Nintendo Switch update has almost double the battery life for the same price

Coming next month

Nintendo Switch Update
(Image credit: Future)

Nintendo has announced a new version of its Switch.

The revised home-cum-handheld console has almost twice the battery life of the previous version. The battery boost likely comes from an updated chipset – the same silicon found in the newly-unveiled Nintendo Switch Lite.

While the current generation Nintendo Switch gets between 2.5 and 6.5 hours, the new version will get an estimated 4.5 to 9 hours gameplay in portable mode. 

According to Kotaku, the real-world battery life gains result in being able to play processor-intensive titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from an estimated 3 hours to an impressive 5.5 hours.

Other than that, the tweaked Nintendo Switch will be identical to the current model.

Nintendo will start rolling-out the console to store shelves from next month for the same price as the existing Nintendo Switch – around £279.99 for the console.

It's important to note this isn't the long-rumoured second-generation Switch 2, with a larger 1080p touchscreen and thinner bezels. Nintendo is expected to launch that console next year.

Meanwhile, the portable-only Nintendo Switch Lite will launch September 20, 2019 for £199.99 with no games. It also has a slightly smaller screen than the standard switch-able Switch – 5.5-inches versus the 6.2-inch touchscreen on the original.

Aaron Brown

As a former Staff Writer for T3, Aaron writes about almost anything shiny and techie. When he’s not barking orders at Alexa-powered microwaves or gawping at 5G speed tests, Aaron covers everything from smartphones, tablets and laptops, to speakers, TVs and smart home gadgets. Prior to joining T3, Aaron worked at the Daily Express and and MailOnline.