Introduction

After testing the charging compatibility of the Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode, we're now shifting our focus to its TV mode. One key question remains — how much power does it really take to activate the docked mode and get the system running on a big screen?

In today's test, we will explores which chargers and power banks can successfully trigger TV output, and how the Switch 2 behaves under different power conditions. Let’s plug in and find out.

Charging Compatibility Test

Original Chargers

We tested the official 60W charger that comes with the Switch 2, paired with its dock, and successfully activated TV mode. Using the POWER-Z KM003C tester, we recorded a charging power of 19.85V at 0.92A, totaling 18.22W.

Third-party Chargers

After reviewing the official charger’s performance, let’s take a look at how the Switch 2 handles third-party chargers in docked mode—specifically, whether they can activate TV mode. In this test, we selected nearly 100 different chargers. Here are the detailed results:

Let’s start with the CUKTECH 65W charger. When used with the dock, it successfully activated TV mode, and we measured a charging power of 19.96V at 0.88A, which is 17.66W.

Based on the compatibility data of third-party chargers paired with the Switch 2 dock, none failed to provide power entirely. However, charging power ranged from as low as 3W to as high as around 19W. From the results, we found that to activate TV mode, the charger must support 20V output and offer at least 60W of PD power.

We visualized the charging power data in a bar chart, which clearly shows that:

• 20W chargers cannot activate TV mode and deliver only about 3W,
• 35W chargers also fail to activate TV mode, offering around 13W,
• Only chargers with 60W or more can activate TV mode, providing between 16W and 20W.

Power Banks

Next, we tested the AOHi 27600mAh 240W power bank with the dock, which also successfully activated TV mode. The charging power measured was 19.81V at 0.83A, totaling 16.38W.

We summarized all data in a table and found that the dock's compatibility with power banks is similar to that of third-party chargers: they must also support 20V output and provide over 60W of power to activate TV mode.

All power banks rated under 60W failed to activate the Switch 2’s TV mode, with charging power ranging from 2W to 17W. For example, the Xiaomi 20000mAh 50W (3rd Gen) power bank, despite offering relatively high power, still couldn’t activate TV mode. That’s because although it supports 20V, it only supplies 2A—insufficient to meet the Switch 2’s TV mode activation requirements. On the other hand, all power banks supporting the 60W PD protocol successfully activated TV mode.

Summary of ChargerLAB

Compared to its predecessor, the Switch 2 has stricter requirements for activating TV mode via the dock. While the previous generation only required 15V at 3A, the Switch 2 demands higher voltage and current—specifically, 20V at 3A. Therefore, when choosing a charger for the Switch 2, we recommend prioritizing models that support the 20V/3A 60W (or higher) PD protocol to ensure stable activation of docked mode and to meet the device’s power demands.

Related Articles：
1. Unboxing of Nintendo Switch 2
2. How Fast Is Nintendo Switch Charged? - ChargerLAB Compatibility 100
3. Charging Compatibility Test of Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld Mode)