The Switch Lite hit the shelves on 20th September 2019. Having had plenty of time to test it, our Nintendo Switch Lite review will examine the console both as a standalone system and in comparison to the standard Switch.

Price

The Nintendo Switch Lite has a more affordable price of £199.99 with the original coming in at £279.99. The question is though, does a smaller screen, slightly lower resolution and a handheld only version warrant the £199.99 price tag? Ultimately, I would say not quite. A more appropriate price would be more so around £150+, but consoles usually come down in price over time.

Size and Weight

The dimensions of the original Switch are approximately 4 inches high, 9.4 inches long, and 0.55 inches deep with Joy-Cons attached. Whereas the Lite is approximately 3.6 inches high, 8.2 inches long, and .55 inches deep as a complete unit. The smaller size of the Lite adds to the portability, this is especially true with the Lite weighing 276 grams and the original weighing 400 grams with the Joycons attached.

Appearance

Making the console vailable in 3 different colours (with a Limited Edition Pokemon version coming in November) is a nice touch. The original Switch is customisable in terms of coloured Joycons, but that's it.

Resolution

Nintendo state the resolution for both consoles is 1280 x 720 however this is not the impression I got from using the Lite. As a result of the smaller screen, you would expect better quality, for me this just wasn't true. It was not that it was unplayable, but I find it hard to believe it was that high.

Battery Life

The battery life for both Switch consoles depends on which game you are playing. The original Switch (product serial number starts with “XAW”) lasts between 2.5 - 6.5 hours. The newer edition of the original (product serial number starts with “XKW”) you can get between 4.5-9 hours gameplay. Whereas the battery life for the Lite is between 3-7 hours approximately. Not bad.

Mode (Handheld vs All Others)

The biggest downfall of the Lite edition is that players can only use it in handheld mode. Whilst I personally prefer it that way this is not the case for everyone. The main unique selling point of the original Switch was to encourage a variety of ways to game, the Lite only having handheld mode majorly restricts this. Joycons can still be used with the Lite but without the fold-out stand, this proves to be rather fiddly. With the size and handheld only mode, the overall feel of the console is that like that of a higher quality GameBoy.

Conclusion

Overall I am impressed with Nintendo's first attempt at expanding the Switch range. It may have missed the mark on a couple points but I feel it is a strong contender to become a popular Christmas gift, especially for kids if the price falls at all. Definitely one to watch!

Our Score: 4 out of 5

If you liked our Nintendo Switch Lite review, why not check out more of our reviews on the blog!