ZDNET Korea is reporting (thanks Nintendo Life) that three sources have informed the site that Nintendo is actively pursuing development of an OLED edition of the Switch 2. Reportedly featuring the same resolution as the launch Switch 2’s 1080p FHD, if the claims are true it’d likely be expected to appear toward the end of 2027 or start of 2028.
According to ZD Korea, their three sources suggest an OLED version of the Switch 2 would have its new, brighter screen once again created by Samsung, which also made the original Switch OLED’s 720p 7″ screen. There’s no word in there about whether this screen would also be larger (the original, non-OLED Switch was only 6.2″), although given the form factor of the Switch 2 and its minimal bezel, it doesn’t seem that there’s a lot of room to increase from its starting 7.9″.
In the regular universe, this wouldn’t be the most surprising news. The original Switch was released in 2017, with an upgraded OLED version appearing four years later in 2021. It gave the console a second wave, and caused a lot of people to buy a second version of the same device to take advantage of the larger, clearer screen, even if it was running on near-identical tech underneath. It makes sense in a more difficult financial climate to not wait as long as four years this time round, and if the assumed timings are correct and the new version goes into active development at the end of 2026 and reaches mass production a year later, it’d be just under three years between the two different models—certainly enough time for those with the means to consider an upgrade.
Hope of brightness?
However, we’re no longer in the regular universe, and right now we’re seeing six-year-old consoles massively increasing their prices instead of re-releasing in cheaper, slimmer models. The component shortages caused by the genAI bubble are making it increasingly expensive to produce hardware, and Nintendo itself only just raised prices on the Switch 2 less than a year after its launch. As such, creating a more expensive version of the same device seems a potentially risky move.
At the same time, the Switch 2’s screen is already really lovely, sporting a far less muddied and more colorful output than the original LCD Switch 1. It does feel less imperative to see that improve, potentially making an OLED version a harder sell. That said, it could be far better, and then temptation calls.
None of ZD Korea‘s sources had any word on prices for a new version, although that’s unsurprising given the reports suggest it’s not yet in active development. Clearly Nintendo won’t be releasing any information at all at this time, given how much the company dislikes such leaks and usually opts to publicly ignore them. The Switch OLED was announced just three months before its release, and it’s sensible to expect something very similar this time around too.