The LCD panel still isn't quite as good as OLED
Nintendo's Switch 2 enters the world carrying both genuine progress and a quiet compromise — a larger, sharper, more vibrant screen that nonetheless cannot fully escape the shadow of OLED technology. In the long arc of portable gaming, this moment reflects a familiar tension: the pursuit of the good enough versus the patience required for the ideal. For millions of players, the leap forward will feel transformative; for those who have already glimpsed deeper blacks and truer darkness, the wait for something better has simply begun again.
- The Switch 2's 7.9-inch LCD panel arrives with real muscle — 1080p resolution, 120Hz variable refresh, and HDR brightness that makes Mario Kart World feel almost tactile.
- But anyone who has spent time with an OLED screen — whether a Switch OLED or a Steam Deck OLED — will immediately notice the gray where black should be, and the visible edge where screen meets bezel.
- The contrast was made unavoidable by a single commute: riding into London with a Steam Deck OLED, then stepping into Nintendo's hands-on event and picking up the Switch 2.
- Nintendo is betting that brightness, resolution, and refresh rate improvements are enough to satisfy the majority — and for those upgrading from the base Switch or Lite, that bet will likely pay off.
- For OLED loyalists, the pattern of history offers cold comfort: Nintendo took four years to release an OLED original Switch, suggesting a Switch 2 OLED may not arrive until 2027 or 2028.
Nintendo's Switch 2 brings a meaningfully larger 7.9-inch screen without adding significant bulk — and what Nintendo has packed into that extra space is genuinely impressive. The panel runs at 1080p, surpassing even the Steam Deck OLED's resolution, while 120Hz variable refresh rates make lower-framerate games feel smoother than their numbers suggest. HDR delivers vibrant, punchy colors that make the original Switch's display look washed-out by comparison.
At Nintendo's Experience event, the improvements were immediately felt in handheld mode. Colors were vivid and alive — Mario Kart World's fine details, like mud collecting on kart bodywork, rewarded close attention. The brightness jump over the original console was impossible to miss.
The single meaningful trade-off is OLED, and it matters. Having used a Steam Deck OLED on the train that same morning, the Switch 2's LCD blacks — rendered as dark gray rather than true absence of light — were difficult to unsee. In dark, atmospheric games like Hades 2, the difference in contrast is stark. The bezel remains visible where an OLED screen would seem to dissolve into it.
For anyone coming from the base Switch or Switch Lite, the new screen will feel like a revelation. For OLED converts, the omission stings. Nintendo waited four years before releasing an OLED version of the original Switch, and if that pattern holds, an OLED Switch 2 may not arrive until 2027 or 2028. The full verdict awaits the console's June 5, 2025 launch — but the shape of the compromise is already clear.
Nintendo's new Switch 2 arrives with a screen that's noticeably larger and sharper than what came before, but it carries a compromise that will sting anyone who's grown accustomed to OLED technology. The original Switch, released in 2017, came with a 6.2-inch LCD panel capable of reaching about 370 nits of brightness. The Switch 2 jumps to a 7.9-inch display—a meaningful size increase that doesn't add much heft to the device itself.
What makes the new screen genuinely impressive is how much Nintendo packed into that extra real estate. The panel runs at 1080p resolution, which actually exceeds what Valve offers on the Steam Deck OLED. It supports 120Hz refresh rates with variable refresh technology, meaning games running at 30 or 40 frames per second feel smoother than their raw numbers suggest. The HDR implementation delivers vibrant colors and strong contrast ratios, a substantial leap from the washed-out appearance of the original console.
I spent time with the Switch 2 at Nintendo's Experience event last Friday, playing several titles in handheld mode. The brightness improvement was immediately apparent—the panel clearly reaches higher peak levels than its predecessor. Colors popped noticeably; Mario Kart World felt almost three-dimensional, with details like mud accumulating on kart parts becoming visible only when you looked closely. The larger screen made these improvements feel substantial, not incremental.
But there's a catch, and it's one that matters if you've been playing on a Switch OLED model or a Steam Deck OLED. That morning, I'd been using a Steam Deck OLED on the train to London, and the difference became impossible to ignore once I switched to the Switch 2. OLED panels achieve their deep blacks by simply turning off individual pixels—the screen literally isn't emitting light in those areas. On the Switch 2's LCD panel, blacks are rendered as very dark gray, and you can see where the screen ends and the bezel begins. On the Steam Deck OLED, that boundary dissolves. When playing Hades 2, a game heavy with dark imagery, the contrast was stark.
This is genuinely the only meaningful trade-off the new panel makes. Everything else—brightness, color saturation, resolution, refresh rate smoothness—represents a clear win over the original Switch. The larger size fits comfortably in a bag without the bulk of a portable PC. For anyone upgrading from the base Switch or the Switch Lite, the Switch 2's screen will feel like a revelation.
For OLED enthusiasts, though, the omission stings. Nintendo followed a similar pattern with the original Switch, waiting four years before releasing an OLED model in 2021. If history repeats, an OLED Switch 2 might arrive sometime around 2027 or 2028. Until then, the LCD panel represents Nintendo's bet that better brightness, resolution, and refresh rate technology can compensate for what OLED does best: rendering absolute darkness. The full picture emerges on June 5, 2025, when the console launches and reviewers can test it in real-world conditions.
Citas Notables
As an OLED die-hard, it's disappointing to see Nintendo omit the feature here— Gaming journalist (hands-on experience)
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Nintendo keep using LCD when OLED is clearly superior?
It's partly about cost and manufacturing scale. OLED panels are more expensive to produce, and Nintendo seems to be betting that improvements in LCD technology—the brightness, the HDR, the resolution—matter more to most players than perfect blacks.
But you said the blacks looked noticeably worse. Doesn't that undermine the whole experience?
It does in specific games, yes. Hades 2 made it obvious. But in something like Mario Kart World, where the art is bright and colorful, you barely notice. It depends on what you're playing.
So this is a compromise Nintendo expects people to accept?
More like a calculated trade-off. They're betting that a bigger, brighter, sharper screen at a reasonable price point matters more than waiting years for OLED to become affordable at scale.
Will people who own the Switch OLED feel cheated?
Some will. If you've been playing on OLED, the Switch 2's blacks will feel flat by comparison. But if you're coming from the original Switch, you'll be amazed. It's all relative.
Is there any chance Nintendo releases an OLED version later?
Almost certainly. They did it before—waited four years. If they follow that pattern, an OLED Switch 2 could arrive around 2027 or 2028. But that's speculation based on history.
So what's the real story here?
Nintendo made a screen that's genuinely better in most ways, but chose not to solve the one problem OLED solved years ago. It's a pragmatic choice, not a perfect one.