Bigger screen, better kickstand, same incredible game library
The OLED Nintendo Switch improves upon the original Switch by offering a superior display and kickstand, while keeping the same compelling home-and-handheld form factor and now-massive game library.
The Nintendo Switch is a gaming marvel that features controllers that snap onto the device for handheld use, and a dock that lets you connect the system to your TV for console use. A few years ago, Nintendo released the $199.99 Switch Lite as a more economical, handheld-only option, but now it’s time for the main, switch-able Switch to receive an update. The Nintendo Switch OLED Model is an upgraded and tweaked version of the Switch, with a larger and more colorful screen, improved speakers, more storage, and a redesigned kickstand. At $349.99, the new handheld-console hybrid is a bit more expensive than the standard, $299.99 Switch (which is sticking around), but it’s definitely the best Switch yet, and our Editors’ Choice pick. Just don’t expect enhanced processing power, improved graphics, or more comfortable Joy-Cons.
The OLED Switch has an identical form factor to the original Switch: It’s a simple rectangular tablet with rails on the sides to which Joy-Con controllers attach, and a dock that outputs video to your TV. In fact, the OLED Switch's tablet form is almost the same size as the LCD model's, just a tenth of an inch longer at 4 by 9.5 by 0.55 inches (HWD) with Joy-Cons attached. It’s also an eighth of an ounce heavier, weighing 14.9 ounces to the LCD Switch’s 14.1 ounces. Neither of these changes are readily noticeable; if you had both switches in front of you, you’d have to take a close look to see and feel the size and weight differences.
This doesn’t mean the OLED Switch is designed exactly the same as the LCD Switch, though. Nintendo made a few small tweaks and one very welcome large one to the tablet's layout. The microSD card slot now faces sideways on the back, reducing the admittedly already slim risk of the card accidentally popping out. The power button is oblong rather than circular, the volume rocker no longer has small nubs on it, and both are recessed deeper into the device than on the LCD Switch.
The biggest non-display upgrade, however, is the kickstand. The LCD Switch has a narrow, plastic strip that flips out slightly to let you set the tablet on a table. Its small size, limited and steep angle, and tendency to easily pop off make propping up the system a precarious situation. The OLED Switch replaces that unreliable kickstand with a flip-out kickstand that's the same metal as the system's back, and nearly as wide as the tablet itself.
The stand is permanently attached with a hinge that opens to any angle up to 150 degrees. The hinge has enough tension that the stand firmly stays at that angle unless you physically move it. In addition, tiny rubber feet on the device's bottom, along with the kickstand's width, ensure that the system won’t wobble or fall over when you place it on a flat surface. It’s a fantastic upgrade that makes tabletop gaming scenarios, such as playing on a rooftop deck with friends clustered around the Switch (as the system’s commercials like to show), much more feasible.
Those are just the changes you can feel with your hands; the real draw is in the system’s name. The OLED Switch uses an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel instead of the standard Switch's liquid crystal display (LCD) panel. OLEDs generally produce a much wider range of colors and higher contrast levels than LCDs (though we’ve seen some remarkable advances in LCDs’ color ranges on TVs in recent years thanks to nanodot technology, which the LCD Switch lacks).
The OLED Switch’s screen produces richer colors than the LCD Switch’s display, particularly reds. In fact, you’ll immediately notice the difference when you turn the system on for the first time and the red-and-white Switch logo appears. The new screen is also a bit brighter, too, even with both systems at maximum brightness. The OLED Switch’s color balance is a bit cooler than the LCD Switch, which contributes to the perception of higher brightness. We generally want to see a warmer color balance on TVs, but for game systems, strict cinematic accuracy is less important than a bright, vivid picture.
The OLED screen is slightly bigger at 7 inches to the LCD Switch’s 6.2 inches. On a nearly same-sized tablet, this means the active display runs much closer to the edges of the system, significantly reducing the black frame around the picture. This difference stands out even more than the differences in color and contrast, and once you pick up the OLED Switch you’ll have a hard time not noticing just how comparatively huge the black border is on the LCD Switch. The larger OLED screen has the same 720p resolution, so technically it’s less sharp in terms of pixel size, but you’d be hard-pressed to see it. The screen simply looks better across the board.
Nintendo also put larger speakers on the OLED Switch, as seen through the tablet's' wider and lower speaker slots. They sound a bit louder than the LCD Switch’s speakers, but this bump in audio power is a less impressive improvement in the system’s aural capabilities than the Bluetooth audio device compatibility Nintendo added to all Switch models in a recent system update. If you want the best sound from the Switch outside of its dock, just use Bluetooth headphones or, for tabletop gaming, a cheap Bluetooth speaker that can get much louder than the tablet possibly can.
Internally, the OLED Switch features 64GB of storage, twice as much as its LCD counterpart. This is generous considering that most Switch games are relatively modest in terms of file size, but if you want to really load up the system, you can pop in a microSD card.
The increased storage space is the only non-audio/video upgrade the OLED Switch gets. There is no additional processing power over the LCD Switch or the Switch Lite. This is not a Nintendo Switch Pro, or a New Nintendo Switch. You won’t get improved performance in any way from this system. It’s a bit disappointing, as some games have recently pushed the Switch to its limits. So much so that Control and a few other releases are only available as streamed Cloud Editions that use remote hardware that's much more powerful than the Switch itself. Still, this new Switch has a handful of compelling upgrades for a modest premium over the LCD Switch; we expect a (rumored) more powerful Switch to either cost significantly more money (at least $100, like the Xbox One X to the Xbox One or the PS4 Pro to the PlayStation 4), or for the standard Switch to get a significant price cut if it eventually launches.
The OLED Switch's battery life is identical to the current LCD Switch model (HAC-001(-01)), so you can expect 4.5 to 9 hours of play time in handheld mode. Nintendo updated the LCD Switch two years ago with a larger battery, so the very first versions of the Switch (HAC-001) lasted closer to 3 to 6 hours in handheld mode.
The OLED Switch’s dock has been tweaked, as well. It measures 4.1 by 6.9 by 1.9 inches (HWD), which makes it slightly taller, longer, and narrower than the LCD Switch’s dock. The dock's top now has rounded corners rather than sharp ones, and the status light on the lower-left corner of the front is slightly smaller. Two USB ports still sit vertically on the dock's left side. The door on the back now completely pops off, and the cutout for cables is larger with a quarter-circle arc.
A USB-C port for power with the included wall adapter and an HDMI port (an HDMI cable is also included) sit facing sideways in a recess on the dock's back. They're joined by a new addition: an Ethernet port. Now you can use a wired network connection when the Switch is docked, without purchasing a separate USB Ethernet adapter.
The dock is one of two places where your choice of color matters on the OLED Switch. The Switch tablet itself is black no matter what, but the dock and Joy-Cons on the white model are white, while the “neon blue and red” OLED Switch’s dock is black, and the Joy-Cons are their described colors.
That brings us to the Joy-Con controllers, which are completely untouched. Besides the new white color option, these are the exact same Joy-Cons that came with the Switch when it launched in 2017. They’re visually simple, flat devices that attach to the sides of the Switch tablet or connect wirelessly to the system to let you play games either docked on your TV or in handheld mode. Each Joy-Con has an analog stick, four face buttons, two triggers, and two system buttons, with pairs working together to provide full modern dual-analog control. The Joy-Cons can also be used individually by holding them sideways for games with simpler controls, enabling two-player, local gaming without needing to buy more controllers. Each Joy-Con features motion detection, and the right Joy-Con has an infrared camera for use with certain accessories and games.
The Joy-Cons are the key to the Switch's genius, letting it serve as both a home console in the dock with wireless controls, and as a handheld game system with the controllers attached to the tablet itself. They, and the very concept of the Nintendo Switch, remain utterly brilliant and give the system a flexibility no other game console has.
However, they aren’t the most ergonomic controllers. The Joy-Cons are small and flat, so they might not feel comfortable in larger hands. I haven’t had much of a problem with Joy-Cons myself until recently, but I began noticing my left hand cramping while playing the Castlevania Advance Collection for long periods of time. The use of round face buttons for a direction pad on the left Joy-Con also feels less consistent, especially for fighting games, than a standard direction pad. If you plan to use your Switch primarily in handheld mode, you might want to consider the handheld-mode-only Hori Split Pad Pro; it doesn't work wirelessly like Joy-Cons, but it fixes all of the comfort and direction pad problems when the Switch is in your hands.
Two wrist-strap grips that clip onto the Joy-Cons are included with the OLED Switch, along with a controller grip that holds both Joy-Cons in a conventional gamepad configuration. These are the same plastic accessories that come with the LCD Switch, and they work well enough. Still, there are other options that will make most games feel much better, like the 8Bitdo Pro 2 and the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
The OLED Switch has the same power and capabilities as the LCD Switch, so its features, online services, and game library are all identical to the standard Switch. Still, it’s been a few years since we last evaluated the Switch across the board, and this is a good opportunity to take a look at the state of the Switch in 2021.
The current selection of games available on the Switch is frankly incredible. Nintendo systems are best known for their first-party games, and there are many that cover nearly all of the company’s most beloved properties (except F-Zero and Pilotwings). There’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Kirby Star Allies, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Metroid Dread, New Pokemon Snap, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, WarioWare: Get It Together!, and many others. Nintendo also has several highly anticipated upcoming games, such as Bayonetta 3, Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Pokemon Legends: Arceus, and Splatoon 3.
Third-party publishers have released numerous Switch games, too. You won’t find many graphically advanced tentpole games, such as Battlefield 2042, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Far Cry 6, or Madden NFL 22 on the system, but you will find Apex Legends, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, The Outer Worlds, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2, along with (of course) Fortnite and Minecraft.
The Switch even has its own collection of third-party exclusives, such as Monster Hunter Rise, No More Heroes III, Tetris 99, and the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V. Classic older games have found a home on the Switch as well, and you can find Switch versions of Bioshock: The Collection, Borderlands Legendary Collection, Burnout Paradise Remastered, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, L.A. Noire, Resident Evil Triple Pack, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster, Star Wars Jedi Knight Collection, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition, along with many others. If there’s a big game that’s come out in the last 20 years and wasn’t a console exclusive, there’s a chance you can find it for the Switch.
The Switch is also a treasure trove of indie games. Virtually every big independent game in recent years has been released on Switch, including Among Us, Axiom Verge, The Binding of Isaac, Disco Elysium, Enter the Gungeon, Hades, Hollow Knight, Stardew Valley, Undertale (and Deltarune), and many, many others.
Basically, four years in there are a lot of games on the Switch spanning multiple genres, scopes, and generations. Outside of Call of Duty and Madden, you’re probably going to find something you want to play.
You must subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online if you want to play multiplayer games online on the Switch. The service costs $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year, or $34.99 per year for a family membership that covers multiple accounts in a home.
Nintendo Switch Online covers online multiplayer, but you won’t get many extra communication features with it. In fact, it lacks tools for sending text messages or coordinating groups to play together; you can see if friends are online and what they’re playing, but that’s it. There’s no voice chat, either; Nintendo offers a separate Nintendo Switch Online app that enables voice chat for certain games, but there is no real reason to use it other than Discord or other feature-filled services for communicating with friends while you play.
Besides online play, Nintendo Switch Online provides cloud saving for most games. You can upload your save game data to Nintendo’s servers and use it to sync with multiple Switch systems, or simply back up your saves to move them over to the OLED Switch if you’re making an upgrade from the LCD Switch or Switch Lite. Cloud saving doesn’t work on all games, though, with Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the non-spinoff Pokemon games being the most egregious exceptions. Nintendo offers an esoteric way(Opens in a new window) to transfer your Animal Crossing island between systems, but only if both are physically close to each other. Fortunately, the vast majority of games I’ve put on my Switch have supported cloud saving.
As a nice extra, Nintendo Switch Online provides access to a library of over 100 NES and SNES games as part of the service. They include some absolute classics, like Donkey Kong Country (1-3), Kirby’s Adventure, Kirby Super Star, The Legend of Zelda (1, 2, and Link to the Past), Super Mario Bros. (1-3 and World), and Super Metroid. More than half of the games support online multiplayer, too. Nintendo will launch a subscription upgrade option called Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack later this October, which includes Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games for an additional price.
Nintendo Switch Online isn’t exactly a feature-packed service, but it costs a third as much as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, enables cloud saving, and lets you play some excellent games from the 1980s and 1990s. You should consider it a must-buy service, especially if you want to play anything online.
The Nintendo Switch OLED Model is a pleasing upgrade from the original Switch, but it isn’t necessarily the upgrade everyone wants. You won’t get better system performance, so don’t expect improved frame rates or higher-resolution graphics. However, the new, bigger OLED screen looks terrific, the doubled storage space is welcome, and the redesigned kickstand is a long-needed design change. It’s simply a better Switch, even if it isn’t leaps and bounds past the LCD model.
If you’re looking to buy your first Switch or upgrade from your Switch Lite, the OLED Switch should be your first choice; the changes are easily worth the extra $50. If you have an LCD Switch, especially an HAC-001(-01) model with a larger battery, the OLED Switch doesn’t offer quite enough to justify tossing the old one out. The bigger screen and better kickstand are nice tweaks you would enjoy, but you probably shouldn’t spend $350 (minus whatever you can sell the first Switch for) on them.
Even if it doesn’t completely replace the LCD Switch, the Nintendo Switch OLED Model is readily the best Switch to date. The screen’s nicer, it has more memory, the kickstand is functional, and it keeps all of the compelling flexibility that made the Switch so appealing in the first place. That’s enough to earn the OLED Switch our Editors’ Choice pick for game consoles.
The OLED Nintendo Switch improves upon the original Switch by offering a superior display and kickstand, while keeping the same compelling home-and-handheld form factor and now-massive game library.
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I’ve been PCMag’s home entertainment expert for over 10 years, covering both TVs and everything you might want to connect to them. I’ve reviewed more than a thousand different consumer electronics products including headphones, speakers, TVs, and every major game system and VR headset of the last decade. I’m an ISF-certified TV calibrator and a THX-certified home theater professional, and I’m here to help you understand 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even 8K (and to reassure you that you don’t need to worry about 8K at all for at least a few more years).
Home theater technology (TVs, media streamers, and soundbars)
Smart speakers and smart displays
I test TVs with a Klein K-80 colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, a HDFury Diva 4K HDMI matrix, and Portrait Displays’ Calman software. That’s a lot of complicated equipment specifically for screens, but that doesn’t cover what I run on a daily basis.
I use an Asus ROG Zephyr 14 gaming laptop as my primary system for both work and PC gaming (and both, when I review gaming headsets and controllers), along with an aging Samsung Notebook 7 as my portable writing station. I keep the Asus laptop in my home office, with a Das Keyboard 4S and an LG ultrawide monitor attached to it. The Samsung laptop stays in my bag, along with a Keychron K8 mechanical keyboard, because I’m the sort of person who will sit down in a coffee shop and bust out not only a laptop, but a separate keyboard. Mechanical just feels better.
For my own home theater, I have a modest but bright and accurate TCL 55R635 TV and a Roku Streambar Pro; bigger and louder would usually be better, but not in a Brooklyn apartment. I keep a Nintendo Switch dock connected to it, along with a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X so I can test any peripheral that comes out no matter what system it’s for. I also have a Chromecast With Google TV for general content streaming.
As for mobile gear, I’m surprisingly phone-ambivalent and have swapped between iPhones and Pixels from generation to generation. I favor the iPhone for general snapshots when I need to take pictures of products or cover events, but I also have a Sony Alpha A6000 camera for when I feel like photo walking.
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