Apple's iPod Touch (2010) Review, Not a Poor Man's iPhone 4
by Anand Lal Shimpi on September 9, 2010 12:38 AM EST- Posted in
- Gadgets
- Apple
- iPod Touch
Good Audio Playback Quality, no GPS
As was the case with the previous generation iPod Touch, the new model is fully capable of running all supported apps in the iOS App Store. While personally the appeal of iOS apps are their integration into a device I already carry, a smartphone, the iPod Touch brings the entire platform to users who don’t want an iPhone or maybe even a smartphone in general. The email, web browsing and iOS experience is identical to what you get on the iPhone.
The iPod Touch does ship with a Music app that behaves just like the iPod app on the iPhone. There’s not much to say here other than it works, although I personally find myself using the Pandora app more than listening to my own library of music. MP3 playback audio quality seemed comparable to the iPhone 4. I ran RMAA to confirm:
| Rightmark Audio Analyzer Comparison | |||||
| iPhone 4 | iPod Touch (2010) | Zune HD | |||
| Frequency Response (from 40Hz to 15kHz) | Excellent | Excellent | Good | ||
| Noise level | Very good | Very good | Very good | ||
| Dynamic range | Very good | Very good | Very good | ||
| THD | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | ||
| THD + Noise | Good | Good | Average | ||
| IMD + Noise | Excellent | Excellent | Very good | ||
| Stereo crosstalk | Excellent | Excellent | Very good | ||
| IMD at 10kHz | Very good | Excellent | Very good | ||
| General Performance | Very good | Very good | Very good | ||
We haven't seen many results from RMAA on the Zune HD so I thought I'd throw some in here. RMAA shows an advantage over the Zune HD, although in practice you'd be hard pressed to hear a difference.
Frequency Response - iPhone 4
Frequency Response - iPod Touch
Frequency Response - Zune HD
Noise Level - iPhone 4
Noise Level - iPod Touch
Noise Level - Zune HD
Stereo Crosstalk - iPhone 4
Stereo Crosstalk - iPod Touch
Stereo Crosstalk - Zune HD
I believe we've hit a ceiling for PMP audio playback quality. Despite the excellent RMAA results, the iPod Touch is admittedly less of an iPod and more of a general purpose iOS device that happens to play music.
Like the previous generation Touch, the new model lacks a GPS receiver. The device ships with a Maps app but it uses WiFi to figure out your local.
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SadTouchLover - Monday, September 13, 2010 - link
Don't do your little winkie face at us, jacko. This is obviously a case of Apple trying to float a subpar product in hopes of the masses being too clueless to care. They absolutely could have put in a camera that wasn't WORTHLESS and a screen that was the same as the iphone and STILL made profit. Just not as gigantic of profit. BOOOOO APPLE.sabot00 - Thursday, September 9, 2010 - link
You should compare the iPod Touch 4G to the 3G too, you haven't compared the 2 at all.I want to know is the "weak" speaker is better/worse than the 3G and is the black level on the screen better/worse.
grant2 - Thursday, September 9, 2010 - link
Ok Anand, honestly, what multi-function device were you playing MP3s on back in the year 2000?grahamnp - Thursday, September 9, 2010 - link
Nice to see a review that points out the flaws instead of why they don't matter.AnnonymousCoward - Friday, September 10, 2010 - link
I leave a dedicated MP3 player in my car. It makes a lot of sense, since it's always plugged in, it has a dedicated 24hr battery, it holds a ton, and it's easier than messing with your phone.The SanDisk Fuze kicks butt. $50-70 gets you a 2-8GB model with an empty microSD slot. So you can have a 10GB player for $63! 24GB for $104! Even expand it up to 40GB. ...versus the iPod Nano 8GB for $149, or 16GB for $179! And you can transfer music like any USB drive.
austonia - Friday, September 10, 2010 - link
if it had GPS i would be interested in getting a Touch to replace my Evo for tracking the miles i walk while listening to audiobooks. Evo is a bit bulky and heavy but gets the job done. maybe next year. seems like it won't be long before they run out of features to add.also not a fan of the shiny metallic case. easy to scratch and then it looks worn out. better if they used extruded aluminum like the nanos, or anything else really.
jed22281 - Friday, September 10, 2010 - link
Compared to the engadget review.....Will always come back to you guys for objective/measured reviews.
You simply are one of the best in the business.
SadTouchLover - Monday, September 13, 2010 - link
Agreed.Pliablemoose - Sunday, September 12, 2010 - link
I know you got lots of attention for bashing the iPhone 4's reception, but you're off the mark here, you're asking Apple to produce an iPhone 4 for less than 1/2 of the price.Will it get you page views? Yes.
Is it a fair comparison? No.
If iPhone 4 performance equality is what one wants, buy an off contract iPhone 4 and don't activate it.
Problem solved.
SadTouchLover - Monday, September 13, 2010 - link
Uh do you REALLY believe that adding a camera that isn't a dismal 0.7 megapixels and using screen materials that aren't from the bargain bin would make up the $350+ difference between an ipod touch and an unsubsidized iphone? No. This was a calculated move by Apple to get the kiddies to purchase this product and make as much money as possible. They left enough features so Steve Jobs could have his buzzwords at the keynote address and shaved material quality to maximize profits. An Iphone 4 costs less than 200 bucks to make. Apple just doesn't give a hoot about consumers who aren't going to pay them upfront AND month to month.