There's no getting around it - the Switch is no longer a young console, after its initial launch all the way back in 2017. Nintendo gave it a shot in the arm when it released the OLED model in late 2021, though.

This updated version features one major change in the form of a massively improved OLED display, but it's also better in some subtle other ways, and an absolutely watertight library of classic games makes it really easy to still recommend even in 2023.

nintendo-switch OLED
Nintendo Switch OLED
Editor's Choice

The Switch OLED is the best version of Nintendo's astoundingly successful console, and even though it might not be a flagship for much longer it's still a joy to use, and is getting new classics all the time. The perfect family console, its flexibilty remains jaw-dropping.

Pros
  • New OLED panel is gorgeous
  • Some of the best first-party titles on any console
  • The best mobile Switch experience to date
  • Kickstand vastly improved
Cons
  • 64GB on-board storage is still small

Design touches

The Switch OLED isn't a reinvention of the Switch by any means - at a glance, it looks extremely similar to the baseline version that's been around for years longer.

It still features a rectangular central section that houses the display, along with two Joy-Con controllers that slot onto either end of it when you want to play in portable mode.

What's changed substantially, though, is that display, which has been made bigger at 7 inches (instead of 6.2) and is now an OLED panel instead of an LCD.

This is a total sea-change, with smaller bezels and a way higher quality of image thanks to the inkier deeper blacks of OLED technology, and it means that even games that predate the Switch OLED look way better on it in handheld mode.

If you were nitpicking for downsides to this change it does mean that the OLED model is a tiny (tiny) bit heavier than the original, but it's really all upsides apart from that.

On the back of the console, Nintendo has also massively improved its kickstand, which has gone from a tiny twig of a thing to a whole-Switch wedge that is subtantially sturdier and more useful.

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It can hold more angles and is way more easily adjusted, making tabletop play without a TV incredibly viable instead of almost a fantasy from Nintendo's ads.

Finally, a new version of the Switch's dock comes with the OLED model, with slightly curved edges and the addition of an ethernet port for more stable internet connectivity - this doesn't change much, but even small improvements are welcome.

That new hardware

So, the OLED display is really the centrepiece of the Switch OLED's offering, and it's a superb success, even after a few years of use - this is the best option for those who think they'll mostly play their Switch on the move.

Since there are no upgrades to the Switch's actual processing power or graphical capabilities, it runs to the exact same resolution as the base Switch, depending on the game, with a 720p limit in handheld mode and a 1080p limit when docked.

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It's the former mode that is night and day compared to before, though, with richer colours and enhanced sharpness making games like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom pop out way more successfully.

There is one other hardware tweak worth mentioning, though - the Switch OLED has double the internal storage compared to the base Switch, at 64GB instead of a paltry 32GB.

Now, that still means you'll only have to download a few bigger games to fill it up, making a microSD card for more storage almost a must-have, but it does give you a little more wiggle room, which is welcome.

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Where battery life is concerned things are identical to the original version - you can expect between four-and-a-half and nine hours on a single charge.

Games and apps

To get the simple bit out of the way, the Switch still lacks support for the overwhelming majority of streaming services, including giants like Netflix, although it has a few exceptions like YouTube and Crunchyroll.

That means it's not much of a media centre to speak of compared to more powerful and TV-centric options like the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X.

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So, don't buy a Switch to watch TV on it - buy it for a library of games that is simply unbelievable, full to the brim with both modern and retro quality of the very highest order.

Nintendo dropped modern classics on the Switch right from the start, in the form of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it hasn't stopped since then.

Even though we're in the latter years of the console's expected lifespan, unbelievable games like Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Tears of the Kingdom keep arriving.

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There have also been countless ports of older games to enjoy, from vintage Assassin's Creed titles to remasters of Metal Gear Solid games, and many, many more.

The Switch now boasts a superb library to choose from, and where it really leaps ahead of the competition is for family games - so many Nintendo exclusives are ideal for younger gamers that there's no question it's the best console for kids right now.

Verdict

The Switch OLED still ranks as a disappointment for some cynics after a couple of years, thanks to it not being the Switch Pro they expected, with beefier specs.

If you ignore that noise, though, this is still a masterpiece of a console, a vast improvement on the original Switch when you're playing in handheld mode, and clearly the best version of the Switch available right now.

It costs a little more than the base version, of course, and that price could start to make less sense when we hear more about the next generation of console that Nintendo's working on (and, crucially, if it has backwards compatibility), but that's all speculative.

In the here and now, this is a simply brilliant console, one that can adapt to how you want to play with a mind-bogglingly impressive list of exclusive and cross-platform games to enjoy.