Nintendo 3DS XL vs Nintendo DS Lite

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

3DS XL compared with DS Lite
Nintendo3DS XLNintendoDS Lite
Overview
ReleasedJuly 2012March 2006
Performance
TypeHandheldHandheld
CPU–ARM9 CPU and ARM7 CPU
Disc driveNoNo
Storage detail–Games on Nintendo DS cards or Game Boy Advance cartridges; no built-in game storage
Storage expansionSD cards up to 2 GB and SDHC cards from 4 to 32 GB; SDHC card included (UK manual; capacity stated on the box)Game Boy Advance cartridge slot
Display and video
Built-in screen4.88″ LCD, 800 × 2403″ LCD, 256 × 192
Built-in screenUpper 4.88-inch 3D LCD, 800 × 240 with 400 pixels per eye in 3D; lower 4.18-inch touch LCD, 320 × 240; both display 16.7 million colours. Five brightness levels and power-saving mode (UK manual)Two 3-inch backlit TFT LCDs, 256 × 192 each, approximately 260,000 colours; four brightness levels and a resistive touch screen on the lower display (Nintendo Japan)
AudioStereo speakers with pseudo-surround and headphone outputBuilt-in stereo speakers and microphone; virtual surround in supported games; stereo headphone and microphone connector
Design and power
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 6.5 hoursUp to 19 hours
Weight336 g218 g (better)
Battery life detailSPR-003 replaceable 6.5 Wh lithium-ion pack; approximately 3.5–6.5 hours with 3DS software or 6–10 hours with DS software. Runtime depends on brightness, software, wireless use and temperature; cameras may shorten it further. Charge approximately 3.5 hours when offBuilt-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; approximately 15–19 hours at lowest brightness, 10–15 at low, 7–11 at high and 5–8 at highest, varying by software; full charge approximately 3 hours (Nintendo Japan)
Size156 × 93 × 22 mm when closed (width × height × thickness); 336 g includes battery, stylus and SD card133 × 73.9 × 21.5 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness)
Colours–Crystal White, Ice Blue, Enamel Navy, Noble Pink, Jet Black, Gloss Silver, Metallic Rose and Crimson/Black (Nintendo Japan's series page; regional ranges vary)
Connections
PortsGame card and SD card slots, charging cradle contacts, AC adapter connector and stereo audio jackNintendo DS card slot, Game Boy Advance cartridge slot and stereo headphone/microphone connector
Wi-Fi and BluetoothWi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz; infrared. Amiibo requires the separate NFC Reader/Writer (Nintendo UK); the retained Japanese page's NFC line conflicts with this accessory requirementIEEE 802.11 and Nintendo's own wireless protocol; nominal range 10–30 m depending on surroundings; supported games allow several consoles to share one DS card
ControllerOne Circle Pad, D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start, Select and Home; motion and gyro sensors. One inner and two outer fixed-focus 0.3-megapixel CMOS cameras (Nintendo Japan)Built-in D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start and Select buttons; touch screen and stylus; built-in microphone with voice recognition in supported games
Backward compatibilityNintendo 3DS, DS, DSi and DSi-enhanced game cards; 3DS and DSi software must match the system's region (UK manual)Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance games; no Game Boy or Game Boy Color cartridges. Game Boy Advance communication functions, link cable, Wireless Adapter, e-Reader+ and GameCube–GBA cable are unsupported

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