Qualcomm is reportedly building a Nintendo Switch clone, powered by Android

Enlarge / Android on the Nintendo Switch. Just think of all the Nintendo apps you're missing out on. (credit: Ron Amadeo)

Here's a wild report from Android Police's David Ruddock: Qualcomm is planning to build an Android-powered Nintendo Switch clone. This device would be a gaming-focused tablet with serious cooling and detachable side controllers. The Switch is powered by Nvidia's Tegra SoC and Nintendo's top-flight game designers, while this Qualcomm... game console (?) would be powered by a Snapdragon chip and run Play Store games. Qualcomm apparently plans to launch this thing in Q1 2022.

According to the report, the device would attempt to "showcase the company's Snapdragon chipsets in a less traditional form factor." This new form factor would be thicker than a normal smartphone and come with a 6000 mAh battery. Ruddock says that "the company believes that the added thermal headroom a thicker design affords will make its processor run faster and significantly more efficiently than a modern ultra-thin smartphone."

The report says Qualcomm is using "a premium supplier" to manufacture the Joy-Con-style controllers, and that, like a Switch, the device will support video-out for gaming on a TV. An SD slot will reportedly let you pack the device with games, and the system will run Android 12, Google's suite of apps, and a custom launcher. As a Qualcomm device, it will, of course, feature the latest 5G connectivity, but the report says, "We do not believe any version of the console will function as a standalone mobile handset (i.e., have telephony features)."

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