TCL's new smartphones have a black-and-white mode button

TCL is looking to reboot its Australian portfolio while staying true to its thrifty roots, with the local launch of its TCL P80 series of smartphones.

This fresh foray into Australia’s mobile market consists of two devices, both of which come armed with TCL’s NXTPaper display tech. This feature encompasses a number of different technologies, including a filter that converts polarised blue light into something closer to natural light.

As well as reducing eye strain and fatigue, TCL’s NXTPaper screens promise to maximise readability with additional glare-resistance, enhanced dimming in low-light environments, true-to-life color accuracy, and a matte finish.

Both the TCL P80 Pro and TCL P80 Ultra come kitted out with a dedicated a NXTPaper key, which can be used to toggle the screen between various modes. By default, it’ll look like any other smartphone.

However, at the press of a button, you can toggle between three distinct display modes. The most exciting of these is the Max Ink Mode, which shifts your screen into a monochrome palette, silences your notifications, and prolongs your battery life as a result.

According to TCL ANZ’s Kurt Bonnici, the company’s new NXTPaper screens offer up a more comfortable viewing experience without compromising on clarity.

“Until now, people have had to choose – a vivid, high-quality screen that tires your eyes, or a paper-like e-reader that sacrifices colour and everything else your phone can do,” he said.

Priced at $799, the TCL P80 Pro is built around a 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1.5K resolution. Under the hood, the device is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Elite processor, 8GB of RAM, a 5800mAh battery and up to 256GB of on-board storage.

While you are missing a few premium perks like wireless charging, the device does come with plenty of features – including IP68 water resistance, 45W fast-charging, and a dual-lens rear camera camera that consists of a 50MP main camera and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide lens.

Naturally, the TCL P80 Ultra offers a more premium take on this same formula. More specifically, it ups the ante when it comes to both memory and smartphone photography. Priced at $999, it is available with as much as 512GB of on-board storage and adds a third 50MP telephoto lens into the back of the device.

In addition to the above, TCL is also looking to launch a pair of new smartphones aimed at the more affordable end of the market.

The TCL K70 is available in a cheaper 4G version as well as a more expensive 5G variant. The former is powered by a MediaTek Helio G100 processor. The latter swaps that out for a Snapdragon Gen 2. Both versions of the TCL KL70 feature a 6.8-inch display, a 50MP rear camera, 18W fast-charging, a 4200MAh battery, IP64 water resistance, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

In Australia, the TCL K70 5G starts at $329 while the TCL K70 4G starts at $299.

TCLs new smartphones are available from this week via retailers including JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys and Harvey Norman.

Fergus Halliday

Digital Content Editor

Fergus Halliday is a journalist and digital content editor at WhistleOut Australia. He’s written about technology, telecommunications, gaming and more for over a decade. He got his start writing in high school before interning at magazines like CRN Australia and freelancing for publications like the AU Review, Gizmodo, Kotaku, GamesHub, Press Start, ScreenRant, Superjump, Nestegg, and more.

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