Apple’s new iPod touch is the fastest yet — and all too familiar

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iPod-touch-2019
The new iPod touch looks just like the old one.
Photo: Apple

Apple just surprised us with a new iPod touch that promises to be its fastest yet.

Powered by a speedy A10 Fusion processor, it’s built for gaming and immersive augmented reality experiences on the go. It’s also affordable, with prices starting at just $199.

The only problem is it looks just like the old iPod touch.

The rumor mill told us a new iPod touch would arrive in 2019, and that it would be more powerful than ever before. We were also hoping for a brand new design with a larger screen, Touch ID, and other new features.

But Apple only delivered one of those things today.

2019 iPod touch is all about performance

The new iPod touch looks exactly like its predecessor. All the improvements have been made on the inside, where an A10 Fusion chip — originally introduced in 2016 — is the star of the show.

That A10 chip makes the new iPod touch up to twice as fast as previous models, with three times faster graphics. And for the first time, it can be coupled with up to 256GB of storage.

“We’re making the most affordable iOS device even better with performance that is twice as fast as before, Group FaceTime and augmented reality starting at just $199,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing.

“The ultra-thin and lightweight design of iPod touch has always made it ideal for enjoying games, music and so much more wherever you go.”

It looks the same!

It sure is thin and light, but it looks exactly the same as the old model. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — it is pretty — but it means you have to live with the same 4-inch display flanked by the same bulky bezels.

Apple did a similar thing with the iPad mini earlier this year; it packed newer internals into an existing package to give the aging tablet a new lease on life. But because the iPad mini is bigger than the iPod touch, the big bezels aren’t quite as obvious there.

What’s great about the iPod touch is that it’s still cheap. At $199, it’s the perfect iOS device for kids who want to play games, watch videos on YouTube, and listen to music but aren’t quite old enough for an iPhone yet.

Order yours today

The new iPod touch is available today from the Apple Online Store in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, and many other markets. The $199 price tag applies to the 32GB model, while the 128GB and 256GB models are priced at $299 and $399 respectively.

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