re looking at nearly two days without breaking a sweat. Flip it into Max Ink mode and suddenly you’re living in a world where a single charge can last close to a week. It’s the kind of feature that quietly makes you rethink how wasteful most modern phones are when it comes to power. Charging is capped at 18W, which isn’t blazing fast, but it’s fine. The 60 XE NXTPAPER is built for longevity, not speed, and it takes around two hours to fully charge from nothing.
“The 60 XE NXTPAPER isn’t just a budget-conscious phone. It’s a device where every design decision feels like it was made with a purpose.”
Build-wise, the phone is solid. The matte plastic back avoids fingerprints and feels less like a budget compromise and more like a practical design choice. The flat edges give it a contemporary look. There’s even a 3.5mm headphone jack, which feels like a gift in 2025. Audio is handled by dual speakers with DTS 3D Boom Sound, and while they won’t win any awards, they’re loud and clear enough to get you through a podcast or some Netflix in bed.
The 60 XE NXTPAPER ships with Android 15 and TCL’s light software layer, which thankfully doesn’t bog things down with bloatware. A few of TCL’s AI features like article summarization and live translation, are tucked in, but they feel more like bonuses than core features. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable, and there’s also face unlock if you’ve gotten used to that.
Nothing here is perfect. Max Ink mode, for all its charm, is limited. You can’t adjust brightness, some apps flat out won’t run, and the overall feel becomes sluggish by design. It’s a trade-off, and not one that everyone will want to make. And while the phone performs well in everyday use, there’s no denying it lags behind more expensive models when it comes to things like night photography, gaming, and UI.
Still, what TCL has managed here feels special. The 60 XE NXTPAPER isn’t just a budget-conscious phone. It’s a device where every design decision feels like it was made with a purpose. It really helps you engage less intensely, and to ease the physical toll of screen time, and to stretch the moments between charges just a little further. In a market dominated by specs and speed, this phone quietly invites you to slow down.
If you’re on a budget or just craving a different kind of smartphone experience, one that values your eyes and your time, the TCL 60 XE NXTPAPER is absolutely worth a look. It might not change your life, but it just might change how you use your phone. And honestly, that’s more than most budget phones can say.
