New Nintendo Switch doesn’t use upgraded Sharp screens

The new Nintendo Switch features a new screen model but it’s not the upgraded IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) display from Sharp reported to be lined up for a future version of the console.

That’s according to a teardown from Youtube creator Kevin Kenson, which confirms that the new Switch has an updated screen model number, perhaps explaining why tests revealed the screen is both brighter and closer to true light balance in tone.

According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal this month, Sharp said its IGZO display will be used in Nintendo Switch in the future.

The company did not specify which Switch model would begin using the IGZO screens, but it did claim that they would offer offer the possibility of higher resolutions, low energy consumption and increased durability.

Sharp said its IGZO screens – which have been used in various devices since 2012 – can reduce power consumption to one-fifth or even one-tenth that of conventional screens.

It also claimed that due to the unique method in which the screens are produced, they’re able to achieve higher resolutions on a small surface.

It’s not yet clear if IGZO could be used in the upcoming Nintendo Switch Lite, which is scheduled to release in September, although Nintendo makes no mention of screen improvements in its marketing.

Featuring significantly improved battery life and a different version of Nvidia’s Tegra chip, the new Switch model will launch in “mid-August” in North America and Japan, and early September in the UK, although Hong Kong and Australian stores have already started selling it.

Nintendo’s official estimate for the new Nintendo Switch’s battery life is between 4.5 and 9 hours, compared to the original model’s 2.5 to 6.5 hours and 3 to 7 hours offered by the upcoming Switch Lite.