This year's most affordable eye-friendly phone just hit a ludicrously low price on Prime Day, and it's totally free from T-Mobile's clutches

The TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro is easily my favorite budget-friendly phone of 2026, a title that's more important than ever with the ever-increasing onslaught of technology price hikes. Yet, somehow, TCL and Amazon have made this fantastic phone even better by dropping the price to just $259.99, a $70 savings over the normal unlocked phone price.

That last part is important because, while you can get the phone for $199 or less from T-Mobile, that cheaper price tag comes with caveats like a service contract and a carrier-locked device. This Amazon price is fully unlocked and ready to go on any carrier you choose.

Plus, if you haven't used an NXTPAPER display yet, you're in for a treat. As I said in my TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro review, "If you enjoy reading, are looking for a display with less flicker than an OLED, want something that's anti-reflective and textured, or just enjoy the soft glow of an LCD (vs the harshness of OLED), this is a display you're going to love."

Lots of $200-300 phones have major problems, but TCL struck gold with the NXTPAPER 70 Pro, giving it an excellent NXTPAPER 4.0 display, surprisingly good cameras, minimalist software, an IP68 build, and even SD card support, all for a record low price in Prime Day!

Price comparison: T-Mobile - FREE with a new lineView Deal

✅Recommended if: You need an inexpensive phone that's better than others at this price, or you want a flicker-free screen that isn't as intense as OLED.

❌Skip this deal if: You can't stand bad haptics or are OK with getting the cheaper carrier version from T-Mobile or Metro.

The NXTPAPER 70 Pro is the first North American phone to launch with NXTPAPER 4.0 display technology, something previously only offered on the global NXTPAPER 60 Ultra phone. But a lot of people found the 60 Ultra to be far too large of a phone, so the 70 Pro downsizes things a bit to make the overall package much nicer to use.

On top of that, I was thoroughly impressed with how fast this phone is. I'm used to phones in this price range exhibiting stutters and lag, but the 70 Pro exceeded every expectation I had. It's even got a great camera system with a main and ultrawide lens on the back, plus satellite connectivity and 5G speeds.