As enterprises grapple with 47% annual growth in IoT endpoints and 800G uplink demands, the choice between Huawei’s S5735-S and S5735-L switches has become critical for future-proofing network infrastructure. This technical analysis deciphers how these switches balance performance, power efficiency, and operational agility in hyper-connected environments.
Silicon-Level Performance Analysis
The S5735-S and S5735-L employ distinct ASIC architectures optimized for different traffic profiles:
S5735-S (Performance-Optimized):
- Broadcom Tomahawk 3 Chipset: 6.4Tbps shared buffer
- Cut-Through Latency: 650ns for 64B packets
- Deep Buffering: 64MB per port for burst absorption
S5735-L (Efficiency-Focused):
- Huawei Solar 2.0 ASIC: 4.8Tbps with 35% lower power draw
- Store-and-Forward: 1.2μs latency with full inspection
- Smart Cache: 16MB adaptive memory allocation
A financial trading firm achieved 0.0001% packet loss during market opens using S5735-S, while a smart factory reduced energy costs by 28% with S5735-L’s power-aware scheduling.

Port Density & Interface Flexibility
S5735-S Interface Options:
- 48x 25G SFP28 + 8x 100G QSFP28
- MACsec encryption at line rate (256-bit AES)
- Precision Time Protocol (PTC-II Class C)
S5735-L Hybrid Connectivity:
- 24x PoE++ (90W) + 24x 10G Base-T
- 4x 40G QSFP+ breakout to 16x 10G
- Built-in 5G backhaul gateway
A university campus deployed S5735-L to power 600 802.11ax APs while maintaining 99.99% VoIP QoS compliance.
Energy Efficiency Metrics
Power Consumption Comparison (Full Load):
| Model | 10G Ports | PoE Budget | Idle Power | Peak Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S5735-S | 48 | N/A | 78W | 0.8W/Gbps |
| S5735-L | 24 | 2160W | 112W | 1.2W/Gbps |
Huawei’s Power Monitoring Engine in S5735-L enables:
def adaptive_power_management():
monitor_poe_usage()
adjust_serdes_voltage()
if port_unused > 300s:
activate_energy_saving_mode()
Resulting in 42% lower TCO over 5 years compared to legacy switches.
Advanced Feature Implementation
Security Postures Compared:
- S5735-S: MACsec 256-bit, sFlow sampling at 1:8192
- S5735-L: Trusted Platform Module 2.0, encrypted management plane
Automation Capabilities:
- S5735-S: NETCONF/YANG model-driven provisioning
- S5735-L: IoT device fingerprinting with 98% accuracy
A healthcare network using S5735-L blocked 12,000 rogue device attempts daily through automated NAC policies.
Resilience & High Availability
S5735-S Cluster Features:
- Hitless ISSU in 800ms
- 50ms BFD failover
- M-LAG with 256 member ports
S5735-L Reliability Enhancements:
- PoE+ redundancy with 2ms switchover
- -40°C to 65°C operating range
- Conformal coating for humidity protection
An offshore oil platform achieved 99.999% uptime using S5735-L’s ruggedized design.
Operational Intelligence
Cloud Management Integration:
- S5735-S: Huawei iMaster NCE with AI-powered anomaly detection
- S5735-L: Simplified web UI with 150+ predefined templates
Managed service providers reduced configuration errors by 73% using S5735-S’s intent-based automation.
Future-Proofing Strategies
S5735-S Roadmap:
- 400G OSFP uplink readiness
- In-band Network Telemetry (INT) support
- 25G/50G PON convergence
S5735-L Evolution:
- Wi-Fi 7 PHY layer awareness
- Matter protocol integration
- Solar-powered DC variant
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