Among the pavilions of IFA 2026, TCL has made the debut of TCL P80 Ultrathe company’s first commercial product to bring NXTPAPER technology to an AMOLED panel. The announcement was awaited: already at the Mobile World Congress the house had shown the NXTPAPER AMOLED, anticipating a technology that is now materializing in a real product. The P80 Ultra leads a range of three models (Ultra, Pro and P80 base) that TCL, in the person of European CMO Stefan Streit, presented as its most advanced smartphone proposal so far, built around photography, reading comfort and autonomy.
NXTPAPER AMOLED: what changes compared to LCD
At the heart of the innovation is a ten-layer hardware system that TCL calls NXTPAPER, adapted for the first time to an AMOLED panel. The technical challenge, as explained by Yacine Bouraoua, head of product marketing Europe, was considerable: AMOLED in itself was not created for visual comfort. Flicker is a structural consequence of the way in which the brightness of an OLED is regulated, i.e. by turning the pixels off and on again at very rapid intervals (PWM dimming); the lower the frequency of this modulation, the more the eye perceives it. TCL claims to have brought it above 3,000 Hza threshold at which he claims the phenomenon is eliminated.
On the blue light front, the approach is different than that of LCD: on AMOLED it is not possible to intervene on the backlight LEDs, which do not exist, so the reduction occurs at the level of optical layers. The declared data is 2.9% of residual blue light, without visible color alteration.
Another distinctive element is the homogenizing film: Instead of letting subpixel RGB light directly reach the retina, the system generates homogeneous white light before exiting the display, reducing visual fatigue during prolonged reading. On the reflection front, TCL applies its own treatment nanocrystal shield glasscombined with the high brightness of AMOLED, to optimize readability outdoors. The panel also adopts circular polarization, which unlike standard linear polarization allows you to read the screen while wearing sunglasses.
All this hardware architecture is accompanied by software features that adapt the color rendering to the user’s circadian rhythm. TCL states further 100 patents on the set of these solutions.
NXTPAPER Key, AI and specifications of the P80 Ultra
The P80 Ultra features a dedicated physical button, the NXTPAPER Keywhich allows you to activate the mode with a gesture Max Ink. In this mode the phone stops notifications, closes background applications and keeps only calls and text messages active, with the declared aim of promoting disconnection and digital well-being. The energy savings in Max Ink are significant: TCL claims that in certain scenarios battery life can triple. The mode also includes a pre-installed e-book library with customizable shelf.
On the photographic front the characterizing element is the 50 megapixel periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical zoomequipped with both optical and electronic stabilization: it is the component on which TCL builds the entire positioning of the model. It is flanked by a main sensor 50 megapixels with format from 1/1.56 inchalso optically and electronically stabilized, with 1 micrometer pixel, aperture f/1.8884-degree field of view and six lenses, and a 8 megapixel ultra-wide angle with automatic focus. The telephoto lens has 0.64 micrometer pixels, aperture f/2.4
and field of view of 33.84 degrees. On the front, a camera 32 megapixels.
The chipset is a MediaTek Dimensity with 5G connectivity; the memory configuration goes up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage
And 24GB DDR5 RAM with virtual expansion. Wireless connectivity is WiFi 6 And Bluetooth 5.1: on a product that TCL defines as its most advanced proposal, standards are two generations back, as is UFS 3.1 storage. The design is certified IP68 and with military-grade shock resistance; the back is made of monobloc plastic material, not aluminum, with a metal frame. There are three colors available: sunlight gold, burgundy and midnight blue, with burgundy reserved for the variant with maximum memory.
On the software front, the P80 Ultra starts with Android 16 and benefits from four operating system updates And seven years of security support. AI integration includes Google Gemini and Circle to Search, accessible without opening applications, in addition to TCL AI Toolboxwhich brings together features such as face-to-face simultaneous translation and converting texts into audiobooks or podcasts.
P80 Pro, P80 and the TAB A1 series
Alongside the Ultra, TCL announces the P80 Prowhich shares NXTPAPER AMOLED resolution display technology 1.5Kbattery from 5,800 mAh and storage up to 512GBdiffering in terms of the photographic system. The P80 base brings a large AMOLED display, always at resolution 1.5K but without NXTPAPER, in a thin body and with a focus on a competitive price; the storage variants are from 128GB and 256GBwith three OS updates and seven years of security support. TCL has released the recommended prices for Europe, specifying that configurations, colors, accessories and availability vary by market and sales channel.
On the tablet front, the TAB A1 series is divided into four models, organized along two axes: two screen sizes and two display experiences. The models from 11 inches — TAB A1 and TAB A1 NXTPAPER — favor portability with a thickness of 6.2 millimetersresolution 2.1K and refresh until 90Hz. The models 12.2 inch Plus (TAB A1 Plus and TAB A1 Plus NXTPAPER) offer resolution 2.4Kaspect ratio 3:2
and refresh until 120Hz. The second choice concerns the panel: the Standard Display versions focus on streaming and entertainment, while the NXTPAPER versions add anti-reflective treatments and hardware blue light control for prolonged reading. At the top of the range, the TAB A1 Plus NXTPAPER integrates a NXTPAPER Key
dedicated that gives access to three viewing modes: Standard full color, Color Paper for illustrated content and navigation, Ink Paper for monochrome reading. All four models run on Android 16. Both NXTPAPER versions use panels LCD
products by TCL CSOT; At the moment there are no AMOLED tablets planned. The range also includes a bundle dedicated to the kids segment with covers and pre-installed applications for learning.
Complete the ads on KidsWatch K5new smartwatch for children with GPS, video calls, messaging, school mode and IP68 certification, which joins the three models already present in some European markets.
All products are on display at Messe Berlin from 4 to 8 September.
