Switch Lite has a smaller battery and new processor, FCC filings show
New documents provide a look inside Nintendo’s new Switch models
New filings with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have shown that Nintendo’s upcoming Switch Lite houses a smaller battery than the original Switch model.
The Verge uncovered FFC documentation, including photos, confirming that Switch Lite uses a 13.6 watt-hour (Wh) battery that’s 16 per cent smaller than the 16Wh battery found in original Switch model.
The revised version of the original Switch, which launched in some regions this month, features the same 16Wh battery as the launch model, the FCC filings also show.
This means increased battery life in both the updated original Switch model and Switch Lite, which launches in September, are being achieved mostly by using a more efficient processor. The handheld-only Switch also has a smaller screen.
Nintendo’s official estimate for the new Nintendo Switch’s battery life is between 4.5 and 9 hours, compared to the original model’s 2.5 to 6.5 hours and 3 to 7 hours offered by the upcoming Switch Lite.
The new Switch model will launch in “mid-August” in North America and Japan (and early September in the UK), but Hong Kong and Australian stores have already started selling the console.
An early user test shows the new Switch lasting for five hours and 36 minutes whilst playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in portable mode.
Another test has Fire Emblem: Three Houses running for two hours in portable mode, with 60% battery life remaining, suggests a runtime of five hours.
The Verge also notes that the circuit board of each Switch model has a different codename related to Norse mythology. The launch model Switch has “ODIN” spelled out on its board, while “ODNX01-A2” appears on the processor, perhaps signifying it’s the Tegra X1.
The recently updated Switch model includes “MODIN” on its board, perhaps suggesting it’s a modified version of the ODIN board and the processor.
Meanwhile, the Switch Lite uses “VALI,” which is the name of one of Odin’s sons.
Nintendo said in July that lifetime Switch hardware sales were approaching 37 million units.
