The Switch OLED is good — but here's why you shouldn't upgrade

The Switch OLED is skilful — but here's why y'all shouldn't upgrade

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Nintendo Switch OLED has excited and perplexed fans in equal mensurate, ever since Nintendo announced it back in July. A new Switch model with a prettier OLED screen and a sturdier kickstand sounded useful. At the same time, a new Switch model without 4K output or improved functioning seemed like a missed opportunity.

Now that the device is finally here, I recollect it's fair to say that both arguments accept merit. It'south just that the "missed opportunity" argument has more than merit for current Switch owners.

First and foremost, if you lot haven't read our Nintendo Switch OLED review, it's definitely worth a look. In it, I break downwards the Switch OLED's strengths and weaknesses in great detail, from its tiptop screen to its conservative components.

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Plus: Sorry Nintendo fans, the Switch OLED hasn't killed Joy-Con drift

If you lot don't have fourth dimension to read the whole thing right now, though, the bottom line is this: If you're a first-time Switch buyer, you should buy the $350 Switch OLED instead of the $300 base of operations Switch. If you already own a base Switch model, however, there'southward no real reason to upgrade. I desire to reiterate that point, because it could potentially save you, the reader, a adept deal of money.

Nintendo Switch OLED upgrades

Nintendo Switch OLED kickstand — (Paradigm credit: Nintendo)

To review briefly, in that location are four principal differences between the base Switch and the Switch OLED:

The base Switch has a 6-inch LCD screen; the Switch OLED has a 7-inch OLED screen
The base Switch has a small, flimsy kickstand; the Switch OLED has a large, sturdy kickstand
The base Switch has minor, workmanlike speakers; the Switch OLED has larger, more robust speakers
The base of operations Switch relies exclusively on Wi-Fi; the Switch OLED'south dock has an Ethernet port

I like all of these upgrades, and think that each one adds a tangible level of utility to the Switch. The screen makes games look improve; the kickstand helps the console stand up freely; the speakers provide better sound; and the Ethernet port helps download games faster.

At the same time, none of these made a night-and-day difference betwixt the Switch OLED and the base Switch that I've been using for four years. A six-inch LCD screen at 720p is not that dissimilar from a 7-inch OLED screen at 720p. The kickstand is but situationally useful, and the speakers are moot with a skillful pair of headphones. Plus, the Switch runs perfectly well on Wi-Fi.

When Nintendo first announced the Switch OLED, I saw a contingent of early adopters falling over themselves to be showtime in line for a pre-order. What's unusual was that many of them already endemic Switches.

If you've already pre-ordered the Switch OLED and it'southward on its manner to your house as we speak, there's non much you can do. Go ahead and enjoy it, and I hope you can requite your old Switch to a friend or family unit member in need.

If, on the other hand, the Switch OLED piqued your involvement, but y'all weren't sure whether yous really needed some other Switch in your life, I'one thousand here to tell y'all that you don't. The upgrades are marginal in handheld mode — and almost totally superfluous in docked way. Once yous hook the Switch OLED up to a Telly, and so the console's screen, speakers and kickstand don't factor into the equation anymore.

The perils of early adoption

Nintendo switch oled — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

At this point, I should take a moment and remind readers that your money is your ain, and what yous exercise with it is none of my business. If $350 won't break the bank and you think a Switch OLED will bring you joy, then y'all should go ahead and buy one with my blessing. Y'all'll nigh certainly savour the bigger, brighter, more colorful screen and the other small improvements.

Still, for any Switch owner who's mulling over an OLED upgrade, I think it's worth taking a step back and request yourself why you want it. Is it because of the screen? That'due south fair, but the new screen is even so a 720p, 60 Hz display, which tin can't help simply feel limiting in a world of 4K consoles and QHD smartphones. That, and equally I'm always keen to point out, your eyes will adapt to a pretty new screen faster than you might think.

Every bit for the other 3 improvements, you can retrofit your existing Switch for relatively little money. The base Switch now supports Bluetooth speakers, so the OLED'southward sound quality isn't impossible to mimic. Plenty of third-political party cases and kickstands help the base of operations Switch stay upright. And you can go an Ethernet adapter for $30.

Psychologically speaking, getting a shiny new console is satisfying in a way that upgrading your old panel simply isn't. Merely, psychologically speaking, the happiness yous go from buying expensive new things tends to diminish pretty rapidly. At that place'due south a term in economics that'due south akin to this phenomenon: "marginal utility." The more you use something, the more than commonplace it becomes, and the less satisfaction you derive from information technology.

In other words: that Switch OLED may make y'all ecstatic for a week or and so. Later on that, it'll just be the machine you use to play Zelda, same as your terminal Switch.

Fourth dimension for an upgrade?

Nintendo switch products — (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

There is admittedly ane circumstance in which I might recommend a base-Switch-to-Switch-OLED upgrade — but I emphasize "might." If you take a base of operations Switch from 2017 or 2018, then your panel has a weaker battery than the Switch OLED. (If you have a base of operations Switch from Nov 2019 or later, then y'all accept the same battery as the OLED.) Also, that three- or four-twelvemonth-onetime Switch may have a weakened battery from continuous charging and recharging.

As such, if you tin sell or merchandise in your current Switch at a decent margin, then the Switch OLED upgrade may be worthwhile for the battery life alone.

Simply, again, this really depends on how you lot employ your Switch, and whether a battery upgrade is worth $150 or more. In our testing, a well-used launch model Switch got 3 hours and 29 minutes of bombardment life; a Switch OLED got 5 hours on the dot. An hr and a half of extra battery may non be that much of a difference, particularly if you lot don't often venture far from ability outlets. Similarly, you tin can get a pretty good portable charger for much less than $150.

In short, there are a few marginal cases where it might make sense for current Switch owners to upgrade to a Switch OLED. However, I think the Switch OLED, in full general, makes a lot more sense for newcomers to the Switch family. This manner, you can salvage your money for a more robust Switch Pro upgrade, which we'll hopefully get sooner rather than later.

Marshall Honorof is a senior editor for Tom'southward Guide, overseeing the site'southward coverage of gaming hardware and software. He comes from a science writing groundwork, having studied paleomammalogy, biological anthropology, and the history of science and technology. After hours, you can find him practicing taekwondo or doing deep dives on classic sci-fi.