Why Don't More Smartphones Have This? 

Always love when MKBHD goes back to his roots: reviewing smartphone tech.

Honestly the tablet version actually sounds like an amazing replacement for a kindle! Would have liked to see more of that

I'd like to see how this compares to a regular phone with a matte screen protector. They also reduce reflections and give it a paper-like feeling.

TCL reminds me of LG. They're doing something new, alot of smartphone manufacturers could learn from this. Yes, it may not be a priority, but it's still important what kind of screen your phone comes with. This TCL 40 is definitely a phone I'd consider getting as I do find myself reading for quite a long time on my phone.

I had the chance to try this out for a month and do a video collab with TCL to talk more about the science behind eye strain and what they built with this screen. I personally did not struggle with the brightness on the screen at all, even when outside. Despite the lower NITS. But so happy to see your review of it! I think the tech is brilliant from an eyestrain perspective and I hope to see some of the tech brought forward into other screens. Did you see the Apple update for screen distance? Makes me happy to see tech companies being conscious of how tech can impact the eyes.

Beautiful. I absolutely love matte screens, yet matte screen protectors almost always suck.

I remember having matte screen protectors as early as my Galaxy S3. This is a great idea!

Props to TCL for bringing innovation to a boring era

honestly for $200 this phone is kind of tempting as a secondary option. I've been getting into downloading and having my own music collection and this phone has a headphone jack and expandable storage. I could see this making a great MP3 player.

I’ve always used matte screen protectors and one downside you forgot to mention is over time they do get considerably smoother. I know it takes a lot to get like that but the amount we touch our phones counts for a lot.

Have been using matte screen protectors since earlier this year and it's a game changer. I love the feel. Love the minimal reflection.

I agree I doubt I'd want something like that on my phone. BUT, I will say, I am absolutely in love with my paper-feel screen protector on my iPad. I use it mainly for digitally handwritten notes with the Apple pencil, looking at music charts on stage, etc, and that texture is a total game-changer.

This is why I always use matte screen protectors. Less reflection, feels good to scroll and rejects fingerprints

I think you lowkey made the real value proposition of something like this and thats as a tablet! It makes a ton of sense! I'm not usually going to use it outside , the texture would be extremely helpful from a notetaking/writing perspective and for reading books/manga it would be the perfect marrying of the performance of a tablet with the display fidelity of an e-ink reader.

The tiny little tidbit about the pain of producing videos of objects with reflective surfaces being mitigated by this tech was cool! So glad you included that.

Just a different perspective from this video, great job and thank you on the quality of the caption writing used in this video. Something new I can see as compared to your previous videos :)

I think it's chiefly because most (if not all) anti-glare coatings reduce image sharpness and color accuracy, by design; they literally have to scatter light, and it's difficult if not impossible to scatter incoming light without also scattering some of the outgoing light from the screen. Since every phone screen has been getting better and brighter for years, it would seem like a regression to start putting anti-glare filters on them from the factory, rather than letting the user choose whether they want that.

That's pretty sick. Would love to see a premium phone with this as an option. First thing I do with a phone is find a matte finish screen protector. Helps immensely with reflection when flying a drone.

when you do a review like this on a budget phone. It really makes me feel your genuine passion for tech and new ideas. keep on keeping on. Thank you.

I think this would be a great outside screen option for foldable phones! Practical on the outside media centric on the inside.

I’m rocking a €10,- matte glass screen protector on my iPhone for over a year now and it’s amazing. Like this TCL it has major benefits such as anti glare, truly fingerprint resistant and the smoothest feel when swiping. I was afraid this matte finish would cause a loss of display clarity but luckily that is not an issue. I’m not a fan of TCL in particular but I do love these matte finished displays.

This would be a dream to me, I've used matte screen protectors for years now because of my light sensitivity. Wish more manufacturers made this an option

An excellent compromise would be the etched glass on the laminated screens of tablet monitors, such as those made by Huion. It's less effective than tradtional anti-glare coatings on monitors, but feels great without nearly as much visual compromises seen here.

hi, why other companies don't use these displays is also that this mat will wear out easily after a year of use, for example in games or using touch in one place, and the effect will be visible. imagine on a display that is all matte a few shiny peeled off spots...this is something that won't happen on a glossy display (plus you can use glass or film for protection as you also mentioned)

I think we can put a matte screen protector to have that same experience on our current devices. I have seen that in person on my friends device but that has a downside as well.

The tablet version they have with this would probably be more popular, as you said, very close to an e-ink display but with other benefits from a tradicional tablet. As long as the hardware isn't too low spec.

I used to put matte screen protectors on my phones. but i hate it cuz it decreases image sharpness dramatically. even if your screen resolution is at its highest, images would still look soft and some details are missing

First thing I thought of after seeing that screen was the old Zagg plastic film screen protectors. Ones you had ro use a bit of water to apply. They always had that look after applying them. Always used them back then. I definitely would like to see these kinds of screens on more phones, as you said with OLED displays.

I think TCL's main problem was that many people don't know about this type of phone & tablet, but now after your vid I'm sure they'll sell a bit more. I'm guessing they'd considered most of the downsides you mentioned that's why it's priced relatively low at $200 and has a large battery as it would work great as a secondary device esp. for long reading, actually planning to get one or the tablet sometime. What TCL can do is adapt the next versions to the LTPO screens that have higher nits for outdoor reading and variable refresh rate for battery savings. The selfie camera upgrade won't really matter as I don't think people are buying these for social media creation.

I am actually very interested in this type of screen! I have matt displays everywhere I can. Are there maybe screenprotectors that have this look and feel? Then I could just add it to a regular smartphone

So Marques could you do a comparison to this phone and a modern flagship with a matte screen protector applied? I understand the goal for TCL is to make a screen that's less intense, but could the same be achieved with a screen protector while retaining the benefits of a mid-tier or flagship phone?

The way of explaining is just awesome ❤

Reminds me of the matt screen protectors i used to put on my phones about 8 years ago. Although perhapps not exactly the same, the results were very simmilar to whats being described here.

Last year, I got a matte screen protector installed which pretty much does the same. But all those cons you mentioned are so evident that within a few days, I went to the shop, had it removed and installed a normal screen protector.

Man, I love it when you get to the point halfway through the video

this is very much needed in newer smartphone as screen time is increasing so the strain on eyes and this would really helpful. Hope other brands also adopt this.

This reminds me of the matte protection glass back in the iPhone 4 days. It was pretty much the same as you described this screen but it was a bit pixel-ish.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of glare. Would love to have more phones with an anti-glare coating or whatever (more laptops too; my desktop monitors are the only displays I have that don't have any glare).

I bought the "paper" tablet they make thanks to this review and I friggin love it. Thanks for the review.

how he finds features such as mentioned in this video is just amazing

this was such a gem of a review - we need the big players to adopt this tech in some way

I have one of those "paper like" screen protectors on my iPad. I love it. It cuts some of the reflection/glare, and feels more like writing on paper (which is why I used it). Interesting idea on a phone.

i would usually put in a matte screen protector for some of these features. yes i lost a lot of sharpness but it feels great to the touch

I use a matte screen protector on my iPad Air as a student because it makes it a lot easier to write on with the Apple Pencil. The display quality does suffer like you said because the light is getting diffused through the protector, but I enjoy writing on it much more, so it’s worth it.

Agreed with most of what you said. Two things I would like to mention: it is a bit more than niche, especially for people who do not do a lot of social media or text while walking and second and most importantly for me: matte display = no fingerprints!! Something I have the feeling you also like in a product

I would have loved to see a comparison between this phone's matte display and the matte display option that is available on the XDR Display.

Thats why i always use a mate screen-protector! I love the aesthetics and i know the colors are a little bit washed out with a 2nd layer bc of the protector, but i do think its nuts!!

I might buy the tcl nextpaper 11 tablet. Thanks for mentioning that one

You can get screenprotectors for any kind of phone that does the same thing... that gives an anti-reflective matte look on your display that also protects the glass from scratches. I have this on my s22u and it works perfectly fine.

The Steam Deck OLED has an option for a similar display and it looks gorgeous still. Black levels aren’t as deep due to having to scatter the light, but I’d rather see what I’m playing then readjust because I can’t see because of the glare. You mentioned that having a more premium display may help, and it does for sure. The OLED on the SD solved a lot of the issues that you have with this phone. Honestly any high end phone should have an etched screen option, it’s so clutch when there’s a lot of light near you.

I really like that flat look. It was the first thing I noticed as you held the phone up.

This very interesting. I have had pc monitors like this for years, but for some reason having the same on a phone never occurred to me. Now, I WANT this

6:45 ah Zenfone, a truly awesome flip camera that still holds up to date almost 5 years since its release.

I would really love to see this tech on a flagship. Actually I was looking for this here in PT for the last few days in worten or fnac stores, but they don't have it available. I would buy this, but buy9ing an entry phone with bad photography hardware kills it for me. Even so, this looks like a first effort... and a very good one at it. I loved that transition effect to papper mode... really cool one!

Love this idea! So weird we never seen it before 🤔 also I love the warm studio light you used! Looks so sick 🔥

There are screen protectors that create a similar effect. Also there used to be phones with similar screens way back with some of the earlier touch screens

I would absolutely checkout a 9h glass screen protector with this finish though. Have an option to apply it to your device for like $15 or so, and I think it would find a big enough following.

I've been looking at this one for a while. I'm tempted by the e-reader / Tablet version. There's also the Onyx Boox Palma which takes this idea and puts a real e-ink display with higher refresh rate...

For those who were interested in this the TCL 50 Nxtpaper is getting a US releasel. It was just announced.

well, compared to matte (or so-called anti-fingerprint) screen protectors, with a baked in matte display the screen can be calibrated and optimized for that type of screen instead of having to be an additional layer to a display that isn't calibrated for it, it would probably be higher quality/durability (especially if higher end devices try to utilize it), and it might be possibly to have settings to transition between limited levels of matte/textured or smooth through software (like increasing sharpness by distorting the output to counter the effects of the display's texture). I'd love to see more devices try this, especially for tablets

They actually also sell anti reflective screen protectors, might pick those up

I can actually see a great market for this (especially the tablet version) as people would certainly love an e-ink display that has the ability to just turn into a normal Android Tablet whenever they want to. It doesn't have the best specs because it doesn't need the best specs and that's honestly kinda smart. Cuz people who will buy this are basically just expecting a screen that they can read books off of and for that it has more than enough power inside. And lower specs = Lower price obv :) Imo I would probably love to try a product like this in the future myself (when I actually get the opportunity to do so ofc)

I just discovered that they sell matte screen protectors a few months ago and they are actually really nice. I’d love to see how it would look if it was executed properly.

That is an amazing display. I hope it comes to other technologies. E-ink is *awesome* for the health.

Love seeing those subtle smartphone innovations in these peak smartphone era. Would love to see the bigger companies at least give it as an optional upgrade perhaps

I always get a matte finish screen protector for my phone. I'd love to see this catch on!

Holy shit, I need that for my tablet. Reading comics with this would be AWESOME!

I’m really interested in nextpaper, because this tech is a great thing and I wish it was used more often. It would be a great secondary display in a tablet (maybe as a folio cover that you could connect).

This reminds of a time when I used to buy matte screen protectors to cut reflections and for the soft touch feel. Definitely would like to see this get adopted on mainstream flagships

I used a screen protector for an iPad Air 3 that had many of these features, it was awesome to use with the Apple Pencil when drawing. There probably is a phone version of that type of screen protector.

Four of my phones I have in rotation of use have a matte screen protector and i love it. Only my Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 doesn't have one. Even two of my laptops have a matte screen protector. I love it.

I've been using this from a cheap hydrogel screen protector I got from KiKuu since my note10+ and now on my s22Ultra. I've been using hydrogel screen protectors, and they get creases when you use an SPen on them. But this one gets zero creases. And super soft and pleasing in the eye

This is gonna bring up the tactile experience for me to a whole new level. Hopefully I can spot one locally if ever those phones get to market here.

I wonder how this screen will hold up. My car had a matte screen, and from touching and swiping the same areas over and over again, it actually polished these areas and they became shiny. I'm sure this phone will have the same issue after a year of use.

Thanks Marques, thanks to you and this video, i am sure we will see someone implement this tech on 2024/5 smartphones.

I've been using matte screen protectors on my phone for years. People always comment how cool it is when they use my phone. Blows my mind that it took this long for someone to put it in a phone standard

I always get matte finished screen protectors, but somehow again gets finger prints. Hopefully this type of display is better than the screen protectors

I absolutely love matte screen protectors. Have one on my 13 pro max it does make it look less sharp but I prefer the more flat look it suits iOS so good. Only downside is at night it looks like a flash light at full Brightness and they cost more but rather a matte then normal or stupid privacy that makes your screen 20% darker.

Thank you for making this video!! I think this technology is really gonna take off. I hope you don't stop covering the evolution of this technology.

I use a matte scratch guard instead of a tempered glass screen protector on my Pixel and I'm so happy I found one.

you can use a matte screen protector and get the same effect and have the option to go back to the glossy display by removing the screen protector because the matte finish diminishes brightness and it also change the color

I wonder how well the tablet version of that TCL screen would work for (the super small niche market of) digital sheet music for choruses and other ensemble performers.

I get the same effect from an ArmorSuit Anti-Glare Matte Film Screen Protector on my Galaxy S23 Ultra. I highly recommend it! -The little bit of glare that still appears on the ArmorSuit Matte Film is the same as the phone in the video. -The issue of brightness on the TCL 40 NXTPAPER, as guessed in the video, is solved by the better screen on the S23 Ultra, as its peak brightness is 1200 or 1750 nits, depending on your display settings. -My S-Pen works with no issues at all too, so I'm a bit confused why that's a surprise to some. Writing on it is really smooth too. I actually prefer the matte over the actual screen or a gloss screen protector. -What will a replacement screen cost on this phone? For comparison, the ArmorSuit Matte that I got came in a 2-pack for $12.74. So, it only costs me $6.37 each time I mess up a screen protector. I get that the phone in the video is only $200, but their "paper display" is pretty much the same experience as getting an ArmorSuit Matte Screen Protector for any other phone. 🤷‍♂

After the frame tv came out, I said I bet screens are going to start playing with texture and material like paper, and glare free. Love it!

A matte screen protector can give similar results to the flagships out there with the soft touch feel and cutting out the reflections. I'm rocking one on my OnePlus 7 pro but the brightness and the sharpness of a QHD display is reduced drastically. Will there be a future tech where a matte screen can achieve the similar sharpness of a glass screen, considering it is actually refracting the light that's hitting the screen through the textured layer?

I would love to try this screen on the tablet! Would probably work great for comics and magazines if the sharpness issue doesn't hinder it too much.

Phones with screens like this and E-INK and less social media is my dream phone. I love just using social media on my computer and not being distracted when I'm trying to enjoy my day. There's colour e-ink out now too.

Yep, pretty much what I've been doing in recent years with my phones. I just put matte hydrogel screen protector. It's shielding your screen, paper-like touch, and don't strain your eyes.

🤔 two sided displays on a phone?

I would buy one (if I wasnt on Verizon) I read a lot off of my phone and so losing that contrast/sharpness for less eye strain wouldn't bother me one bit. I do love that paper feel screen too! I have a paper feel screen protector on my old Z Flip 3.

I've always thought that matte screens should be a thing on phones & tablets, so i think that's pretty cool. Would be great if there would be a more powerful version.

Acutally, I bought their tablet, NXTPAPER 11. Like the screen so much!

This seems extremely similar to what would happen if you put on a "matte screen protector" they cost like 2 pounds. All visual changes he described is exactly what i had when i used one, eventually went to a regular one due to the reduced sharpness Maybe give a quick compare of the 2 ?

Marques watching Marques on a phone is truly the M&M crossover we all needed

I used to use matte screen protector on my previous galaxy s23 plus. It was amazing not to see myself on the screen like a dark mirror under the sun, it rejects fingerprints and the soft touch when scrolling was just great but yeah that layer does something to the resolution and it's noticeable how less sharp details look like. Now I'm using a galaxy s23 ultra and I didn't put a matte screen protector. I miss the anti reflection effect and the soft touch but this screen in full resolution looks so gorgeous that I feel I'd be ki11ing its quality.

I have this paper-feel touchpad protector on my Asus Zenbook. It's AMAZING to the touch and doesn't interfere with anything. I used to have another one of these types of protectors on my iPod Touch back when that was a thing and it was similarly AMAZING. The finger feel and glide is unparalled, so much so that I bought 4 more packs of the touchpad protectors so that if they wear out (the are a TPU layer), I can just replace it and move on. I think those should last the life of the notebook.

I have a matte screen protector on my iPhone 12, and it kinda does the same thing! Of course, there are no software modifications, but the brightness is better than the TCL, the smooth feeling is there and 0 reflections and fingerprints, which is awesome. But it really does impact on visual clarity, contrast and sharpness, so I totally get it why it isn’t for everyone.

What do you think about wear on the matte surface? I use a matte screen protector on my tablet for note-taking, and I've noticed it feels noticeably smoother around the center than by the edge (I'm not sure how much of that is my pen or my hand though). Reflectance seems unaffected by the wear though. I've also seen a good amount of people with matte screen protectors on their iPhone.

Useful for those who are recording phone's screen from outside 😊 sometimes I am showing my phone screen in my vlogs, I will check do I have many reflections. If yes, then worth having this phone just for vloging

There is mat screen protectors that do a similar thing. It is very old tech, back in the 90s computer monitors in offices used to have and extra layer which you can remove and eases the blue light. Apart from being matt they tend to have some kind of a tint that reduces the blue light