TCL 50 XL Smartphone Review Nxtpaper

TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper Smartphone Review – In early 2024, TCL announced its TCL 50 series phones. After waiting for almost six or seven months, we finally got the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper in the homes. Just like the other phone in the TCL 50 lineup, the device brings decent specifications. The user will notice a splendid improvement in the hardware capabilities. Moreover, the device brings tons of additional goodies including a beautiful camera setup and a long-lasting battery.

In terms of software support, TCL phones are usually known for offering mediocre looks. In fact, the customization of TCL devices could be better compared to other mainstream brands. Still, the company introduced the 50 XL Nxtpaper for the US smartphone market. At first glance, the phone is just like any other mid-range device. But, if you are planning to buy this phone, read our in-depth review to make the final decision.

TCL 50 XL Smartphone Review Nxtpaper

Highlights

1. The device features a 6.78-inch IPS LCD panel with support for NxtPaper technology.
2. As for the software interface, it brings custom skin settings based on Android 14.
3. A combination of a 50MP triple camera with a 32MP selfie camera provides decent photos and videos.
4. Under the hood, it packs a Dimensity 6100+ chipset with a mediocre GPU.
5. In terms of battery, a 5010mAh battery with an 18W wired charger will appear on the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper phone.

Design and exhibition

The TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper arrives with a Space Blue paint job that looks quite appealing at first glance. It will bring a cool gradient color design, which looks quite impressive with a circular camera module. But, the camera bump is bigger than expected, which makes the phone wobbly. At the same time, the build quality is average if you look at the side panel, while the power and volume buttons are present on the side.

As for the biometric scanner, you have a fingerprint sensor on the side panel, which also doubles as a power button. It can quickly read your biometric data and provide secure usage of the smartphone. However, there is no information regarding the IP rating or water-repellent settings of this phone. Therefore, you should avoid using this phone near water and in high-altitude areas. When you hold the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper, it doesn’t feel heavy as it weighs approximately 198.7 grams.

On the other hand, the company assures that users will get decent displays. With this, the 6.78-inch IPS LCD panel brings impressive colors and viewing experience. At the same time, the device will bring FHD+ resolution with 120Hz refresh rate browsing support. Hopefully, you won’t notice the thick bezels on the front display much. However, the highest display brightness nits are below standard.

Memory and internal

Under the hood, the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper equips the Mediatek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, which can handle daily activities. It sports an octa-core processor unit that can handle routine activities, support gaming, and deliver excellent performance. All these factors make this phone an attractive option in the mid-range segment. At the same time, the processing speed of the phone will provide a cloaking speed of up to 2×2.2GHz.

Overall, this speed is more than enough if you want to use the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper for standard use. In addition, the user will get the Android 14 operating system with additional customization support. However, the company did not give any information about the Android update. But from the history, we can say that the phone will support a couple of years of Android updates. Usually, updates are delayed or stopped altogether.

Even further down the line, Android 14’s customization attributes won’t go outdated even in the next few years. Still, what you need to consider the most would be the storage and RAM capacity. With the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper Edition, the company is offering a single storage configuration of 128GB with 6GB of RAM. As a teaser, the device also supports 5G connectivity.

Camera

TCL smartphones are not known for their photography capabilities. Despite this, the camera results of the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper tell a completely different story. After testing the native camera in daylight settings, the images feature accurate skin tones and handle vibrant colors appropriately. Colors don’t pop as much and give a natural feel, while the phone houses a combination of a 50MP main lens, 5MP ultra-wide-angle, and a 2MP depth lens.

Typically, this combination is not usually seen in any mid-range phone. On top of this, we have noticed excellent camera results with an average ultra-wide-range lens for a year now. The colors are pretty decent and the details are accurate. But, like most average phones, the TCL 50X Nxtpaper struggles with low-light photos.

We haven’t even started on video recording though, which offers a standard 1080p resolution without any stabilisation software support. The same goes for the 32MP selfie camera setup. But there’s something great about using the Seflie lens – it delivers stunning images in daylight. Overall, if you’re looking for a camera-centric phone, you shouldn’t consider this phone at any cost. But as an overall package, it might be a different story.

Battery and others

Under the hood, the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper offers a 5010mAh battery with support for 18W wired charger. In fact, the phone is designed to support over 5 hours of screen-on time. Overall, the device can support three hours of gaming and a few more hours of social media usage. But the screen-on time could vary drastically depending on the user’s routine. If your daily routine doesn’t include gaming or hours of social media browsing, then the phone could even survive a whole day without charging.

However, the 18W charger will need up to an hour to recharge the battery from 10% to full. The device comes with additional perks like stereo speakers with a 3.5mm jack. Finding a 3.5mm jack has become a challenge in recent Android phones, whether it is available on entry-level phones or brands that are using their older design model. If you are a fan of the jack, you will surely like this phone.

Apart from this, the other communication sensors aren’t too bad either. You can connect to 5G networks using the standard Wi-Fi or hotspot, while the usual Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC sensors are present on this phone. Last but not the least, the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper is priced at around $300 (Rs. 24,999 in India). The company has cut back on several aspects of the specifications to make this price point attractive.

Pros and cons of the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper

Detailed specifications of TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper

Below you can see the TCL 50 XL Smartphone Full Specifications.

Conclusion

The key selling point of the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper would be the integration of the Nxtpaper technology. With this, the display is glare-resistant and reduces the reflection issues on the screen. Apart from the display power, the phone is just another mid-range phone. It has a lot of mismatched components, making the product incomplete. The device may not be the best choice for camera usage, but still, the phone shines when it comes to battery life.

However, the performance level is mediocre. From this, you can get an idea that this phone is average in almost every aspect. However, we still consider the TCL 50 XL Nxtpaper to be one of the best options launched among the TCL 50 series. Instead, consider getting the Motorola Moto G Power (2024) edition which will be a better option with a clean UI and wireless charging support. Nonetheless, we recommend you look for other alternatives and get the value of every dollar invested.