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KEY INFO
Manufacturer: Apple, inc
Price: From £169
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions: 123x659x6mm
Weight: 88 grams
Capacity: 32GB/64GB
Camera: 5MP, 1080p video
Battery life: 40 hours music, 8 hours video
The first thing to know about the new iPod touch is that it has exactly the same stunning screen that the new iPhone 5 has. It’s four inches on the diagonal, giving it the 16:9 aspect ratio that makes it perfect for watching HD movies. It also features the same new technology that puts the multi-touch sensor and the pixels on the same layer, which not only enables the device to be thinner, but also makes the colours more vibrant. Movies look especially good and we were more than happy to watch a whole film on this display.
It’s a big evolution from the previous iPod touch (whose display wasn’t as good as the iPhone 4S). Putting the old iPod touch and this new one side by side really shows how much the screen has improved. Of course the extra screen space means that you can squeeze an extra row of icons on your home screen, and games and apps that have been developed for the new screen are more immersive.
If the iPhone 5 was already impossibly thin then the fifth generation touch goes beyond impossible. At a shade over 6mm thick it really feels svelte in your hand, but it’s also sturdy enough. Despite being so thin it’s got the faster Apple A5 processor inside and better graphics performance. All this adds up to the new iPod touch being a great hand-held gaming device. Games look absolutely lovely, and it’s even easier to handle.
The new iPod touch incorporates an optional wrist strap.
The iPod touch makes a great purchase as a stand-alone camera, since you can also edit the photos on the device using apps like iPhoto. There’s also a new strap in the box, called an Apple Loop. To be honest we can live without this, but if you’re waving your iPod touch around as a camera it makes it feel more secure in your hand. At just five megapixels, the camera isn’t as good as the iPhone’s, but it’s decent enough and capable of 1080p video recording. The new Panorama feature for shooting a composite image of a wide scene also works on the new iPod touch, as does Siri – though the UK version is still crippled compared to that used in the US.
Apple has decided to add colour back into the range, and you can get the iPod touch in six different colours, which enables you to add a touch of personality. You also get the new EarPods, which are a big step up from the previous generation of Apple earphones.
At £249 and £329 the new fifth generation iPod touch costs the same as the previous generation, but it’s leaps and bounds ahead in terms of features, making it an essential purchase. With Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, access to the App and iTunes stores as well as a built-in camera, the new iPod touch is a brilliantly versatile little device – and we love it.
If you’ve been waiting for a really great upgrade before getting an iPod touch, this is the one…