// ENGADGET — HARDWARE & GADGET
EasySMX S10 Lite review: A Switch 2 fidget toy with a weird removable faceplate
EasySMX is using Elizabeth Holmes levels of pedantry with this faceplate situation.
Of all the Switch 2 controllers I've reviewed in 2026, this is probably the most unexpected pick. EasySMX isn't as well-known as 8BitDo or Turtle Beach, and the S10 Lite is its most pared-down Switch 2 gamepad, regularly listed for $40. The price is exactly what intrigued me about the S10 Lite in the first place, considering most Switch 2 controllers cost around $70, and Nintendo's own Pro Controller is $90. A feature-rich gamepad that can potentially compete with 8BitDo's incredible, $30 Ultimate 2C? I'm here for it.
And then just as swiftly, I'm gone. While the EasySMX S10 Lite has supremely tactile buttons, Hall effect sticks with a soft-hit feel, motion controls and strong haptics, it also has a semi-transparent, magnetically attached faceplate that's so wonky and cheap-feeling that it overshadows the controller's more attractive features. I'm someone who tends to enjoy oddball ideas in my gaming accessories and I can't fully make sense of the S10 Lite faceplate. The way that EasySMX has chosen to market this removable piece of plastic, using misleading verbiage around the availability of custom options, has only poured fuel on the confusion fire.
First, the basics and the good bits. The EasySMX S10 Lite is indeed light and compact, with a creamy plastic finish along the body and an anti-slip diamond texture on the backs of the grips. There are two buttons on the rear of the controller, mappable by pressing and holding a small nearby input marked M. I wish the rear buttons crept up the sides of the grips more, allowing my fingertips to more comfortably hit them, but they're certainly within reach and nice to have. The S10 Lite comes in two colors, ice blue or pastel pink, and while the pink is clearly the cuter option, they're both charming.
There are some fabulous modern features built into the S10 Lite, including precise, anti-drift Hall effect analog sticks that hit the sides of their enclosures silently and super softly. The sound and feel is comparable to Nintendo's proprietary soft-hit action on the Pro Controller, which is a notable feat. That said, the stick click on the S10 Lite is a little too stiff for my liking, and it does make an audible pop when pressed. I'm not personally complaining about the noise, which I find soothing on an ASMR level, but it's notable when the sticks themselves are so darn pillowy otherwise.
The face buttons are tactile microswitches with a wonderfully clicky sound and feel. However, they're also fairly rigid, especially compared with something like the springy mechanical buttons on Razer's Wolverine V3 Pro (my personal favorite gamepad, though it only supports PC and Xbox, and also costs an eye-watering $200. See? I told you the price point was appealing here). The haptics in the S10 Lite are nice and strong, with four intensity settings, and at most they make a slight whining sound rather than grinding.
The bumpers and wide-flared triggers stand out prominently from the chassis, and the triggers have a clicky microswitch action like the face buttons. While I do adore fidget-toy features in my controllers — and the S10 Lite definitely delivers on this point — in-game, I prefer a smooth and sensitive Hall effect pull in the triggers. It's a tradeoff between satisfying sounds and modern comfort that you'll have to consider for yourself.
I like that the home, GameChat and capture buttons are lined up at the bottom of the controller's face, separate from the plus and minus inputs in the center of the pad. This configuration should reduce the number of random, accidental screenshots that you end up taking while trying to quickly open the inventory in Resident Evil Requiem or peep the menu in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, for completely random example.
The S10 Lite has nine-axis motion controls and a Turbo function that allows you to set input macros to a simple button combo. It's also able to wake u