Home·Screen specs

Nintendo Switch

Handhelds · HD · 2017

Resolution

1280×720

Diagonal

6.2"

Pixel density

237ppi

6.2"137.3 mm77.2 mm
Resolution1280 × 720
Resolution classHD
Diagonal6.2"
Pixel density237 ppi
Aspect ratio16:9
Total pixels921,600 · 0.9 MP
Physical size137.3 × 77.2 mm
Screen area16.4 in²
Pixel pitch107.2 µm
Pixels vanish at36.9 cm
OrientationLandscape
Released2017

How to read this

  • Pixel density (ppi) is how many pixels fit in one inch. Resolution alone cannot tell you — you have to divide by the diagonal.
  • The same 4K is 163 ppi on a 27" monitor and 68 ppi on a 65" TV. That is more than double, but a TV is watched from far away, so it does not matter.
  • The distance at which pixels vanish comes from one arcminute, the limit of human sight. Once a pixel looks smaller than that, no eye can find the grid.
  • Aspect ratio is width and height reduced to the simplest whole numbers. Modern phones are 19.5:9 or 20:9, so 16:9 video leaves black bars on the sides.

Frequently asked questions

Q. What is the Nintendo Switch screen resolution?

1280×720 pixels — 921,600 in total, about 0.9 megapixels, which puts it in the HD class.

Q. What is the pixel density of the Nintendo Switch?

237 ppi. That is the diagonal in pixels of a 1280×720 grid divided by the 6.2" diagonal of the panel, and it makes each pixel about 107.2 micrometres across.

Q. How big is the Nintendo Switch screen in millimetres?

137.3 mm wide and 77.2 mm tall, worked out from the 6.2" diagonal and the 16:9 aspect ratio. The visible area is roughly 16.4 square inches.

Q. How far away do pixels stop being visible on the Nintendo Switch?

About 36.9 cm. That is where a pixel subtends less than one arcminute, the limit of human sight — closer than that and the grid starts to show.

Q. What aspect ratio does the Nintendo Switch use?

16:9, with the long edge 1.78× the short one. It is wider than it is tall, which suits video and side-by-side documents.

Screens of a similar size

The same diagonal at a different resolution means a different density. 4K is 163 ppi on a 27" monitor and 68 ppi on a 65" TV.

DeviceResolutionDiagonalDensity
Steam Deck LCD1280×8007"216 ppi
Nintendo Switch OLED1280×7207"210 ppi
ROG Ally1920×10807"315 ppi
Steam Deck OLED1280×8007.4"204 ppi
PlayStation Portal1920×10808"275 ppi
Galaxy S241080×23406.2"416 ppi
Galaxy S211080×24006.2"424 ppi
Pixel 81080×24006.2"424 ppi