I don't understand a logical reason to choose a different budget phone instead of the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro.

      The age of truly great budget smartphones seems to have ended, and AI can be held responsible for that. With increasing chip prices, even premium devices are feeling the impact. Thus, when TCL finally launched the NXTPAPER 70 Pro in the US, it genuinely caught me off guard. Priced at just $199, it is almost half the cost found in other regions.

      While the phone is exclusive to T-Mobile, the NXTPAPER 70 Pro at $199 felt exceptional. It boasts a 6.9-inch 120Hz display, IP68 water resistance, a 5,200mAh battery, a 50MP camera, and TCL’s NXTPAPER 4.0 display technology, which is truly unique for this price point. Naturally, I wanted to evaluate it against other similarly priced phones to see if I could find a better option.

      I searched for alternatives in a similar price bracket and discovered three contenders worth comparing: the Samsung Galaxy A17 5G, the Motorola Moto G Power 2026, and the Pixel 10a. None of these can outdo the TCL in terms of price, performance, or features, leading me to conclude that choosing another phone over the NXTPAPER 70 Pro doesn’t make sense right now. Let me explain further.

      First, let’s quickly compare their specifications:

      | Specification | TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro | Galaxy A17 5G | Moto G Power 2026 | Google Pixel 10a |

      |-----------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------|

      | Display | 6.9 inches, IPS LCD, 120Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels) | 6.7 inches, Super AMOLED, 90Hz (1080 x 2340 pixels) | 6.8 inches, IPS LCD, 120Hz (1080 x 2388 pixels) | 6.3 inches, P-OLED, 120Hz (1080 x 2424 pixels) |

      | Processor | Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm) | Exynos 1330 (5 nm) | Mediatek Dimensity 6300 (6 nm) | Google Tensor G4 (4 nm) |

      | Cameras | Main: 50MP, f1.9, 24mm | Main: 50MP, f1.8, 24mm | Main: 50MP, f1.8 | Main: 48MP, f1.7, 25mm |

      | | Ultrawide 8MP (120˚) | Ultrawide 5MP | Ultrawide 8MP (119˚) | Ultrawide 13MP (120˚) |

      | | Selfie 32MP, f/2.0, 28mm | Selfie 13MP | Selfie 32MP, f/2.2 | Selfie 13MP, f/2.2 |

      | Battery | 5200 mAh | 5000 mAh | 5200 mAh | 5100 mAh |

      | Price | $199 (T-Mobile) | $189 (T-Mobile), $199 (unlocked) | $189 (T-Mobile), $299 (unlocked) | $499 (unlocked) |

      Is there any real competition at this price?

      The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is the most obvious comparison. As Samsung’s leading budget phone, it offers a solid 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a triple camera system, and an impressive six years of software updates.

      Samsung

      It's a dependable, straightforward device that excels at the essentials. However, it operates on the Exynos 1330 chip, which has been criticized for its inadequate performance. In comparison to the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 in the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, the Exynos 1330 lags in CPU, GPU, and battery efficiency. Here’s a breakdown of how they stack up:

      In contrast, the A17 has an IP54 rating, making it splash-resistant but not waterproof. The NXTPAPER 70 Pro, however, offers a superior chip, a better display, IP68 water resistance, and a more appealing feature set. The A17 is priced between $175 and $199. Simply put:

      Same price. No competition.

      Motorola

      The Moto G Power 2026 features a similarly sized 6.8-inch LCD display and the same 5,200mAh battery, but the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 it runs on is a downgrade from the NXTPAPER 70 Pro’s Dimensity 7300. The Dimensity 7300 uses a newer 4nm manufacturing process (versus