Nintendo Switch battery lasts 5 hours at max brightness

Nintendo Switch will last up to 5 hours and 12 minutes at full brightness on the home screen not playing any games.

Published
Updated
10 minutes & 35 seconds read time

Battery life of Nintendo's new Switch handheld-console hybrid is always a concern, but a recent test shows that the Switch can last more than 5 hours at full brightness before it dies--provided you stay only on the homescreen and don't play any games.

Nintendo Switch battery lasts 5 hours at max brightness 532

The Nintendo Switch has a decently sized 4310mAh internal battery that Nintendo says can provide up to 6 hours of life on a single charge. We've seen that the Switch can last over 3 hours while playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but what about when you're not gaming? YouTuber FamilyGamerTV conducted a recent test to find out.

The test saw 20 mobile devices all with varying battery life, power efficiency and process architectures face off to see which lasted the longest. All of the devices were connected to Wi-Fi and turned up to maximum brightness.

Read Also: Nintendo Switch battery life analysis

The Nintendo Switch clocked in at 5 hours and 12 minutes, outlasting the PS Vita's 2210mAh battery and the massive 6930mAh battery of the iPad 2 and monster 8600mAh battery of the iPad Air. Check the full table to see how the Switch compared against other devices including iPad tablets.

It's worth mentioning that the batteries of these devices are likely not new, except for the Switch, so there's probably quite a fair bit of depreciation going on here. We don't know how old these devices are, how old their batteries are, and how many times they've been recharged, so this table comparison is far from exact.

The table below has the results of the test as well as the battery sizes of each device.

  • DSi - 2.41hrs - 850 mAh
  • 3DS - 3.25hrs - 1300 mAh
  • iPod Touch 2 - 3.39hrs 789 mAh
  • 2DS - 3.55hrs 1399 mAh
  • Game Boy Advance SP - 3.59hrs - 2x AA's / variable; 2,500 mAh or 1,200 to 1,900 mAh
  • iPad 2 - 4.00hrs - 6930 mAh
  • iPad Air - 4.04hrs - 8600mAh
  • New 3DS - 4.04hrs - 1400mAh
  • iPod Touch 3 - 4.13hrs - 789 mAh
  • DS Lite - 4.51hrs
  • PSP - 4.56hrs - 1200mAh
  • GBA Micro - 4.57hrs - 460mAh
  • PlayStation Vita - 5.01hrs - 2210mAh
  • Nintendo Switch - 5.12hrs - 4310mAh
  • iPad Mini 2 - 5.39hrs - 6470mAh
  • DS - 6.51hrs - 850mAh
  • New 3DS (XL Mugen Battery) - 15.02hrs - 6250mAh
  • GBA - 29.32hrs - 600mAh
  • Game Boy - 31.12hrs - 2x AA's / variable; 2,500 mAh or 1,200 to 1,900 mAh
  • Game Boy Colour - 35.45hrs - 2x AA's / variable; 2,500 mAh or 1,200 to 1,900 mAh
Nintendo Switch battery lasts 5 hours at max brightness 542

The Nintendo Switch will launch on March 3, 2017 for $299. Check below for a massive catalog of Switch coverage.

Everything we know about the Nintendo Switch:

Derek joined the TweakTown team in 2015 and has since reviewed and played 1000s of hours of new games. Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Newsletter Subscription

Related Tags