Nintendo Switch Pro Could Have A Larger Samsung OLED Screen

Despite the arrival of the Xbox Series X|S and the PlayStation 5, sales of the Nintendo Switch and its games have remained strong. That, however, will not last forever and Nintendo will need to up its Switch game sooner or later. That indeed might be later, at least in the second half of the year, with a new Switch model that could have a larger screen using Samsung OLED technology but the rumored specs that go along with what could be a Switch Pro might leave some feeling a bit conflicted.

Rumors and calls for a Nintendo Switch Pro have been going on for years but, in typical Nintendo fashion, the company has been slow to move, preferring to milk the current-gen model for all it's worth. Although it has performed well for four years, the Xbox and PlayStation are bound to make Nintendo worried. Unfortunately, this latest industry tip could leave fans disappointed instead.

To be fair, switching to an OLED display will have tangible benefits, like lower power consumption, higher contrast, and faster response times. That it will span 7 inches diagonally could give content more room to breathe. Unfortunately, the tip also says the larger screen will have the same 720p resolution, which translates to lower pixel density and may make images look more pixelated.

Screen resolutions have been a pain point for some Switch owners, especially when it came to the discrepancy between handheld mode and TV mode which supports up to a 1080p resolution. Ironically, Nintendo might actually make that worse to some extent by making the dock support up to 4K resolutions, widening the gap between the two modes.

Those sound like conservative upgrades that are admittedly on par with Nintendo's long-standing business strategies. Perhaps more important than the display itself, the Nintendo Switch Pro's processing power will be the deciding factor whether the company's next-gen console will be compared favorably to its predecessor and rivals.