TCL's Matte OLED Phone Sharpens Interest in iPhone Duo Display

The P80 Ultra is the first phone to combine TCL's Nxtpaper technology with an OLED panel, The Verge reported. Previous Nxtpaper screens appeared on TCL tablets in 2021 and on phones with the Nxtpaper 40 in 2023. The new combination produces deeper blacks, better contrast, richer colors and, for the first time on a Nxtpaper phone, an always-on display. Older Nxtpaper phones lacked always-on displays, which the review described as a dealbreaker for many users.

According to the review, the matte finish is the main advantage. The OLED screen remains bright and colorful for scrolling and streaming, while the matte surface reduces glare and flicker and emits less blue light than most other displays, the reviewer said. It was comfortable to use at high brightness, in dim rooms and under the bright lights of TCL's IFA trade show booth. Viewing angles were excellent, with good visibility even when the phone was almost entirely side-on. The texture is smooth and satiny, making fingers stick less while swiping.

The phone also includes two display overhauls. A side toggle activates Paper Mode, which washes out color or can go fully monochrome, with individual apps allowed to opt out; streaming apps and games are exempt by default. Max Ink Mode is stricter: it is monochrome and removes access to most apps and operating system features, creating a power-efficient, low-distraction mode that turns the phone into something between an e-reader and a dumb phone.

The Verge said the P80 Ultra could not be fully recommended as a phone on its own. Performance was sluggish and stuttering, and photo quality from the triple rear camera was distinctly average despite decent specifications on paper. The difference, the review said, is that the display now feels like all upside.

Matte displays are not exclusive to TCL. Huawei has used PaperMatte panels on tablets, and Lenovo and Xiaomi offer similar screens on select models. Samsung's Frame TVs rely on matte screens for their painterly effect, and Apple has offered nano-texture glass as an option on iPad Pro models since 2024, positioning it for drawing. Apple is now bringing that coating to a phone for the first time with the iPhone Duo, using the anti-glare effect to minimize the visibility of the foldable panel's crease.

The reviewer had not tried the iPhone Duo but said the P80 Ultra made the device more exciting. Pairing a matte effect with the Duo's large inner screen sounds appealing and is one of the few elements no Android foldable currently matches, according to the review. The main hesitation is that Apple did not make the outer panel matte as well, an odd choice given the company's emphasis on seamless switching between the two screens; the reviewer worried the transition might be jarring. The review also said Apple could miss an opportunity if it does not create an e-reader-inspired mode for the Duo to match TCL's, though the existing grayscale mode might be a decent imitation.

What may be most significant about an iPhone adopting a matte panel is that Android brands will probably imitate it within the year, something TCL was not able to inspire, the review said. The Duo's form factor has already appeared in handsets from Samsung, Xiaomi and Huawei, with Motorola teasing its own.