When Nintendo finally unveiled the Switch OLED Model, impressions were mixed – it wasn’t a more powerful system, it was not the mythical ‘Switch Pro’. Instead, we were looking at a more incremental upgrade: the existing model improved via a larger, OLED panel along with quality of life improvements including a more robust kickstand. On the face of it then, perhaps not a big deal. However, the truth is that the Switch OLED Model will live or die according to the quality of its screen – and as an OLED enthusiast, I was really looking forward to checking it out. And the truth is, it’s a big, big upgrade to the handheld gaming experience.
The first thing you’ll notice when you take the Switch OLED out of the package is the quality of the new materials. The screen is now glossy, as is the bezel around it. The rail system that holds the Joycons in place feels more solid with less wobble and the whole device simply feels like a more premium design. Along the top, numerous changes are made to core elements: the power and volume buttons are different in shape and feel while the game card slot now uses a slimmer cover, which is slightly trickier to open than the original Switch.
Around the back you’ll find significant changes. Firstly, the legal information that adorns the back of the original Switch has been shunted beneath the new kickstand, leading to a sleeker design but it’s this revised feature that is one of the biggest physical changes. The original kickstand on Switch is, quite frankly, terrible – a flimsy piece of plastic that barely functions. The Switch OLED uses a solution more in line with the excellent Microsoft Surface products: it covers the width of the unit, it’s made of a stronger material and allows for a wide range of angles without the wobble of the original.
All told, the overall feel of the materials and the build quality is a surprising step up from the rather cheap-feeling original Switch. It’s a more premium take on the concept, but obviously, the improved build quality isn’t the main draw. That’s down to the new OLED panel, which is the main reason to consider upgrading to the new system. And put simply, I consider it to be the best panel in any dedicated handheld gaming console. Before you even power on the unit, it makes a good first impression – the screen area itself is completely black. This might not sound particularly interesting, but it actually addresses an issue I’ve always had with the original Switch, where the screen material itself appears greyish even when powered off. This means whether you’re in the dark, where IPS backlight glow becomes a serious issue, or in a lit room, where the panel material washes out the image, the original Switch never had particularly impressive contrast, something that the move to the OLED panel completely solves.