Nintendo is negotiating a Switch 2 OLED with Samsung — but cost could kill it

Nintendo may be working on a Switch 2 OLED — but the company hasn't committed to it yet, and the price of upgrading the screen could be the thing that stops it. ZDNet Korea reported on July 13 that Nintendo is in active talks with Samsung Display to supply Full HD rigid OLED panels for a Switch 2 revision. If a deal is signed, mass production wouldn't start until late 2027.

The screen upgrade Nintendo wants

The Switch 2 currently ships with a 7.9-inch 1080p LCD made by Sharp. The OLED version Nintendo is reportedly targeting would use a rigid Full HD OLED panel from Samsung Display — the same supplier that provided the screen for the original Switch OLED in 2021. Rigid OLED panels cost significantly more than the LCD units in the current model, and that gap is Nintendo's problem.

The price barrier

Nintendo is already under margin pressure. The company announced a $50 / €50 price increase on Switch 2, effective September 2026, driven by an ongoing DRAM shortage. In the US, that pushes the console toward the $499 mark. Adding a premium OLED panel on top of that risks pricing out a large chunk of buyers — and Nintendo knows it. According to Notebookcheck, Switch 2 LCD sales have already come in below expectations, with the price hike cited as a key reason.

There's a historical pattern here. Nintendo launched the original Switch OLED four years after the base model — 2017 to 2021 — and the same supplier was involved. If the 2027 timeline holds for Switch 2, buyers who picked up the LCD version at launch in 2025 would be looking at roughly a two-to-three year wait.

Still just talks

No deal has been signed. Nintendo has not made any official comment, and Samsung Display hasn't confirmed anything publicly either. The ZDNet Korea report is sourced anonymously, and Nintendo's stated concern about consumer pricing suggests the company is genuinely undecided — not simply withholding an announcement.

For anyone already holding a Switch 2, there's no reason to wait. For anyone still on the fence, the OLED revision is a real possibility — but late 2027 at the earliest, and only if Nintendo can land on a price that doesn't push the console out of reach.