New Nintendo Switch Model Announced, Features Longer Battery Life

It's official: the original Nintendo Switch really is getting a new model. Now, it's not the long-rumored Nintendo Switch Pro or anything of the sort, but it is officially a new model, and it comes with longer battery life than the previous one. More specifically, Nintendo's official website claims the battery on the new model will last up to 9 hours.

Though it first appeared on Nintendo's Japanese website and social feeds, the new Nintendo Switch model does appear to be making its way to North America this year as well. The new model, dubbed HAC-001(-01) as compared to the original's HAC-001, is set to release mid-August 2019, according to Nintendo's official website.

Could this be the physical update indicated by the company's FCC filings? It certainly seems like it. The only listed change on Nintendo's website is the longer battery life, which would theoretically mean there's not too much fiddling that's been done to the console's components. Given that the extended battery life of the Nintendo Switch Lite was a selling point when the slimmer, handheld-only console was announced, the new model appears to further put the original console past the Lite in terms of overall features.

The original model of the Switch is listed as having between 2.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life, while the Nintendo Switch Lite clocks in at 3 to 7 hours. The new model of the Switch is said to have between 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life, making it the overall longest-lasting Nintendo Switch. As Nintendo notes on all three, battery life will vary based on the games played, with Breath of the Wild, for example, lasting around 3, 4, and 5.5 hours, respectively.

What do you think? Are you interested in the new model of the original Nintendo Switch? Let us know in the comments!

The new model of the Nintendo Switch is set to launch in mid-August for the same price as the original model, $299.99. The Nintendo Switch Lite is scheduled to launch on September 20th for $199.99. You can check out all of our previous coverage of Nintendo here.