With Nintendo revealing a new Nintendo Switch refresh sporting double the battery life, retailers the world over will be slashing prices on the old variant. What this means is, if you want the Nintendo Switch with better battery life, you’ll need to be aware of several crucial details before parting with your hard earned cash. Here’s how you can tell if the Nintendo Switch you’re buying is the new one.
New Nintendo Switch 2019 model number
This Nintendo Switch 2019 model number is labelled as MOD HAC-001-01. The original version of the Nintendo Switch is missing the additional ‘01’ at the end, known as MOD-HAC-001.
New Nintendo Switch 2019 serial number
Furthermore, look out for ‘XKW’ at the beginning of the Nintendo Switch serial number. The older edition has codes that started with ‘XAW’.
New Nintendo Switch 2019 box
Aside from these two methods, the box of the Nintendo Switch 2019 refresh is completely red versus the red and white packaging that the system has had since the 2017 launch. This is what the new one looks like:
Meanwhile, the old Nintendo Switch box which you’ll want to avoid, looks like this:
New Nintendo Switch 2019 model battery life versus old Switch
The currently available Nintendo Switch offers 2.5 to 6.5 hours of battery life with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lasting for 3 hours in specific conditions. The New Nintendo Switch Model that is still called the Nintendo Switch will offer 4.5 to 9 hours of battery life with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild lasting for 5.5 hours. This is a huge upgrade.
New Nintendo Switch 2019 model release date
It will launch beginning in September in Europe while Japan and USA get it in the middle of August. No announcement has been made for other regions right now.
New Nintendo Switch 2019 model India release date
The stock that is made available in India through parallel imports is from all regions so expect a release here a few days after USA and Japan.
