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Nintendo has officially disclosed that it's planning on releasing a new version of the Switch 2, updated to comply with European Union regulations. According to these new rules, certain devices, including portable handhelds, need to have easily user-replaceable batteries if they wish to be sold in the region. The law goes into effect from February 18, 2027, so we can assume Nintendo will have an updated Switch 2 out by then.
The company has a dedicated "Compliance with EU Directives and Regulations" page on its website that was just updated with a new "Batteries Regulation" section. It mentions how the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive has made replaceable batteries mandatory and that "Nintendo is implementing measures to comply with these requirements by preparing versions of products to meet the Regulation."
The last part of the sentence is the important bit; it confirms that the company will launch a Switch 2 with user-replaceable batteries sometime between now and February 2027. The products falling under this category come with model numbers starting with "BEE," and in the future, they'll have an additional code "OSM" visible on the package to indicate "separate products for regulatory purposes."
That specific wording makes it sound like the Switch 2 units that comply with the new battery rules are different from a regular Switch 2, almost discouraging users from opting for it willingly. Moreover, the "BEE" model number is also designated to Switch 2 Joy-Cons and the Pro Controller, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be updated with replaceable-battery models as well.
Whatever ends up happening, it's important to keep in mind that we're talking about the European Union only, so don't expect to see a potentially revised Switch 2 being sold in North America or Asia. Of course, it can be imported, but we don't know whether Nintendo will region-lock the consoles to ensure they only work in the EU. Currently, Switch 2 models and games (outside of Japan) are not region-locked.
Lastly, you can still swap out the batteries in a regular Switch 2 today, but it's a very involved process, similar to a modern smartphone — if not harder. There are about 36 steps listed in iFixit's guide just for getting the battery out, and another 27 after for reassembly. The console overall has a 3/10 repairability score, lower than the original Switch, and much lower than even the latest iPhone 17 Pro lineup.
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