Bloomberg said that Samsung will start mass production of 7-inch, 720p-resolution OLED panels as early as June with an initial monthly target of just under a million units.

The displays will be shipped to assemblers around July. The gaming community has speculated online about the introduction of an OLED or organic light-emitting diode screen, but Nintendo has stayed mum and President

Shuntaro Furukawa said in February his company has no plans to announce a new Switch "anytime soon".

Samsung's involvement is the strongest indication that Nintendo is serious about updating the console and on a large scale.

Nintendo decided to go with rigid OLED panels for the new model, the people said, a cheaper but less flexible alternative to the type commonly used for high-end smartphones. The latest model will also come with 4K ultra-high-definition graphics when paired with TVs, they said.

That could intensify a longstanding complaint of developers, who have struggled with the difference in resolution between handheld and TV modes and now face a bigger gap between the two.