The Nintendo Switch 2 is real, and it looks like the leaks were pretty accurate regarding what the company’s next big console looks like. While there isn’t much official info yet on the Switch 2 specs, we’ve analyzed Nintendo’s trailer video and compared them to rumors to share everything we suspect and know.Â
Nintendo released a single two-minute-plus video unveiling the Switch 2 on Jan. 16, then noted that more information would be coming on April 2. In other words, we aren’t getting more official information for a few months, so we’ll keep our ears to the ground for more leaks that affirm what we’ve heard or shed new light on parts of the console that we haven’t heard about.
For instance, the Switch 2 looks a lot like its predecessor, the 8-year-old Nintendo Switch, but the new console is bigger, has a larger screen and each Joy-Con looks like they have extra shoulder buttons on the inside. But do they magnetically attach to the main console, as rumors have suggested? Can they work like a computer mouse, as some leaks say?
We’ll explain what we know and what we suspect below. Note that we’re mostly comparing the Switch 2 to the original Switch 1 released in March 2017, because looping in the Switch Lite and Switch OLED gets complicated.
Design
Broadly, the Switch 2 is a larger version of its predecessor, with everything looking slightly inflated: bigger footprint, bigger screen, bigger Joy-Cons. There are a few things we can say confidently that have changed and some things we’ll pass along from leakers with the caveat that they might differ from Nintendo’s final exact specs.
Original Switch: The original Switch with Joy-Cons slotted into the side rails is a little over 9.4 inches wide, 4 inches tall, a little over half an inch thick and weighs about 10.5 oz (297 g). The Joy-Cons slide into place from the top of the device’s sides, while a thin wedge of plastic pops out of the back of the console to serve as a kickstand.
Switch 2: The new Switch 2 is bigger in every way, but has the same overall shape and layout as the original. Prior leaks suggest that rather than sliding on rails, the new Joy-Cons will be held in place on the console magnetically, and connect to the console via pins. The larger size Joy-Cons also have room for two extra shoulder buttons (for a total of four). The new console also sports a wide U-shaped kickstand that spans almost its entire rear width, which can be moved around to prop up the Switch 2 at a variety of angles.
The Switch 2 looks just like the rumors said.
Display size
Original Switch: The original Switch has a 6.2-inch LCD screen with 1280×720 pixel resolution, which was reasonably impressive at launch in 2017 but has been outclassed by newer handhelds with sharper displays. The Switch OLED upgraded this with a slightly larger 7-inch display showing deeper blacks and colors, but no upgrade in resolution, while the Switch Lite has a 5.5-inch LCD screen.
Switch 2:Â Unsurprisingly, the Switch 2’s larger size means a larger display, but Nintendo hasn’t officially confirmed how big it will be. A year ago, Bloomberg reported that Omdia analyst Hiroshi Hayase predicted the Switch 2 will have an 8-inch LCD screen, quashing hopes that Nintendo will include pricier but better-looking OLED displays in its next console.
CPU/GPU
Original Switch:Â The original Switch runs on an Nvidia custom Tegra X1 processor split into four ARM Cortex A57 CPU cores, and according to Hackaday, there are four extra A53 cores that aren’t used.Â
Switch 2:Â Once again, Nintendo hasn’t released any official info on the Switch 2’s specs, but we do have detailed predictions from leaks. On X (formerly Twitter), leaker Zuby_Tech posted that the Switch 2’s CPU will be an 8-core Arm Cortex A78C. They also suggested that the GPU will be an Nvidia T239 Ampere, aligning with years of similar rumors reported on by Eurogamer and others about the custom chip, which derives from Nvidia’s Tegra line of chips for smartphones and mobile devices.
RAM and storage
Original Switch. The Switch has 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 2TB via microSD cards in the slot beneath the kickstand.
Switch 2:Â Nintendo didn’t release official specs for RAM or storage, either. Leaker Zuby_Tech’s posted on X back in September suggesting the Switch 2 will have 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. That leak also suggested the new console will have two internal fans, up from the single one in the original Switch.
Battery Life
Original Switch: The original Switch packs a 4,310mAh battery, which gives between 4.5 and nine hours of battery life depending on screen brightness and other factors.
Switch 2:Â Say it with me now: Nintendo didn’t officially release details on the Switch 2’s battery. Curiously, it’s also one of the least leaked things about the upcoming console. Capacity predictions are scarce, though the larger console would presumably come with a bigger battery. What rumors are available point to the new console possibly being even more efficient than its predecessor in handheld mode, with YouTuber Moore’s Law Is Dead anticipating around a 5-watt draw for the Switch 2 compared to the 8-12 watt draw for the original Switch. We’ll wait for official confirmation and our own testing, but this could mean the new console has battery life as long or possibly longer than its predecessor.
A screenshot from Nintendo’s Switch 2 introduction video showing the console’s topside and the new second USB-C port next to the 3.5mm headphone jack and, presumably, the cartridge slot to the right.
Ports
Original Switch: The first Switch sports a single USB-C port out the bottom, a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top and Wi-Fi 5 plus Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. On the top is a slot at the top for Switch game cartridges as well as the aforementioned microSD slot beneath the kickstand on the rear of the console.
Switch 2:Â Based on the teaser video, the Switch 2 retains the original’s USB-C port on the bottom and 3.5mm jack on the top while adding another USB-C port topside for an unknown purpose — perhaps for accessories (Nintendo Labo sequel, anyone?). Since Nintendo hasn’t released any official specs, we don’t know about its connectivity options, and rumors are scarce on the subject. We do know that the Switch 2 will play some original Switch games in physical versions, and we can briefly see in the image above what could be a cartridge slot to the right of the headphone jack (which is where the slot is on the original Switch).
For more on the Switch 2, check out how to play the console before it comes out and what we know about preordering so far.