Nintendo Switch (HAC-001-01) vs Nintendo Switch OLED

Nintendo announced the Switch on 13 January 2017, later revised it as HAC-001(-01) with a bigger battery, and announced the OLED model, HEG-001, on 6 July 2021, in US stores from 8 October 2021. Docked, their picture specs match: neither goes above 1080p on a TV. What separates them is how they feel in your hands and on a table.

Side by side

Spec	Nintendo Switch (HAC-001-01)	Nintendo Switch OLED
Model	HAC-001(-01), not the 2017 HAC-001	HEG-001
Announced	13 January 2017 (Switch family; this is the later battery revision)	6 July 2021; US launch 8 October 2021
Screen	6.2-inch LCD, 1280 × 720	7.0-inch OLED, 1280 × 720
TV output	Up to 1080p	Up to 1080p
Storage	32GB, plus microSD up to 2TB	64GB, plus microSD up to 2TB
Battery	4310mAh, about 4.5–9 hours	4310mAh, about 4.5–9 hours
Breath of the Wild	About 5.5 hours	About 5.5 hours
Stand	Replaceable kickstand	Wide, adjustable metal stand
LAN in the dock	No; optional adapter, sold separately	Yes; cable sold separately
Speakers	Stereo	Stereo, enhanced over the original, Nintendo says
Power, playing on a TV	About 7W	About 6W
Power, playing handheld	About 4W	About 4W
Power, TV sleep	About 0.3W	0.3W with LAN off, 2.2W with LAN on
Weight	About 0.66 lb; 0.88 lb with Joy-Con	About 0.71 lb; 0.93 lb with Joy-Con (320 g and 420 g)
Size with Joy-Con	About 4 × 9.4 × 0.55 in	About 4 × 9.5 × 0.55 in (102 × 242 × 13.9 mm)
Processor	NVIDIA Custom Tegra	NVIDIA Custom Tegra
RAM, brightness, handheld refresh	Not published	Not published
US price	$299.99 (historical)	$349.99 at launch

A bigger OLED screen, not a sharper one

The LCD model has a 6.2-inch capacitive LCD; the OLED model has a 7.0-inch capacitive OLED. Both show 1280 × 720 in handheld and tabletop play, so you gain nearly an inch of screen and an OLED panel, not resolution. Nintendo gives no brightness or refresh rate for either; HDR10 and 120Hz arrived with Switch 2.

The bigger screen adds little bulk. With Joy-Con attached, the OLED model is about 9.5 inches long against 9.4, and both are 0.55 inches thick, or 1.12 inches from the sticks to the triggers. It weighs about 0.93 lb with Joy-Con against 0.88 lb, or 0.71 lb against 0.66 lb without them; Nintendo’s UK figures for the OLED model are 320 grams and 420 grams, and 102 × 242 × 13.9 mm. Nintendo also gives the OLED model an operating range of 41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit at 20 to 80 percent humidity.

A wider stand, and enhanced speakers

Tabletop play is possible on both, but the stands differ. The LCD model has a small replaceable kickstand. The OLED model has a wide, adjustable metal stand. If you play on a train tray or a table with the Joy-Con off, this is the change you’ll notice most.

Both have stereo speakers and output linear PCM 5.1 sound through HDMI in TV mode. Nintendo says the OLED model’s speakers are enhanced over the original Switch’s.

Twice the storage

The LCD model has 32GB and the OLED model 64GB, with part of each reserved for the system. Both have a game-card slot and accept microSD up to 2TB, though microSDXC cards need a system update first. If you buy games as downloads, the OLED model just takes longer to fill before you need a card.

LAN in the dock

The LCD model’s dock has HDMI, AC power and three USB 2.0 ports, two on its side and one at the back, but no network port: wired internet in TV mode takes an optional LAN adapter, sold separately. The OLED model’s dock builds in a wired LAN port next to HDMI, AC power and two USB 2.0 ports, though you still supply the cable.

Nintendo’s power figures differ a little on a TV. Playing there, the LCD model draws about 7 watts and the OLED model about 6; video on a TV is about 6 watts against 5. In TV sleep, the LCD model uses about 0.3 watts, and the OLED model 0.3 watts with LAN off or 2.2 watts with it on, so Nintendo’s annual estimate at two hours of play a day is about 6 kilowatt-hours for the LCD model and about 6 or 21 for the OLED model, depending on LAN. Everywhere else they match: about 4 watts playing in your hands, 3 for handheld video, 3 watts on the main menu on a TV and 2 in your hands, and 0.03W in handheld sleep.

Same battery, same Joy-Con

Inside, Nintendo kept what matters for playing away from the TV. Both have a 4310mAh lithium-ion battery (non-user-removable, Nintendo says of the OLED model), rated for about 4.5 to 9 hours, and Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild example comes out at about 5.5 hours on each. A full charge takes about 3 hours in sleep mode on either. So the OLED model isn’t a battery upgrade; the 2017 HAC-001, rated for about 2.5 to 6.5 hours from a smaller battery, is the Switch that falls short.

The Joy-Con are identical, down to the same buttons (ABXY, the left D-pad, L, ZL, R, ZR, Capture and HOME), HD Rumble, and the IR motion camera and NFC in the right one. Each runs about 20 hours on a charge and refills in about 3 hours 30 minutes. Neither console has a trackpad. Both consoles have motion sensors, an accelerometer and gyroscope; the LCD model also lists a brightness sensor, and the OLED model doesn’t name one. Wi-Fi is 802.11ac and Bluetooth is 4.1 on both.

Keep, buy used, or move to Switch 2

The LCD Switch listed at $299.99 in the US, and the OLED model’s launch price was $349.99. Nintendo’s August 2025 pricing update pointed buyers to its store for current prices, so look at nintendo.com for today’s figure.

If you own an LCD Switch and mostly play docked, keep it: the OLED model would change little on your TV. If you’re buying used, the OLED model is HEG-001, and an LCD Switch should be HAC-001(-01) rather than a 2017 launch unit. Both play the same Switch game cards and eShop downloads, and neither runs Steam or Windows games. For Switch 2 games and a sharper screen, Nintendo’s current console is covered in Switch 2 vs Switch OLED.