Last year, Bloomberg reported that a new Nintendo Switch Pro model would be out in 2021. Today they report some more specific details, such as the screen size and some 4K support.
The original report was very clear on the details, saying only that Nintendo “looked into including more computing power and 4K high-definition graphics,” but it has now been made clear to say that this new model will feature an OLED screen made by Samsung, which will be seven inches in diameter (current Switch models are 6.2 and 5.5 inches for the regular and Lite respectively) and have a resolution of 720p.
Also, perhaps, more importantly, it will produce 4K images when connected to a TV, which will result in a huge change in resolution when switching from dock to portable mode. Bloomberg’s report says production on the new screens will begin in June, with “displays slated for shipment to assemblers around July,” meaning this new model would be ready “in time for the holidays.”
In addition to this, other aspects internal to the Nintendo Switch Pro hardware should also be changed, considering that if the resolution in portable mode will remain 720p, according to Bloomberg’s article the new console should still be able to reach 4K once connected to the TV, so it is clear that in graphic terms it is a more powerful model than the current one, perhaps based on a revision of the internal Nvidia SoC.
During the last financial report, Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa had confirmed the absence of plans for the launch of new hardware, citing only the special editions of Nintendo Switch Mario Red & Blue Edition and Nintendo Switch Monster Hunter Rise Edition.
It is not clear when the new Switch should reach store shelves, the report speaks of an announcement expected “later in 2021” while the date of marketing is not known.
