TCL 60 SE NXTpaper 5G review
If you live in a 5G area and want a light, pocketable phone with all-day battery for reading, messaging, and casual use, and you don't mind a soft display and weak performance, this is a sensible buy. If you game, edit photos, or need snappy multitasking, or if you charge your phone in bursts during the day, look at rivals with faster chips and charging speeds.
This review is written with AI assistance from TCL’s published specifications and public benchmark data for the TCL 60 SE NXTpaper 5G, and the rating is spec-based. GoSolo does not physically test devices; where we estimate real-world behaviour such as battery life or charge time, we say so. How we rate phones.
Overview
The TCL 60 SE NXTpaper is a slim, light budget 5G phone with a vast 6.7-inch screen and a full day of battery life, but you pay for that size with a soft 720p display and a chip that stumbles under any real load. At under £155, it makes sense for casual browsing and calls—just not for anything demanding.
Design & build
The standout move here is the thickness and weight. At 8.2mm and 190g on a 6.7-inch body, the TCL feels like a phone from years past, before the industry settled on bloated flagships. That matters in pocket and hand alike. The IP54 rating gives you splash protection and some dust resistance without pretending to be rugged—you won't submerge it, but daily rain and coffee spills won't kill it. The side-mounted fingerprint sensor is practical, though it'll work about as fast as you'd expect from a £155 phone.
Display
The screen is the elephant in the room. A 6.7-inch panel at 720p pushes pixel density down to just 262 ppi, and on an IPS LCD that softness is plain. Text and icons lack the crispness of a 1080p screen at the same size, and if you've ever owned a phone with sharper resolution, scrolling web pages feels fuzzy. The 120Hz refresh is smooth enough, and 550 nits brightness handles indoor use and cloudy days without complaint, but direct sunlight will still wash it out. The NxtPaper tech isn't a game-changer—it's just the same panel with a matte finish to reduce glare. For casual scrolling and messaging, the display gets by. For anything that demands eye comfort over hours, this is where you notice the corners cut.
Performance
The Dimensity 6300 is a mainstream midrange chip that handles everyday tasks—apps, messaging, calls, light web browsing—without hiccup. RAM sits at 8GB, which is fine for switching between a half-dozen open apps. But push it to gaming, video editing, or sustained multitasking and the lag arrives within minutes. A demanding 3D game will stutter, heavy video playback will feel jerky, and running a video call alongside other work will drop frames. For a phone at this price in 2025, it's expected and not unexpected; just know that 'everyday' has a ceiling.
Software
The phone ships with Android 15, which is current. TCL's overlay is light—no bloatware avalanche, just the stock Android experience with a few TCL tweaks. Updates are a question mark; TCL doesn't promise many years of support, so don't expect patches past 2026. For a phone you're buying to replace every two to three years anyway, that's livable.
Camera
A 50MP main sensor with f/1.8 and PDAF sounds respectable on paper, but the 0.7µm pixel size means each photosite is tiny, and in low light the output will be noisy unless the software does serious averaging. The 5MP ultrawide is almost not worth mentioning—more of a novelty than a genuine backup. Daylight shots are decent, and the 1080p video at 30fps is adequate for family clips, but don't expect the kind of dynamic range or color accuracy that phones costing twice as much deliver. The 8MP selfie is serviceable for video calls and the occasional photo.
Battery & charging
The 5200mAh battery survives a full day on mixed casual use—browsing, calls, some messaging—and can push into a second day if you keep the screen off. Heavier users (video watching, gaming) will need to charge by evening. The critical weakness is 18W charging, which is slow even for 2025. A rival at £200 will hit 33W or higher, cutting charge time from well over an hour to 30 to 40 minutes. If you're someone who tops up in a hurry, this will frustrate you.
Value & verdict
At £155, the TCL 60 SE NXTpaper sells itself as a volume play: maximum screen size, decent battery, 5G connectivity, and a design that doesn't feel cheap or oversized. It hits those targets. The gaps—soft display, timid performance, slow charging—are real, but they land where a buyer at this price already expects them. It's not a sleeper gem or a mistake; it's an honest budget phone that knows its lane. You're buying a big-screen device for scrolling and calls, not a gaming or content machine.
Verdict
If you live in a 5G area and want a light, pocketable phone with all-day battery for reading, messaging, and casual use, and you don't mind a soft display and weak performance, this is a sensible buy. If you game, edit photos, or need snappy multitasking, or if you charge your phone in bursts during the day, look at rivals with faster chips and charging speeds.
- Slim and light at 8.2mm and 190g, genuinely pocket-friendly for a 6.7-inch phone
- 5200mAh battery gives a full working day on mixed use without hunting for a charger
- 5G and dual SIM on a sub-£160 budget phone is a baseline that matters in 2025
- 256GB storage and microSD expansion means you won't run out of space for years
- 720p on a 6.7-inch screen is a stretch; text and icons soften noticeably next to rivals at this price
- Dimensity 6300 can't sustain gaming or heavy multitasking beyond 10 to 15 minutes before stuttering
- 18W charging speed is slow even for a budget phone; rivals hit 33W or higher at similar prices
TCL 60 SE NXTpaper 5G Key Specifications
The essentials at a glance. See the full spec sheet.
| Released | 2025, March 03 |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~85.9% screen-to-body ratio), IPS LCD, 120Hz, 550 nits (typ) |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~262 ppi density) |
| Chipset | Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm) |
| RAM & storage | 256GB 8GB RAM |
| Main camera | 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.5", 0.7µm, PDAF 5 MP, (ultrawide) |
| Selfie camera | 8 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm |
| Battery | 5200 mAh |
| Software | Android 15 |
| Dimensions | 165.6 x 76.2 x 8.2 mm (6.52 x 3.00 x 0.32 in) |
| Weight | 190 g (6.70 oz) |
| Durability | IP54 dust protected and water resistant (water splashes) |
| Network | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G |
| NFC | Yes |
| USB | USB Type-C 2.0 |
TCL 60 SE NXTpaper 5G FAQ
Common questions, answered from the spec sheet.
Does the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G support 5G?
Yes. The 60 SE NXTpaper 5G supports 5G networks.
What chipset does the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G use?
The 60 SE NXTpaper 5G runs on the Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm).
What display does the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G have?
A 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~85.9% screen-to-body ratio) IPS LCD, 120Hz, 550 nits (typ), 720 x 1600 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~262 ppi density).
How big is the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G battery?
The 60 SE NXTpaper 5G has a 5200 mAh battery.
Does the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G have NFC?
Yes, the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G has NFC.
Is the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G water resistant?
The 60 SE NXTpaper 5G carries a IP54 dust protected and water resistant (water splashes) rating.
Does the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G support a microSD card?
Yes, the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G supports expandable storage (microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)).
Alternatives to consider
If the 60 SE NXTpaper 5G isn’t quite right, these are the closest calls.
60 XE NXTpaper 5G
60 SE NxtPaper
60 NxtPaper 4G
60 5G
Galaxy M17e
