Nintendo rolled out a significant update for the Nintendo Switch 2 that introduces a Handheld Mode Boost. In short: games made for the original Switch can now run in handheld with visual and performance levels closer to what you’d see when docked — at the cost of battery endurance.
A Reddit user tried this with Doom (2019) and posted concrete runtimes. With the boost on the console lasted ~3h43; with it off, ~5h05 — roughly a 25% drop in run time. So, yes: the extra oomph eats power noticeably.
How bad it looks in practice depends on the title. Demanding games (e.g., fast-paced shooters) will shave minutes off your session, while lighter ones stretch battery life out. The pattern is obvious: more performance → more power draw.
If you often play away from a charger, this trade-off matters. For those who prioritize graphical parity with docked play, accept shorter sessions; for marathon handheld runs, the normal mode still wins.