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How to Tell Which Nintendo Switch Version You Have by Serial Number

For standard Nintendo Switch consoles in the Americas, XAW indicates HAC-001 and XKW indicates HAC-001(-01). Find the serial on the console or in System Settings, then cross-check the printed model number.
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For standard Nintendo Switch consoles released in the Americas, a serial number beginning XAW identifies model HAC-001; one beginning XKW identifies HAC-001(-01), the revised model with a longer original battery-life estimate. Nintendo’s official model names are HAC-001 and HAC-001(-01); “V1” and “V2” are common informal labels. Check the model number printed on the console as a cross-check.

Where to find your Switch serial number

  • On the console: Look for the white sticker on the bottom of a standard Nintendo Switch.
  • In the system menu: From the HOME Menu, open System Settings, scroll to System, then select Serial Information. The serial number appears at the top of the list.

Nintendo’s instructions and prefix mappings below apply to systems released in the Americas. They should not be assumed to cover every sales region.

Match the serial prefix to the model

Serial begins with Nintendo model number What it identifies Nintendo’s approximate battery duration
XAW HAC-001 Original standard Nintendo Switch 2.5–6.5 hours
XKW HAC-001(-01) Revised standard Nintendo Switch 4.5–9 hours

Nintendo lists these prefixes and battery estimates in its serial-number guidance and battery-duration guidance. The estimates are approximate and vary with the console model, software, and functions in use; they describe expected duration, not the health of an individual used console’s battery.

Check which Switch family you have first

The XAW/XKW distinction is for the two standard Switch models, not every system in the Switch family. Nintendo’s Americas serial-number page lists these other systems:

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System Model number Serial prefix listed for the Americas Nintendo’s approximate battery duration
Nintendo Switch Lite HDH-001 XJW 3–7 hours
Nintendo Switch – OLED Model HEG-001 XTW 4.5–9 hours
Nintendo Switch 2 BEE-001 HAW or HAU Not stated on the cited serial-number guidance

These are distinct systems, not additional XAW/XKW revisions of the standard Switch. Nintendo’s battery guidance gives the Lite and OLED ranges; it does not make those ranges a way to verify the health of a particular unit.

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What the serial number can—and cannot—tell you

The XAW/XKW prefix is a quick way to distinguish the two standard models under Nintendo’s Americas guidance. If the identification matters for repair or resale, compare the prefix with the model number printed on the hardware. Nintendo’s cited guidance does not provide a complete serial-range decoder for a console’s exact manufacture date, motherboard, or every production variation, so do not infer those details from the prefix alone.

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Battery age is a separate question from model identity. Nintendo says that after about 800 charge cycles, a console battery will retain about 80% of its capacity compared with a new one. That is general guidance, not a way to identify a revision or measure a particular used console’s remaining capacity.

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