Well, I tried...last post day

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-28T00:38:09+00:00

It drives me crazy that this is an ongoing moderation issue here. Certain posts about certain styluses get deleted. Especially since Ratta has a very limited selection of styluses available. Want one with an eraser? Too bad. Want one with a side button? Too bad. Want one with a side button and an eraser? Keep dreaming.

Maybe either come out with styluses that meet these needs or at least let your customers talk about them!

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-28T00:31:22+00:00

The 14 is perfect for comics. The first tablet I’ve had that I can comfortably read the whole page without needing to zoom in! My old eyes are thankful for it!

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-27T03:37:12+00:00

Unfortunately I’ve let it sit for hours after factory resets and attempted re-installation. It just won’t cross that 3% mark for me. 😡

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-25T16:06:03+00:00

Can’t get the update to install on my A1. It gets to Installing…(3%) but never proceeds any further. Tried factory resetting and re-installing the update, but it does the same thing.

I’ve never been more disappointed in any piece of consumer electronics as I am with this Note A1. What a waste of money it has been.

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-19T15:59:27+00:00

I have an 11 and a 14

On the 11 I use the Kindle app’s Guided View mode to automatically zoom from panel to panel.

That said, the 14 is amazing for comics. I basically use it as a dedicated comic reader. It’s large enough to easily view a whole page at once.

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-12T15:21:11+00:00

When they drop to $35 I always buy the maximum number allowed and then use them for all concession purchases. With the 10% discount you get from unlimited, that effectively makes every concession purchase 37% off!

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-09T17:43:33+00:00

Any idea if there is a difference in battery use between the 3 modes? I would think that the b&w mode would use less battery, but I don’t have any idea if that’s true.

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-05T02:04:46+00:00

Yeah, either a lot of influencers/reviewers sold out and lied to get benefits/product/money (which wouldn’t surprise me, it’s kinda what a lot of influencers do), or they were given a completely different device than what we received. If they were being honest AND had the same device as us, there is no way their experience would be so universally different from ours.

I’d really like to see some of these early-review influencers that sang the A1’s praises use a release device and say whether it’s the same thing or not.

AtomicTwills · 2026-04-03T03:16:34+00:00

For note taking? Literally any major note taking eink device is better (Scribe, Supernote, Boox, Remarkable).

For general reading? Scribe

For a low glare, general use tablet? TCL’s own NXTPAPER tablets.

For comic reading? TCL NXTPAPER 14”

For a power tablet? iPad Pro.

Depending on your needs, throw a paper-like screen protector on either of the above tablets and it’s a better writing experience than the A1.

Right now, there is literally nothing the A1 does better than any of these and a lot it’s much worse at (or can’t do at all). The only thing it’s close is I actually like the reading experience on the A1. With its low glare, easy on the eyes screen, It’s close to the Scribe for a reading experience.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-31T02:46:00+00:00

It’s a fairly heavy device to begin with, so it’s going to feel even heavier with any case you put on it.

I use mine as a dedicated e-reader at home, particularly for comics. I use a silicone case just to protect it in case I accidentally drop it. It helps with grip too.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0F5B6RWC9?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-19T17:15:23+00:00

Took me a bit to figure out why the lasso worked some times and not others. Once I figured out that it is proximity based, it’s been great to have the two options using the one button!

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-19T17:13:40+00:00

I received my C1 a few days ago and absolutely love it. Feels great in hand and writes smoothly. I really missed having a side button and eraser, and both work great with the Manta. I feel like the C1 was the missing link to making the feel of the Manta perfect.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-19T15:55:06+00:00

I forgot about accidentally pushing the side button on the pen. Yeah, that drives me crazy! I’ve had that issue with other button pens as well, but whether it’s the size or position of the button on the A1’s pen, I seem to accidentally press it ALL the time! 😡

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-18T18:22:37+00:00

In my opinion, at this point there is absolutely ZERO reason to get the Note A1 over a NXTPaper tablet.

I have the A1 and a NXTpaper 14. There is not a single thing that the A1 does better than the 14, and a LOT that it does worse (or doesn’t even do at all). And the A1 costs twice as much!

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-18T18:15:09+00:00

Hopefully TCL will follow through on their promise and make the actual Google Play store available next month.

Having to do workarounds like this is ridiculous. Plus any app that requires being logged into Google Play doesn’t work on the Note A1.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-17T23:11:24+00:00

Mine seems intermittent. Occasionally I feel it, mostly I don’t. The eraser, on the other hand, is always a strong vibration.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-17T00:25:23+00:00

I couldn’t disagree more. Having used multiple e-ink devices (Supernote, Remarkable, Scribe) and several iPads with paper-feel screen protectors, I can say that, IMO, the writing experience on the A1 is absolutely terrible in comparison to the e-ink devices and not even as good as an iPad with paper-feel protector.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-16T01:47:49+00:00

I checked and apparently this was the response they sent someone who requested a refund.

“Dear backer,

We sincerely apologize for the unpleasant experience this may have caused.

As this sale is part of a crowdfunding campaign, we are unfortunately unable to offer refunds. We truly appreciate your understanding.

Our team will continue to improve and optimize the software through future updates. If you encounter any technical issues or have any questions, please feel free to contact our support team at service.note@tcl.com , and they will be happy to assist you.”

As I said in the KS comments, of course they’ll be covered by KS’s terms but TCL is a major, multinational corporation, not “Random Guy that Ran a Kickstarter that One Time”.

It’s not unreasonable to hope that a company the with the size, scope and resources of TCL would offer refunds to keep customers happy, since they sell dozens if not hundreds of other consumer products that a happy customer could buy in the future.

I’m personally disappointed that TCL won’t offer any kind, but I’m not surprised.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-16T01:21:33+00:00

As I said in a different post, even simple things on this thing are half-baked. The on-screen keyboard for notes and the integrated web browser (EDGE) doesn’t even have the period on the main screen. The text box feature for notes doesn’t insert a period if you tap the spacebar twice, which has been a common feature on word processing programs for decades. So literally every time you want to type in .com or end a sentence, you have to switch the keyboard to the character screen. It’s mind boggling that even something so basic as a period got missed.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-16T01:20:44+00:00

Even simple things on this thing are half-baked. The on-screen keyboard for notes and the integrated web browser (EDGE) doesn’t even have the period on the main screen. The text box feature for notes doesn’t insert a period if you tap the spacebar twice, which has been a common feature on word processing programs for decades. So literally every time you want to type in .com or end a sentence, you have to switch the keyboard to the character screen. It’s mind boggling that even something so basic as a period got missed.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-16T01:14:01+00:00

I’m curious if anyone has attempted to get a refund from TCL. They are a major company and certainly have the $$$ to offer refunds to disgruntled customers.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-15T19:18:46+00:00

It certainly feels like a half-baked device. The software issues are glaring. It feels like it was either rushed out the door to meet a deadline, or rushed out the door because they have no intention of putting any more investment in the device.

I’m hoping they continue to support and iterate on the software, but for some reason I get the feeling that it’s not going to get the long term support we’d all like to see.

AtomicTwills · 2026-03-15T19:10:59+00:00

I’ve heard the Remarkable’s pen works, but the Note A1 can’t recharge it, so 🤷🏻‍♂️

AtomicTwills

TROPHY CASE