Nintendo 3DS XL vs Nintendo Switch Lite

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

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3DS XL compared with Switch Lite

	Nintendo3DS XL	NintendoSwitch Lite
Overview
Released
Released	July 2012	September 2019
Performance
Type
Type	Handheld	Handheld
CPU
CPU	–	NVIDIA customised Tegra processor
GPU
GPU	–	NVIDIA customised Tegra processor (integrated GPU)
Memory
Memory	–	4 GB
Storage
Storage	–	32 GB
Disc drive
Disc drive	No	No
CPU
CPU	–	NVIDIA customised Tegra processor (Tegra X1-based ODNX10-A1, according to iFixit)
Memory detail
Memory detail	–	4 GB LPDDR4X in two 16 Gb Samsung chips (iFixit; not published by Nintendo)
Storage detail
Storage detail	–	32 GB; about 6.2 GB is reserved for the system
Storage expansion
Storage expansion	SD cards up to 2 GB and SDHC cards from 4 to 32 GB; SDHC card included (UK manual; capacity stated on the box)	microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards
Display and video
Built-in screen
Built-in screen	4.88″ LCD, 800 × 240	5.5″ LCD, 1280 × 720
Built-in screen
Built-in screen	Upper 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)	Capacitive touch screen; 5.5-inch LCD; 1280 × 720. Nintendo doesn't publish the refresh rate
Video output
Video output	–	None
Audio
Audio	Stereo speakers with pseudo-surround and headphone output	Stereo speakers; 3.5 mm headset jack
Design and power
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	Up to 6.5 hours	Up to 7 hours
Weight
Weight	336 g	275 g (better)
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	SPR-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 off	About 3 to 7 hours (Nintendo support); the product page says more than six hours depending on the game (roughly four hours in The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild); 3570 mAh; charges in about 3 hours
Power use
Power use	–	4 W while gaming
Colours
Colours	–	Blue, Coral, Yellow, Grey
Size
Size	156 × 93 × 22 mm when closed (width × height × thickness); 336 g includes battery, stylus and SD card	–
Connections
Ports
Ports	Game card and SD card slots, charging cradle contacts, AC adapter connector and stereo audio jack	USB-C (charging only)
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth	Wi-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 requirement	Wi-Fi 5 (IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
Controller
Controller	One 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 controls with a +Control Pad; Joy-Con can be paired separately
Backward compatibility
Backward compatibility	Nintendo 3DS, DS, DSi and DSi-enhanced game cards; 3DS and DSi software must match the system's region (UK manual)	Nintendo Switch game cards only; games must support handheld mode