As a comic book fan, TCL showed me my dream smartphone at MWC 2026 | Tech Radar

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As a comic book fan, TCL showed me my dream smartphone at MWC 2026

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MWC 2026 is in full swing here in Barcelona, Spain, and while my usual beat for Tech Radar is all things computing, I’ve been walking around the show floor of this huge tech event on the lookout for a new smartphone to get excited about.

I’ve felt for a while that smartphone designs and technology have hit a plateau. The hardware and form factor are now pretty much perfect for what we currently use our phones for (doom scrolling, taking photos, and making the rare phone call, essentially, in my case), which has left phone makers scrambling to find a reason to convince us to upgrade from our perfectly fine handsets.

I’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and two years on, it remains an excellent phone, which has meant that no amount of foldable screens or AI features (two things phone makers have been trying to get people excited about) has made me want to switch to a new device.

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However, I’m pleased to say that at this year’s MWC I have finally found a smartphone I’m seriously considering ditching my trusty S24 Ultra for – and it comes from a rather surprising place: TCL.

I say ‘surprising’ because I’ve always associated TCL with TVs, so when I was invited to check out its smartphones and tablets, I was intrigued – and that quickly turned to excitement.

TCL’s display expertise has produced a series of smartphones with the company’s NXTPAPER screen tech, which are essentially color e-paper displays similar to what you’d fine on a high-end ebook reader, and its latest flagship phones, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro (which features the latest generation of this tech) caught my eye straight away.

The NXTPAPER 4.0 behind the screen looks fantastic, with a matte-like finish that’s completely free from reflections and glare. Unlike my experience with (admittedly older) color e-paper displays, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s screen was bright and vibrant. It also felt fast and responsive when opening apps (the phone runs on Android) – without the screen needing to refresh with every change, something that frustrates me when I use my Kindle.

The phone also features an additional key, though unlike my S4 Ultra’s Bixby button that I immediately changed from calling up Samsung’s unlovable virtual assistant to something actually worth using, the 70 Pro’s NXTPAPER Key could see a lot more action. It switches the display between several modes: Colour Paper Mode, Ink Paper Mode and Max Ink Mode, and it does so with a rather cool-looking ripple transition animation. The Max Ink Mode is the most ebook-like screen setting, with a simple black and white display that should be ideal for reading on – and prolongs the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s battery life on standby to a huge 26 days.

You can also use a stylus for doodling and writing notes, with the T-Pen stylus offering a pleasantly responsive experience, especially with the NXTPAPER’s paper-like surface. Elsewhere, the specs seems decent for a smartphone, with a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide, and 32MP front camera. The chip is a Media Tek Dimensity 7300, and comes with 8GB RAM that can be expanded to 24GB, with 512GB storage.

So, this would likely be a downgrade in performance from my S24 Ultra (especially its photo-taking abilities), but gosh, that screen is gorgeous. And, with a starting price of €299 (around

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However, just as I was seriously weighing up getting the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, TCL went and showed me something that immediately made me put those plans on hold.

TCL’s major announcement at MWC is the next generation of NXTPAPER, which combines the e-paper display of NXTPAPER with AMOLED screen technology.

This results in an absolutely stunning and vibrant display, and TCL had handsets on show with the screen. Everything that impressed me with NXTPAPER was present, including the flicker-free, anti-glare experience, but with a level of color vibrancy and detail that really impressed me. Thanks to the AMOLED tech, the handsets on show were also noticeably lighter than the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro.

I mentioned how I’d love to read comics on this screen, and there must be a fellow comic book fan at TCL, as they had plenty of examples of what comics would look like using this tech – and I was blown away. Images popped and text was clear, and the paper-like display made for a much more comfortable reading experience, whilst also giving you a similar experience to reading a physical comic.

I immediately started planning to buy whatever device comes with this screen, but at the moment the handsets are all pre-production, and there’s no solid release date, though I was told it would be ‘soon’.

It definitely meant I’m going to put my search for a new phone on hold until I see handsets with the NXTPAPER and AMOLED screens in the wild, and while Samsung’s innovative Privacy Display is a cool feature with some admirable goals behind it, I’m far less interested in protecting my privacy, and more enthusiastic about firing up my Marvel Unlimited subscription to catch up on my beloved X-Men instead. Stupid? Yes. Nerdy? Of course! Inevitable? Absolutely.

Tech Radar is on the show floor for this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be covering the latest news from some of the biggest names in mobile, computing, fitness and more.

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Matt is Tech Radar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. He’s personally reviewed and used most of the laptops in our best laptops guide - and since joining Tech Radar in 2014, he's reviewed over 250 laptops and computing accessories personally.

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Key Takeaways

• As a comic book fan, TCL showed me my dream smartphone at MWC 2026

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• MWC 2026 is in full swing here in Barcelona, Spain, and while my usual beat for Tech Radar is all things computing, I’ve been walking around the show floor of this huge tech event on the lookout for a new smartphone to get excited about

• I’ve felt for a while that smartphone designs and technology have hit a plateau

• I’ve got a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and two years on, it remains an excellent phone, which has meant that no amount of foldable screens or AI features (two things phone makers have been trying to get people excited about) has made me want to switch to a new device