The upgraded Nintendo Switch model that has been rumoured for some time is now believed to have a 7-inch, 720p resolution OLED display panel.
Bloomberg reports that Samsung Display Co. will start to mass-produce the displays “as early as June,” initially hoping to create just under a million units per month. These will then be shipped for assembly from “around July,” with the expectation that Nintendo will reveal the product to help maintain and boost the momentum that remains behind the portable home console leading into the holiday season.
As to how the OLED display panel could benefit the portable home console, the publication spoke to DSCC co-founder Yoshio Tamura who explained: “The OLED panel will consume less battery, offer higher contrast and possibly faster response time when compared to the Switch’s current liquid-crystal display.”
The rigid OLED panels that Nintendo has chosen for the upcoming Nintendo Switch model are seen to be “a cheaper but less flexible alternative” to those used in high-end smartphones. Bloomberg’s sources also indicated that the model would offer support for 4K ultra-high-definition graphics when docked in TV mode.
With market prices for rigid OLED panels falling due to excess supply, it became an affordable choice for Nintendo to consider and if the console remains at the same size as the standard Nintendo Switch would likely see the bezel surrounding the existing display reduced on the new model.
It had been previously rumoured that a new Nintendo Switch model had entered production for release in early 2021. Taipei-based Economic Daily News reported that “unidentified people in the supply chain” had revealed to them that Nintendo was preparing to launch the “new version.”
Bloomberg backed up this report, citing “people familiar with the matter.” For this “upgraded model,” Nintendo has explored “including more computing power and 4K high-definition graphics.”
Back in March 2019, The Wall Street Journal first reported that the company was working on new models that would target hardcore and casual markets. The Nintendo Switch Lite was revealed months later, alongside a revised standard model with improved battery life.
Rumours resurfaced around a new Nintendo Switch model releasing in mid-2020, with another adding that a “next-gen” portable home console had been delayed due to technical issues.
