The TCL 60XE switches from color to grayscale in an instant – and it’s the coolest thing I saw at CES
- I found the TCL 60XE NXTpaper 5G phone on the show floor at CES because I didn’t want to leave Vegas without seeing it.
- It switches from a color screen to a grayscale screen in seconds.
- It won Ny Breaking’s Best Mobile Phone of CES 2025.
In between hands-on time with Sony’s prototype Xyn headset and a remote drive through Las Vegas, I headed to TCL’s extravagant booth at CES 2025. Why? Well, the answer lies in the GIF below, which shows a smartphone switching from a color display to a grayscale display, quickly extending battery life.
This is the TCL 60XE NXTpaper 5G Android smartphonewhich, thanks to its custom display technology, can transform from an FHD+ to one that resembles a matte grayscale that resembles a newspaper. Still, it’s a fully featured Android phone with TCL’s user interface, although you’re limited to using seven apps in this mode. The good news is that you can choose which one, and it only takes a few seconds for the screen to be transformed.
I can’t emphasize enough how neat and intuitive this easy switch is and the benefits it supposedly comes with, considering other TCL NXTpaper devices have long battery life, which is a feature of this upcoming smartphone. During my short tests on the trading floor of the Consumer Electronics Fair 2025Even though it’s clearly in a black and white mode, animations still render smoothly and it’s quite responsive to my touch input.
Aside from the shock and wow of the display transformation, the real fun factor is that TCL is pushing its NXTpaper into new formsand potential battery life wins here. TCL says it will last a full week, seven days of constant use or 26 days on standby. That’s pretty impressive, and remember: this is still an LCD display with some extra layers that allow it to go from color to this less power-intensive mode.
It’s a decently sized phone, with a 6.8-inch screen including a selfie camera on the front and a rear stack with a 50-megapixel unit on the back. It also supports wireless charging and has a USB-C port on the bottom. The TCL 60XE NXTpaper felt quite nice in the hand, and even for a larger sized smartphone it was fairly easy to handle.
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I also appreciated that the toggle in the bottom right was easy to find to switch between the two display types. I turned it back and forth several times without any problems, and it was easy to view it on a bright trade show floor.
Between the potential of ultra-long runtime and two display options on one screen, there’s a lot to like about the 60XE NXTpaper and it’ll be interesting to see if this makes an appearance on future TCL phones. Not to mention, it also won our Best Mobile Phone of CES 2025. Check out our 24 other picks here.