The era of really good, affordable phones is over, and you can blame AI for that. Due to rising chip costs, even flagship phones are coming under pressure. And that’s why it was a big surprise to me when TCL finally brought the NXTPAPER 70 Pro to the US. The phone costs just $199, almost half the price you’d pay in other markets.
Yes, the phone is a T-Mobile exclusive, but for $199, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro felt different. A 6.9-inch 120Hz display, IP68 water resistance, 5,200mAh battery, 50MP camera and TCL’s NXTPAPER 4.0 display technology, which is truly unique at this price point. Naturally, I wanted to compare it with phones in a similar price range to see if I could find a better deal.
So I looked for alternatives at a similar price and found three comparables: the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, the Motorola Moto G Power 2026 and the Pixel 10a. None of them can beat the TCL in terms of price, performance or features and I have concluded that there is currently no reason to choose any other phone over the NXTPAPER 70 Pro. Let me show you what I mean.
But first a quick comparison of the technical data
| specification | TCL NXTPAPER 70 per |
Galaxy A17 5G | Moto G Power 2026 |
Google Pixel 10a |
| Advertisement | 6.9 inch, IPS LCD, 120 Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels) | 6.7 inches, Super AMOLED, 90 Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels) | 6.8 inch, IPS LCD, 120 Hz (1080 x 2388 pixels) | 6.3 inch, P-OLED, 120 Hz (1080 x 2424 pixels) |
| processor | Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4nm) | Exynos 1330 (5nm) | Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6nm) | Google Tensor G4 (4nm) |
| Cameras | Primarily: 50MP, f1.9, 24mm Ultra wide 8MP ultra wide angle (120˚) Selfie 32MP, f/2.0, 28mm |
Primarily: 50MP, f1.8, 24mm Ultra wide 5MP ultra wide angle macro 2MP Selfie 13MP, f/2.0 |
Primarily: 50MP, f1.8 Ultra wide 8MP ultra wide angle (119˚) Selfie 32MP, f/2.2 |
Primarily: 48MP, f1.7, 25mm Ultra wide 13 MP ultra wide angle, f2.2 (120˚) Selfie 13MP, f/2.2, 20mm |
| battery | 5200mAh | 5000mAh | 5200mAh | 5100mAh |
| Price | $199 (T-Mobile) | $189 (T-Mobile), $199 (unlocked) | $189 (T-Mobile), $299 (unlocked) | $499 (unlocked) |
Is there any competition at this price?
The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is the obvious first comparison. It’s Samsung’s best-selling budget phone, and for good reason. You get a solid 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a triple camera system and an impressive six years of software updates.
It’s a reliable, no-frills phone that does the basics well. But it runs on the Exynos 1330, a chip that has been specifically criticized for its poor performance. Compared to the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 that powers the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, the Exynos 1330 is slower in terms of CPU, GPU and battery performance. Check out the comparisons below:
It also has an IP54 rating, meaning it is splash-proof but not submersible. In comparison, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro has a better chip, a better display, IP68 water resistance and a more interesting feature set. The A17 sells for around $175 to $199. Simply put:
Same price. No competition.
The Moto G Power 2026 offers a similar 6.8-inch LCD display and the same 5,200mAh battery, but the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 inside is a step up from the NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s Dimensity 7300. The Dimensity 7300 uses a newer 4nm manufacturing process (compared to the 6nm process of the Dimensity 6300) and delivers up to 67% better performance. Take a look at the performance numbers:
There are several factors in favor of the Moto G Power (2026). It has better Gorilla Glass 7i protection and IP68/IP69 dust and water resistance, but that’s about it. In all other areas, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro offers either the same or better functions. The Moto G Power 2026 costs $189 if you purchase it with a similar T-Mobile contract and $299 on Amazon without a contract, so there’s no price advantage either.
As you can see, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro beats the Samsung Galaxy A17 and Moto G Power 2026 in most respects at a similar price.
What about the Pixel 10a?
This is where things get interesting. At $499, the Google Pixel 10a isn’t a phone I should consider for this comparison. But it’s a truly great phone, a gold standard for mid-range Android, and I won’t argue otherwise.
It features a 6.3-inch OLED display, a 48MP camera, seven years of updates, a more powerful Tensor G4 chipset, and Google AI features deeply integrated into the software.
However, the Pixel 10a does not have a larger battery and does not support expandable storage. Plus, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro costs $199, and the $300 gap is a lot of work. And during our comparisons, we haven’t even touched on the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s standout feature: the NXTPAPER 4.0 display.
This display makes this phone very special. TCL’s NXTPAPER 4.0 isn’t a software night mode or a cheap filter. It leverages hardware-level changes including circularly polarized light, DC dimming that eliminates screen flicker, and a filter that reduces harmful blue light.
The phone is certified by TUV and SGS, independent bodies that test these things rather than relying on a company’s word. A dedicated NXTPAPER button on the side instantly switches between full color mode, ink paper mode and max ink mode, allowing you to use it as a regular phone or as an e-reader experience. In Max Ink mode, the battery lasts up to seven days.
None of the other phones on this list offer these incredible display innovations. This feature alone makes buying the NXTPAPER 70 Pro worth it. But even putting that aside, we’ve seen that the NXTPAPER 70 Pro offers better features than any other phone in its price segment at comparable prices.
If you spend long hours staring at your phone at work, school, or reading, no phone at this price can come close to offering what TCL offers. At $199, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro isn’t a budget phone that asks you to compromise. It’s a really good phone with a feature that no one has figured out yet. That makes it a very easy recommendation.
