In the time since the Switch hit store shelves, it's continued to grow in popularity. Just about everyone I know has one, and everyone I know uses it a little differently. Sometimes it's a board game and it never travels without an extra set of Joy-Cons for co-op action. Sometimes it's all of the above—a home console, a personal gaming device, and a party system. Mine's like a paperback. I curl up on the couch with it, lay in bed with it, carry with me everywhere, but I almost never use it in docked mode. That's why Nintendo's latest, the cheaper, smaller Switch Lite, feels custom-made for users like me.
Rather than go the add-more-stuff-and-charge-more-money route, Nintendo is taking its system to meet users where they are. That's where the Switch Lite comes in. It's smaller, cheaper, cuter, and it can only play games in handheld mode. With two Switch systems on the market now, there's a Switch out there for everyone. The only question is: How do you want to play?
Updated October 2019: We updated this piece and added some new info after reviewing the Switch Lite.
Let's start with how the two Switches differ from one another. The Switch (Classic) comes with a dock that can be used to turn your Switch into a home console like an Xbox One or PS4. The Switch Lite omits this feature, but both have the same internals and can play the same games. That's an important point here. There are no original-only or Lite-only Switch games. There's one kind of Switch game and they work on all Switch consoles.
That said, there are a couple caveats you should know about. The Switch Lite includes a set of Joy-Cons that are attached to the body of the console, they can't be removed and they don't have motion controls. But the Switch Lite can pair with and use external Joy-Cons and Pro controllers just like the original Switch. So if you wanted to play 1, 2, Switch (a party game which requires motion controls), you could still do that on the Switch Lite. You'd just need an extra set of Joy-Cons.
Speaking of physical differences, the Switch Lite is 3.6 inches tall and 8.2 inches long with a 5.5-inch screen, so it's a fair bit smaller than the standard Switch, which is 4 inches tall and 9.4 inches long with a 6.2-inch screen. But both Switches sport the same number of ports: one headphone jack, a USB-C port for charging, a game card slot, and an SD card slot for extra storage. The Switch Lite doesn't have a kickstand on the back, but it does support tabletop mode if a game allows it.
It's worth mentioning that the Switch Lite is incompatible with Nintendo Labo kits, which are designed for the original Switch dimensions and most of which require sensors and motion controls not included in the Switch Lite's onboard Joy-Cons.
When it comes to battery life, the Switch V2, the newest model, offers the most overall longevity. You'll get between 4 and 9 hours of gameplay out of a single charge, while the Switch Lite will see you through closer to 3 to 7 hours, depending on your games. The Lite does have more battery life than the original Switch. So if you bought yours before the refreshed Switch V2 came out, the Lite will offer a couple extra hours of play out on a single charge.
By now you should have a pretty good idea of which Switch you're leaning toward. If you're thinking about picking up a full-size Switch you should keep in mind you want to buy the Switch V2 (2018), not the Switch V1 (2017). To tell them apart you should look for Nintendo Switch consoles that include HAC-001(-1) in the product listing, like this one. If you're shopping in a brick-and-mortar store, be sure to ask if you're buying the 2018 model, and check to make sure the serial number begins with "XKW" and not "XAW." Yeah it's not a great way to tell these two systems apart. Just remember, "XKW" is new, "XAW" is old. All right, let's move on.
Because the Switch Lite is optimized for handheld play, it's a little cheaper (and more colorful) than its big sister, the Switch. It'll run you $200, or $250 if you pick up a screen protector and SD card. The Switch (Big) is still $300, but for that money you get a console that can play double-duty as a handheld and home system. So the question you need to ask yourself before deciding which Switch is right for you is a simple one: Will you use it in docked mode? If the answer is anything other than "Nah" you'd probably be better off going with the full-size Switch, just in case.
Comparing the Lite to the regular Switch is a little tough since they're essentially the same platform. It might be better to compare the Switch Lite to the Nintendo 3DS. In which case, the Switch Lite is the more future-safe option, not to mention it sports a growing library of home console-quality games that you just can't find on the 3DS.
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