Nintendo has lifted the veil on another new Switch 2 feature that's looking like a game-changer for the new console, and one I need pretty much every piece of handheld electronics to start copying stat. You'll be able to cap your system's charge at 90% to help reduce the degradation of your battery over time.
As revealed in a new post on the Nintendo Today app, when you toggle this option on, "the Nintendo Switch 2 system stops charging when it reaches about 90% remaining battery. Pausing the charge at around 90% reduces deterioration to the battery. If 'Stop Charging Around 90%' is turned on, the charging speed will slow down around 90%."
Charging to 100% capacity every time is known to reduce the maximum charge of a battery over time, and that's true for pretty much any rechargeable device.
Options to cap your charge at a slightly lower maximum are becoming increasingly common on devices like iPhones and Android phones, as well as certain laptops, but it's not yet universal.
Nintendo has been reticent to make direct comparisons between the battery life of Switch 1 and Switch 2, because real-world performance is so dependent on the games and applications you're using. The official estimates put battery life anywhere between two and six-and-a-half hours, with the systems requiring around three hours to fully charge in sleep mode.
Whatever the Switch 2 battery life ends up looking like at launch, this feature should go a long way to ensuring the system keeps holding a charge for years to come.
Here's what you need to know about Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders.
