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Did you lose or break your original Nintendo Switch charger? Maybe you bought your console from a friend, minus the power adapter. Here are some recommendations for safely charging and powering your console in both portable and docked mode.
Nintendo's Official Power Adapter Is the Safest Choice
When the Switch was first released, there were reports of third-party docks causing irreparable damage to the console. It later transpired that the Switch used non-USB-C compliant circuitry that could potentially overdraw by 300%, causing the console to fry itself when used with some third-party docks or power adapters.
The problem is almost exclusively linked to docked play, where the overdraw can fry a power delivery chip that the Switch relies on to charge. Once that chip is fried, the Switch can no longer charge and is effectively dead.
For that reason, your safest bet for an all-in-one power adapter and portable charger is to purchase the official Nintendo Switch power adapter. This will allow you to safely charge your Switch while playing in handheld mode and provide power while the Switch is in the dock that came with your console.
Nintendo Switch AC Adapter
Charge your switch safely with Nintendo's official power adapter which connects directly to the Switch or the dock for TV play.
Portable Docks Offer Some Utility, Too
Portable docks do away with the "cradle" design of the original Nintendo Switch in favor of something much more pocketable and travel-friendly. The engineer in the Reddit post we've linked to above put that information to use when they helped design the Human Things Genki Covert Dock, a crowd-funded project.
GENKI Global Covert Dock for Nintendo Switch - Ultra Portable Dock and USB-C 3.1 Cable for TV Docking & Charging, Additional 3 Regional Adapters Included
This portable Nintendo Switch dock is about the size of a wall charger and even comes with the USB-C cable required to dock your Switch (but you'll need to supply an HDMI cable).
We've recommended this portable dock in the past for its utilitarian design and rock-solid reputation. Designed to Nintendo's power specifications, rather than the USB-C standard, the Genki Covert Dock looks more like a power adapter with three ports: a USB-C connecting your Switch, HDMI for connecting to a display, and USB-A for pairing and charging peripherals.
This is a great solution if you're looking for something travel-friendly that will let you charge your Switch in portable mode and act as an all-in-one dock. The Human Things dock will cost more than twice the price of an official Nintendo-branded replacement but arguably provides twice the utility too.
Be Careful With Third-Party Docks
Due diligence is required when purchasing a third-party Nintendo Switch dock for the reasons outlined above. Read reviews, check ratings, and make sure that the dock you're using is safe and won't cause issues with your console. This goes for both the original Switch and revised OLED model.
Now you know your way around the dock and power adapter problems, understand which memory card is best for your Switch and how to make portable play more comfortable with Joy-Con replacements and controller mounts.