It’s 7am, and I’ve just picked up my phone. Before I even open my eyes, it’s unlocked, and the same muscle memory is dragging down the top bar to show the notifications. It’s been nearly the same routine for more than a decade; only today, there are no notifications. And the screen is black and white.
After checking the time, I put it down, drink some water, and get up. It is not until after breakfast that I flick a switch on the side of the phone and watch as the colour pours in and the notifications pop up.
For the last few months, I’ve been using TCL’s 50 Pro NXTPaper 5G, a mid-range Android smartphone that would be unremarkable if it weren’t for the switchable e-reader mode that allows it to double as a dumbphone – cutting you off from social media apps and digital notifications.
When you turn on the Max Ink Mode, it switches to a matte black-and-white e-reader display that serves you e-books instead of algorithmically-generated stories on Google Discover when you swipe right.
When you switch it back to a normal phone, it is indistinguishable from the homogenous rectangles most modern devices have morphed into. It’s perfectly adequate for everyday use: the cameras are decent, the processor is capable and the battery seems better than most. (As I write this, the device is on 32 per cent battery, which according to the home screen is “approx 18 hrs 11 mins left” in Max Ink Mode.) You can do all the things you normally do on a phone, but the switch on the side lets you shut this world off.
William Paterson, head of TCL Mobile’s UK and Ireland operations, tells The Independent that the idea is to focus on the importance of “switching off from constant, unnecessary scrolling” and “digital distractions” that come with modern-day devices.
“Our campaign for this device has been ‘Switch on to switch off’ to focus on the importance of finding that much-needed ‘me time’,” he says. “We understand the challenges of living in such a rapidly digitising world and wanted to incorporate a solution for our products that helps benefit the lifestyle of our consumers.”
There has been plenty of research into the harms of too much social media, screen time and ‘doomscrolling’.
A recent study from scientists in the US and Canada found that disconnecting mobile internet for just two weeks can lead to significant improvements in mental health, concentration and overall happiness.
“Humans evolved in a world where information, entertainment, and social contact were relatively hard to come by; as a result, we may struggle to control our thoughts and behaviours when these stimuli are constantly at our fingertips,” the researchers noted in the study, published in the journal PNAS Nexus last month.
“Our results provide evidence that blocking mobile internet from smartphones for two weeks can produce significant improvements for subjective well-being, mental health, and the objectively measured ability to sustain attention.”
Both Apple and Google have both attempted to address the issue with built-in controls for iOS and Android, though no smartphone maker has ever come up with a physical switch.
“We chose a physical switch over a touch screen button to provide customers with a tactile experience that feels more intentional and definite,” Paterson says. “This goes along with our mission to humanise our technology… The user can activate MAX INK mode instantly without having to navigate through endless menus and options.”
Paterson notes that the e-paper display also meets the consumer demand for eye-friendly screens, with a reported 37 per cent of smartphone owners also using the device to read books, according to a 2022 survey by Goodreads.
The matte finish reduces glare and blue light, allowing for extended, strain-free use. YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee described it as “the ultimate anti-reflective matte display”, in a video titled ‘Why don’t more smartphones have this?’ He ultimately concludes that it’s a niche feature that isn’t enough to draw people away from the more familiar brands with standard features, but author Michael Rosen, who serves as a brand ambassador for TCL, says he hopes it will encourage more people to read.
“This is brilliant for those who want a convenient, eye-friendly reading experience without needing a separate e-reader,” he tells The Independent. “With one switch you can create a focused environment and enjoy immersive reading anytime, anywhere.”
I’ve never enjoyed reading books on a screen, and the TCL phone hasn’t changed that (I’m yet to get past the first chapter on any of the titles that came pre-loaded on the device). But it has allowed me to finally cut down on my screen time and rethink my relationship with my phone and technology in general.
I realised I rarely use a phone in the way they were originally meant to be used. It’s transformed from a way to keep in touch, to a multimedia device. Communication has been replaced with consuming content, and social networks have evolved into social media. Interactivity has become interpassivity.
I’m not bold enough to join the growing number of people switching to a fully dumbphone, and previous attempts to put my phone in other rooms while I sleep have never lasted. But the longer I spend in the black-and-white confines of the TCL NXTPaper, the less I want to switch back.
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