Is It Worth Buying An iPod Touch In 2021?

Why wouldn’t someone just get an iPhone?

Wondering is it worth buying an iPod touch? Or perhaps you’re wondering why anyone would buy an iPod touch in 2021? We’re going to break all that down in this article – and it may surprise you to find that, in some cases, an iPod touch is a good purchase, despite the iPhone doing everything it does, and more.

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The Last iPod

The iPod is the product that defined the 21st century Apple more than any other. While the iMac had been a success after Steve Jobs return in 1998, it was the iPod, introduced in 2001 that turned Apple into a money-making machine.

Apple made new versions of the older iPods until 2012, but after that, the iPod touch is the only iPod that has been updated and that Apple still sells. The iPod touch was first introduced in 2007 and was essentially an iPhone without the ability to connect to a cellular network.

Despite the iPod touch being updated semi-regularly since its 2007 introduction, the design of the device hasn’t changed much. The iPod touch Apple sells in 2021 (last updated in 2019) looks much the same as the original iPod touch. Or to put it another way, the iPod touch looks pretty much like the iPhone SE Apple currently sells. The iPod touch is a touch screen device that still has a physical home button.

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As already mentioned, the iPod touch Apple sells in 2021 was last updated in 2019. Here are its specs:

• Storage: 32GB, 128GB, or 256GB
• Display: 4-inch Retina widescreen display with an 1136×640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi
• Color: Space Grey, Gold, Silver, Pink, Blue, Product Red
• Biometrics: Touch ID
• CPU: A10 Fusion
• Rear camera: 8MP with 1080p HD video recording
• Front camera: 1.2MP
• Connectivity: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth 4.1
• Connections: headphone jack and Lightning port
• Operating system: supports iOS 15
• Price: $199 (32GB), $299 (128GB), or $399 (256GB)

The iPod touch is still the best-looking MP3 player on the market (simply because few companies make dedicated MP3 players anymore). But it is also much more than an MP3 player, despite its name.

The iPod touch runs the latest iOS 15 and it supports the App Store, which means that you can download and run almost any app or game available in the App Store. It’s for these reasons that the iPod touch can be basically described as an iPhone without the cellular connectivity.

But what else does the iPod touch lack? Its chip is only an A10 Fusion, which is four years old now. It also does not have Face ID and instead offers Touch ID. Also, though the iPod touch has a front and rear camera, they are both pretty weak compared to today’s cameras on iPhones. And the iPod touch is not capable of recording video in 4K.

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For most people, the iPod touch is not worth buying in 2021. While the $199 entry-level price point is very attractive, the iPod touch sports a chip that is almost half a decade old. It also has pretty weak cameras by today’s standards.

However, the iPod touch may be a great option for a select group of people: children. Many young children (say, below 13) may want an iPhone so they can play games and surf the web. But an iPhone is expensive and usually comes with a monthly cellular plan attached. But if the child does not need the cellular option, the iPod touch is a perfect device that could tide them over until they reach the age where an iPhone is useful and appropriate for them.

And be sure to check out What Is Apple One? Also, check out What Is Apple Fitness+? Oh, and Is The iPod Touch Discontinued?

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Michael Grothaus

Apple expert and novelist, Michael Grothaus has been covering tech on KnowYourMobile for the best part of 10 years. Prior to this, he worked at Apple. And before that, he was a film journalist. Michael is a published author; his book Epiphany Jones was voted as one of the best novels about Hollywood by Entertainment Weekly. Michael is also a writer at other publications including VICE and Fast Company.