Nintendo made a big announcement regarding its latest handheld, Nintendo Switch, revealing a fancy new Nintendo Switch OLED model and while it certainly isn’t what a lot of people were expecting from the company, it will definitely alter the experience of people who prefer the handheld portable gaming console for the better.
What is the Nintendo Switch OLED Model
While initial rumors had all pointed to the company launching a “Pro” version of Nintendo Switch capable of 4K gaming, probably in docked mode, that didn’t turn out to be true and the company instead announced a “refresh” of the original Nintendo Switch with the new one featuring an OLED screen, a slightly bumped internal storage of 64GB and a new dock that features an Ethernet port.
So What Does the Announcement of Switch OLED Mean for the Switch Pro Model?
Whether this announcement affects the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro or not, we can’t be sure. While arguments can be made for and against “Pro” versions of consoles that they lead to a divide between the player base, as is evident by what happened in the past with Nintendo 3DS and New 3DS models, with one featuring a powerful CPU that resulted in certain games being unavailable on older models or even with the case of PlayStation and Xbox where some newer games are impossible to enjoy on base consoles because of how weak they are.
However, if there is one video game console that can massively benefit from a hardware upgrade, it has to be Nintendo Switch and 4 years after its initial launch, this might be the perfect time to deliver a new Nintendo Switch Pro version. Even if such a small handheld device isn’t capable of 4K gaming, consumers would definitely benefit from at least a visual bump to 1080P or an FPS boost for many popular games such as Witcher 3 and Apex Legends.
Hopefully, Nintendo still has a few surprises up its sleeve for the rest of the year and we might be able to get our hands on a Pro version of the Nintendo Switch for the Holiday season.
Here is the complete breakdown of the comparison of technical specs featured by the three different models of Nintendo Switch so you have a comparison at hand of the OLED model versus the Standard and Lite currently available in the market.
| Standard | Lite | OLED | |
| Size | Roughly 4 inches high, 9.4 inches long, and 0.55 inches deep (with Joy-Con attached) | Roughly 3.6 inches high, 8.2 inches long, and .55 inches deep | 4 inches high, 9.5 inches long, and 0.55 inches deep (with Joy-Con attached) |
| Weight | Roughly 0.66 lbs (Roughly 0.88 lbs when Joy-Con controllers are attached) | Roughly 0.61 lbs | Roughly 0.71 lbs (Roughly 0.93 lbs with Joy-Con controllers attached) |
| Screen | Multi-touch capacitive touch screen, 6.2-inch LCD Screen, 1280 x 720 resolution | Capacitive touch screen, 5.5-inch LCD, 1280×720 resolution | Multi-touch capacitive touch screen, 7.0-inch OLED screen, 1280×720 resolution |
| CPU/GPU | NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor | NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor | NVIDIA Custom Tegra processor |
| Storage | 32 GB internal storage; part of it is reserved for system usage. You can enhance storage space using microSDHC or microSDXC cards up to 2TB. | 32 GB internal storage; part of it is reserved for system usage. You can enhance storage space using microSDHC or microSDXC cards up to 2TB. | 64 GB internal storage. You can easily enhance it using microSDHC or microSDXC cards up to 2TB. |
| Wireless / LAN | Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1 (In TV mode, you can connect the Nintendo Switch with a wired LAN adapter.) | Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Bluetooth 4.1 / NFC | Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1 LAN available with the new dock. |
| Video Output | Up to 1080p through HDMI in TV mode, Up to 720p through a built-in screen in Tabletop mode and Handheld mode | Up to 720p through built-in screen | Up to 1080p through HDMI in TV mode, Up to 720p through a built-in screen in Tabletop mode and Handheld mode |
| Audio Output | Supports 5.1ch Linear PCM output, Output via HDMI connector in TV mode | Supports with 5.1ch Linear PCM output, Output via HDMI connector in TV mode | |
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo |
| USB Connector | USB Type-C Used to charge or to connect to the Nintendo Switch dock. | USB Type-C Used to charge. | USB Type-C Used to charge or to connect to the Nintendo Switch dock. |
| Headphone / Mic Jack | 3.5mm 4-pole Stereo (CTIA standard) | 3.5mm 4-pole Stereo (CTIA standard) | 3.5mm 4-pole Stereo (CTIA standard) |
| Game Card Slot | Nintendo Switch Game Cards | Nintendo Switch Game Cards | Nintendo Switch Game Cards |
| MicroSD Card Slot | Supports microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC memory cards (Once the microSDXC card is inserted, you’ll have to update the system using an internet connection.) | Supports microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC memory cards (Once the microSDXC card is inserted, you’ll have to update the system using an internet connection.) | Supports microSD / microSDHC / microSDXC memory cards (Once the microSDXC card is inserted, you’ll have to update the system using an internet connection.) |
| Sensor | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Brightness Sensor | Accelerometer / Gyroscope | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Brightness sensor |
| Operating Environment | 41-95 degrees F 20-80% humidity | 41-95 degrees F 20-80% humidity | 41-95 degrees F 20-80% humidity |
| Internal Battery | Lithium-ion battery (4310 mAh) | Lithium-ion battery (3570 mAh) | Lithium-ion battery (4310 mAh) |
| Battery Life | Model number: HAC-001 (Product serial number starts with “XAW”) Roughly 2.5 to 6.5 hours Depends on the games you play. For example, for 3 hours for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it will last for roughly 3 hours. Model number: HAC-001 (Product serial number starts with “XKW”) Roughly 4.5 – 9 hours Depends on the games you play. For example, for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it will last for around 5.5 hours. | Model number: HDH-001 Roughly 3.0 to 7.0 hours Depends on the games you play. For example, for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it will last for around 4 hours. | Roughly 4.5 – 9 hours Depends on the games you play. For instance, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will last for around 5.5 hours. |
| Charging Time | Roughly 3 hours when the hardware is in sleep mode | Roughly 3 hours when the hardware is in sleep mode | Roughly 3 hours when the hardware is in sleep mode |
Nintendo Switch vs Switch OLED Dock Comparison
There are also differences in size, weight, and output of the dock of the standard model and the brand-new OLED model as we will highlight with the table below of the comparison between the Standard Dock and the dock for OLED Nintendo Switch. Since the Lite is a truly portable handheld, it has no dock.
| Nintendo Switch Dock | Standard | Dock with LAN Port (OLED Model) |
| Size | Roughly 4.1 inches high, 6.8 inches long, and 2.12 inches deep | Roughly 4.1 inches high, 6.9 inches long, and 2.0 inches deep |
| Weight | Around 0.72 lbs | Around 0.69 lbs |
| Output | 2x USB ports on the side, 1x on the back (compatible with USB 2.0) System Connector AC Adapter Port HDMI Port | 2x USB ports on the side (compatible with USB 2.0) System connector AC adapter port HDMI port Wired LAN port |
Release Date and Pre Orders for the Nintendo Switch OLED Model
The all-new OLED model of Nintendo Switch is set to go on sale on October 8th, 2021 for $350. This price tag might be disheartening for some especially considering that at its core, the OLED Switch is still the same old machine launched in 2017 but this time you are paying an extra $50 for a fancier display. You can obtain the OLED version of Nintendo Switch from your local retailers like BestBuy or GameStop but pre-orders haven’t started yet so you might have to wait a bit.
