Three years after the release of the iPod Touch (5th Generation), Apple finally decided to release an updated 6th Generation iPod Touch with several very welcomed new improvements. For starters, the new iPod Touch is available in five colors: Space Gray, Gold, Blue, Pink and Silver. For the first time ever, you can now buy a gold iPod.
We also have new improvements to the processor. Out with the old and in with the new A8 chip which was first available in the iPhone 6. It’s a 64-bit processor and it’s paired with an M8 motion coprocessor that handles games like a champ. GeekBench 3 gives this new iPod Touch a single-core score of around 1300 and a multi-core score of around 2500, which is nearly six times as powerful as the previous generation. How awesome is that?
What does this translate to in real world performance? That’s the real question here. Well, it’s very fast. As you can see here, you can launch apps quickly and you can navigate iOS in a breeze. Since the iPod Touch is more of a portable gaming device than a music player nowadays, this is all very good news because it allows you to game lag and stutter-free for the most part. Now if you do use this device as a music player first and foremost, you should be happy to know that iOS 8.4 runs natively out of the box and gives you access to Apple Music.
One big disappointment, in my opinion, with the iPod Touch has to do with the unchanged display size. It’s a 4-inch LCD display with 1136x640 resolution and a 326ppi index. And while it looks great and colors are super accurate and text is very sharp and detailed, it’s still a very small display. I would have liked to have seen a larger 4.7-inch display kind of similar to the iPhone 6. But unfortunately, it is the same display size as the 5th Gen iPod Touch.
The iSight camera received a very big upgrade. It’s now an 8MP camera sensor with an f2.4 aperture and it can capture some pretty solid photos. They’re not as detailed or advanced as the sensor found in the iPhone 6 but you can definitely capture some good results with good dynamic range and exposure. Considering what we had before, it’s certainly an improvement. The 1080p HD video recording also isn’t half bad. You can still tap to focus while recording, shoot slow mo video at 120fps and take time lapse video. It doesn’t have OIS or Optical Image Stabilization but it has Digital Video stabilization that is decent.
Even the FaceTime HD camera received an upgrade. It can now capture 1.2MP photos which doesn’t really sound very impressive at all but it does have an f2.2 aperture and 720p HD video recording. So your FaceTime video chats will look better especially in low light.
The design of the 6th Gen iPod Touch is nearly identical as it’s still crafted with high quality aluminum. It measures in at a razor thin 6.1mm thick and weighs just 3.1oz. There is no longer a loop for a wrist strap, something we had with the 5th Gen Touch. But honestly, I feel like most people didn’t even use it.
While the battery has been increased from a 1030mAh battery to a 1043mAh battery, it’s not even worth mentioning (although I just did). Apple estimates you can get up to 8 hours of video playback and 40 hours of music playback. I was able to game for several hours without needing to charge the device. Most of the music I listened to was streamed which does use up more power. But the battery life as a whole isn’t really too bad at all, especially considering how thin it is. And standby time is really fantastic.
The iPod Touch 6th Gen starts at $199 for the 16GB variant, $249 for 32GB, $300 for 64GB, and $400 for 128GB. Since you can’t add storage via an SD card, I would recommend the 32GB model especially if you plan on listening to a lot of music or downloading a bunch of games. 16GB just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Overall, the 6th Gen iPod Touch is worth it if you don’t have an iPhone and want to experience the latest version of iOS whether it’s using it for social media or playing games. Personally, I would recommend an iPhone or a smartphone in general if you can afford it. But I understand they are expensive. The iPod Touch 6th Gen is a great device for kids especially between the ages of 8 and 15 or really just anyone who wants to experience iOS and all it offers without buying an iPhone.