With the new Nintendo Switch now out and about, it didn't take long for the lucrative folks over at iFixit to gut it open and see what's inside.
Virtually every major new device gets the iFixit teardown treatment to reveal what's under the hood, how it all fits together, and how easy it would be to repair in case it gets damaged.
Nintendo Switch Teardown
The Nintendo Switch teardown reveals a massive battery, an impressive cooling system typically found on laptops and not consoles, and a great repairability score. More specifically, the Nintendo Switch scored an 8 out of 10 on iFixit's repairability scale, with 10 being the easiest to repair.
First off, the Nintendo Switch comes with some powerful specs on board, including a customized Nvidia T1 Tegra processor, 4 GB of RAM, a 6.2-inch display (1,280 x 720 pixels), 32 GB of native storage space expandable up to a whopping 2 TB via microSDHC or microSDXC cards, and a 4,310 mAh Li-ion battery. Other specs include a USB Type-C port (for the dock), three regular USB ports, stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
Laptop-Grade Cooling System
Even with all that power, it's still impressive (and surprising, frankly) to see such a cooling system packed into a console. As the iFixit teardown reveals, the Nintendo Switch cooling system consists of a large fan, a heat pipe, and a metal plate serving as a het sink so that hot spots don't form on the case.
The Nintendo Switch draws power from a 16 Wh li-ion battery, which is significantly superior to the 5.6 Wh battery fueling the Wii U GamePad. At the same time, it makes sense to put more effort in this department because the Switch is a portable console, as opposed to traditional consoles typically plugged into a power supply.
Nintendo Switch Repairability
The high repairability score is also great news for those who own or plan to own the Nintendo Switch. Some proprietary screws are used, as well as some strong adhesive that requires heating and prying to replace the display or digitizer, but otherwise most of the components can be easily replaced. That includes the analog sticks, the battery, the game cartridge reader and the headphone jack, all of which are modular. Moreover, the display and digitizer are not fused together, which on one hand increases the complexity, but on the other hand decreases the repair costs.
Nevertheless, the Nintendo Switch does have its share of issues. Some users have already reported display issues, Joy-Con connectivity issues or bricked consoles, while Nintendo warned that the Joy-Con wireless controllers are sensitive to interference. To avoid interference, Nintendo advises Switch users not to stay too close to TVs, microwave ovens, wireless devices and, oddly enough, aquariums.
Overall, the Switch ranks well in terms of specs, battery and repairability, and the iFixit teardown proves it. Without further ado, check out the video below to see the Nintendo Switch portable console teardown in all its glory, getting the iFixit teardown treatment.
