TCL’s latest budget slate, the Tab 8 Nxtpaper (the company is no stranger to ambitious but indifferently named or otherwise marketed products), comes with a very specific hopefulness attached: that this will be the one small tablet you take everywhere, whether you’re bingeing novels à la Kindle, standing at ease in front of Netflix while cooking dinner, sketching on public transportation, or messaging and browsing like an iPad mini-type.
It’s a $199 gadget centered on TCL’s paper-like display tech; this one’s an aggressive move in the small-tablet space where price, comfort, and battery life are more important than pure power.
Pocketable Size and Paper-Like Screen for Easy Reading
The Tab 8 Nxtpaper is the latest and smallest device by TCL to feature its Nxtpaper display, an 8.7-inch panel with HD-class resolution and a matte, anti-glare finish designed to cut down on reflections and ease eye strain. From there you can flip through specialized modes — Color Paper, Ink and Reading among them — to warm or cool the color temperature and take a trim out of blue light wavelengths (a frequent cause of aggravated eyes after lengthy sessions). TCL has advertised blue-light reduction and flicker-free tuning on earlier Nxtpaper models, and the formula here seeks to maintain text crispness without that washed-out feel some matte films can produce.
Against a Kindle, the trade-offs are obvious. E Ink still rules for all-day battery life and outdoor readability — it’s why Amazon proudly promotes weeks between charges on its readers. But the Nxtpaper approach narrows that comfort-clause gap significantly while re-enabling all the color, apps and smooth scrolling for comics, PDFs (via Gum Notes), news sites and the Android-friendly Libby library app. The TCL’s screen is larger on paper (it measures 8.7 inches compared with the iPad mini’s 8.3) but lower in resolution; this is a tablet meant for casual reading and streaming, not razor-sharp pro-grade visuals.
Reading Experience and Everyday Apps: Key Specifications
In terms of hardware, we get a 2.4GHz octa-core MediaTek MT8755 processor that works in tandem with 4GB of RAM.
That’s fine for e-reading, social apps, note-taking and video — but don’t expect console-level gaming performance or buttery smooth multi-track video editing. You get 64GB of storage right out of the box; even if you only run Android 15 and a couple of streaming apps, you’ll still be glad there’s room for a microSD card up to 2TB if you cache video for travel or keep an offline library on hand.
There’s a 6,000mAh battery inside the slate, and TCL says it should last for up to 16 hours with a mix of active use. In practice, continual reading at a lower brightness should stretch much longer than video playback or 5G streaming, but the capacity is healthy given the size. Both front and rear cameras (5MP and 8MP) won’t replace your phone, but they’re fine for document scans and video calls. And the tablet is 5G-ready for people who want always-on connectivity and library sync without accessing nearby Wi‑Fi.
Kindle or iPad Mini Replacement: The Realities
As a Kindle substitute, its particular strengths are flexibility and color. It takes Kindle, Kobo and Libby apps. Pocket works great too, as do comics in color, with pages turning faster than E Ink, and streaming apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Hulu are supported. It’s also better for textbooks and PDFs, where E Ink can fall behind when it comes to refresh. The downside: Even with a matte layer, an LCD-based screen can’t compete with E Ink in daylight at noon; and you’ll charge this device every few days, not every few weeks.
The hook here is that it’s a cheaper iPad mini alternative. Apple’s petite tablet is priced significantly higher, and its A-series processor, nicer display density and support ecosystem (including the Pencil) are aimed squarely at power users, creators or people who expect to use the same OS version for years. TCL’s slate doesn’t challenge on power or gorgeous display specs; it challenges on how much it weighs, how portable it is and how much it costs. For a lot of people, that’s enough: a dependable reader and streaming screen that you won’t be stressed to death if it takes a spill at the café.
Availability and the Broader Competitive Context
The Tab 8 Nxtpaper is available at launch through Verizon, with additional availability from Total Wireless coming soon according to Android Authority’s report. That carrier-first approach pits it against impulse-friendly competitors like Amazon’s Fire HD 8 and Lenovo’s budget-minded 8-inch tablets, both of which often go for under $150 during sales. TCL’s point of difference is the Nxtpaper layer, which makes a huge difference in readability over glossy LCD panels at this price point.
For shoppers who are on the fence between an e-reader and a mini tablet, the math is straightforward: Choose E Ink if you stick to reading novels cover to cover in bright light and want marathon battery life; choose the Nxtpaper if you alternate among books, articles, comics, kids’ homework, YouTube and messaging and would like one pocketable screen for all of it. Apple’s mini is still the performance king of small tablets but it’s not a $199 tablet — TCL is counting most people would rather have something that feels nice and has the right price than an all-out performer.
Bottom Line: Who Should Buy TCL’s Tab 8 Nxtpaper
The TCL Tab 8 Nxtpaper doesn’t attempt to out-spec the iPad mini or inferior Kindles. Instead, it co-opts a reader-friendly, anti-glare display with just-enough power, 5G possibilities and a vastly more affordable sticker than you’ll see on high-end competitors. It’s an interesting new default for the small-tablet aisle if you’re willing to use voice commands, but more conventional tablet users can do better for their money.
