Nintendo Switch 2 will last 2-6 hours — half the time of Steam Deck OLED

Nintendo has officially revealed the Switch 2’s battery life, and if it surprises anyone, it’s not very good news.

The portable second console runs on a single charge less than the Switch OLED. The battery life at a time is even shorter than that of the original Switch in 2019, which lasted 4.5-9 hours. According to official data, the Switch 2 battery life ranges from 2 to 6.5 hours, depending on the game and settings.

Here’s how Switch 2’s battery life compares to other Nintendo consoles:

• Switch 2 — 2-6.5 hours
• Switch (2017) — 2.5-6.5 hours
• Switch (2019) — 4.5-9 hours
• Switch OLED — 4.5-9 hours

That is, if you play demanding titles, the battery of the new console can run out in just two hours. Considering that Switch 2 will support ports such as Elden Ring and Cyberpubk 2077, you will need to leave the charger for a while.

The reason for this decrease in autonomy is more powerful hardware Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch LCD display with 1080p resolution and HDR10 support and a more efficient processor. However, this means a faster battery drain compared to previous models. At the same time, we can’t say that Switch 2 has the worst performance. After all, the same ASUS ROG Ally lasts a maximum of 1.5 hours on powerful games, despite the fact that 20% faster than Steam Deck with the same TDP.

Here’s a comparison of Switch 2 with other competitors:

• Steam Deck OLED — 3-12 hours
• Steam Deck (LCD) — 2-8 hours
• ASUS ROG Ally — 1.5-4 hours
• Lenovo Legion Go — 2-6 hours

Also, the Nintendo console doesn’t charge fully very quickly, taking about three hours in sleep mode. This means that players may need to carry a portable charger for long sessions.

Source: Nintendo