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Nintendo DS vs Nintendo DSi

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

Better figure, where one is clearly better

NintendoDSNintendoDSi
Overview
ReleasedMarch 2005November 2008
Performance
TypeHandheldHandheld
CPUARM946E-S, 67 MHz, plus ARM7TDMI, 33 MHzNintendo custom ARM CPU
GPUNintendo 2D and 3D graphics enginesNintendo TWL integrated graphics
Storage–256 MB
Memory4 MB–
Disc driveNoNo
CPUARM946E-S at 67.028 MHz and ARM7TDMI at 33.514 MHz (Nintendo NITRO Programming Manual)Nintendo's custom ARM CPU and GPU, marked TWL in iFixit's exact DSi teardown; Nintendo's public specification does not identify clock speeds
GPUTwo 2D graphics engines and a 3D engine with texture mapping, alpha blending and Gouraud shading; polygon-list memory holds up to 2,048 triangles (Nintendo NITRO Programming Manual)Integrated in the TWL chip (iFixit)
Memory detail4 MB main memory, 656 KB video memory, 32 KB shared work RAM and 64 KB ARM7 work RAM (Nintendo NITRO Programming Manual)–
Storage detailGames on Nintendo DS game cards256 MB of Samsung MoviNAND flash memory with an integrated MMC controller (iFixit); downloaded software runs from internal storage, with SD/SDHC cards used for backups rather than direct game launching (Ars Technica)
Storage expansionGame Boy Advance cartridge slot (Slot-2)SD and SDHC card slot
Display and video
Built-in screen3″ LCD, 256 × 1923.25″ LCD, 256 × 192
Built-in screenTwo 3-inch TFT LCDs, 256 × 192 each, 4:3; resistive touch screen on the lower oneTwo 3.25-inch transmissive TFT colour LCDs, 256 × 192 each, approximately 260,000 colours; five brightness levels and a touch screen on the lower display
AudioStereo speakers with virtual surround; built-in microphone; headphone and microphone jackBuilt-in speakers and microphone; DSi Sound plays unprotected AAC files with .m4a, .mp4 or .3gp extensions, 16–320 kbps and 32–48 kHz, and stores up to 18 recordings of up to 10 seconds each (Nintendo Japan)
Design and power
Battery life (maker's claim)Up to 10 hoursUp to 14 hours
Weight275 g214 g
Battery life detailUser-replaceable lithium-ion battery; 6–10 hours of play after about a 4-hour charge (Nintendo)TWL-003 user-replaceable battery pack; 840 mAh in iFixit's tested unit. Nintendo rates approximately 9–14 hours at lowest brightness, 8–12 at low, 6–9 at medium, 4–6 at high and 3–4 at highest; software, temperature, wireless and camera use affect runtime. Full charge approximately 2 hours 30 minutes
Power use–Approximately 2.8 W maximum while charging (Nintendo Japan manual)
Size–137 × 74.9 × 18.9 mm when folded (width × depth × thickness); approximately 214 g includes battery and stylus
In the box–DSi, AC adapter, two styluses, quick start guide, instruction manuals and support booklet (Nintendo Japan)
Connections
Ports–Nintendo DS card slot, SD card slot, AC adapter connector and stereo headphone/microphone connector
Wi-Fi and BluetoothWi-Fi IEEE 802.11b with WEPWi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g (DSSS/OFDM), 2.4 GHz, nominal range approximately 10–30 m depending on surroundings (Nintendo's Japanese manual); WPA2 works for supported DSi functions, while older DS games retain their older wireless-security restrictions (Ars Technica)
ControllerBuilt-in D-pad, A/B/X/Y, Start, Select, L and R buttons; stylusBuilt-in D-pad, A/B/X/Y, L/R, Start and Select buttons, stylus and touch screen; two fixed-focus CMOS cameras, approximately 0.3 megapixels each (Nintendo Japan)
Backward compatibilityGame Boy Advance games (not Game Boy or Game Boy Color)Nintendo DS and DSi games and installed DSiWare; no Game Boy Advance games or DS accessories requiring the GBA slot. DSi Shop purchases and free downloads ended on 31 March 2017 (Nintendo UK); launch-era reviews describe the service before closure

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