iPod touch

Apple's final iPod, now discontinued.

By MacRumors Staff
iPod touch

The 2019 iPod touch

Apple in May 2019 refreshed the handheld non-cellular iPod touch for the first time in several years, introducing an improved processor that makes the device faster than before. In May 2022, Apple announced that was discontinuing the iPod touch, saying that its capabilities are now available across Apple's product lineup. It completely sold out just days later.

The 2019 seventh-generation iPod touch had no new design features and continued to look the same as the sixth-generation model, with an aluminum shell, 4-inch display, and body that featured a Home button but no Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Unlike most Apple products, there was no biometric unlocking mechanism in the iPod touch so a passcode is required.

With the A10 Fusion chip, which was first used in the 2016 iPhone 7, the 2019 iPod touch offered improved gameplay, support for Group FaceTime, and augmented reality capabilities.

Apple offered the last iPod touch in Pink, (PRODUCT)RED, Space Gray, Silver, Gold, and Blue, the same colors available for the previous, sixth-generation iPod touch.

ipod_touch_6_lineup

Priced starting at $199, the iPod touch offered 32GB, 128GB, or 256GB of storage, with the latter option new for 2019. 128GB of storage cost $299, and 256GB of storage cost $399.

Design

Despite rumors suggesting the iPod touch could see a design refresh, the updated 2019 model had no external changes. It continued to use the same form factor introduced in September 2012, with an aluminum shell in one of six colors.

The iPod touch was Apple's smallest handheld device, measuring in at 123.4mm by 58.6mm by 6.1mm, with a 4-inch display. It was the only phone-sized device that Apple offered with a 4-inch display at the time of its discontinuation, as the smallest iPhone available from Apple features a 4.7-inch display.

ipodtouch2019design

There was a Home button on the iPod touch but it had no biometric authentication, which meant you had to use a passcode to unlock it. It continued to have thick top and bottom bezels, which meant that even though it has a 4-inch display, it was not too much smaller than the iPhone XS.

ipodtouchdimensions

Camera technology was not upgraded, featuring a 8-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.4 aperture, along with support for 1080p HD video recording at 30 frames per second.

At the front, there was a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera with an f/2.2 aperture, which is also older technology and not comparable to the cameras in modern iPhones.

Display

The iPod touch featured a 4-inch diagonal widescreen multi-touch display with a resolution of 1136 x 640. It featured an 800:1 contrast ratio and 500 nits brightness, but was otherwise lacking many of the technological advancements available in modern devices.

There was no wide color support nor support for True Tone, and using older display technology likely helped Apple keep the cost of the device low.

Processor

The sole new feature in the 2019 iPod touch was the A10 Fusion processor, which was first introduced in the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, making the iPod touch the equivalent to a phone from 2016.

newipodtouchprocessor

The A10 Fusion was a major improvement over the A8 chip in the previous-generation iPod touch. Apple also used the A10 Fusion in the 2018 sixth-generation iPad.

Other Features

The iPod touch, like the prior model, supported Bluetooth 4.1 instead of Bluetooth 4.2 or Bluetooth 5.0, and it includes support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Apple didn't offer specific battery information for the iPod touch, but it offered up to 40 hours of music playback and eight hours of video playback. Like other Apple devices, it charged using a Lightning cable.

How to Buy

The 2019 iPod touch could be purchased from the online Apple Store and Apple retail locations. It cost $199 for the 32GB model, $299 for the 128GB model, and $399 for the 256GB model, but has now been discontinued entirely.

iPod touch Timeline

November2022
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