Honestly, holding an iPod touch 4th gen today feels like holding a piece of jewelry. It’s too thin. It’s impossibly light. If you’ve ever used a modern iPhone Pro Max, the 4th gen iPod feels like a toy, but in the best way possible. Back in September 2010, Steve Jobs stood on stage and basically called it "the iPhone without the phone." He wasn't lying. It was the first time the iPod line got the Retina Display, and for those of us living in a world of pixelated screens, it was a total revelation.
People still buy these things on eBay for thirty bucks.
Why? Because it represents a specific era of tech where things were simple. No 5G, no TikTok-brain rot, just your music and a 3.5-inch screen that fit in that tiny coin pocket of your jeans. But let's be real: trying to use one in 2026 is a wild ride of nostalgia mixed with "why is this taking ten minutes to load a photo?"
The "Retina" Revolution and the Screen Gap
When Apple dropped the iPod touch 4th gen, the big selling point was the display. It had a resolution of $960 \times 640$. That gave it 326 pixels per inch, which was the magic number where the human eye supposedly couldn't see individual pixels anymore.
But there’s a catch.
Most people don't realize the iPod touch 4 didn't actually have the same screen as the iPhone 4. It lacked the IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology. If you tilted the iPod just a little bit, the colors shifted and everything looked like a weird negative photo. It was a classic Apple move—give the iPod the "Retina" name but save the premium viewing angles for the expensive phone.
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Why the A4 Chip was a Beast
Inside this 7.2mm sliver of stainless steel was the Apple A4 chip. This was the same silicon powering the original iPad. It made the device feel fast... for 2010. You could play Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja without a hiccup.
Today? That A4 chip is basically a calculator. It’s a single-core processor running at a variable speed, usually topped out around 800 MHz. Pair that with only 256 MB of RAM, and you quickly realize why modern apps won't even look at this device. For context, the phone in your pocket right now probably has 32 times more RAM.
The Cameras: A Tale of Two Disappointments
Let’s talk about those cameras. The iPod touch 4th gen was the first iPod with cameras. One on the front for FaceTime, and one on the back for "HD" video.
- The Back Camera: It was only 0.7 megapixels. It took photos at $960 \times 720$.
- The Front Camera: Pure VGA. Grainy, dark, and wonderful for 2010 video calls.
The back camera didn't have autofocus. If you tried to take a picture of a document or a close-up of a flower, it was just a blurry mess. However, it did record 720p video. At the time, having a 720p video camera that thin was actually kind of insane. People were using these to film early YouTube vlogs because it was cheaper than a Flip cam.
The Infamous Stainless Steel Back
If you own a 4th gen, the back of it probably looks like it was cleaned with sandpaper. That polished stainless steel was a magnet for scratches. You’d take it out of the box, set it on a wooden table, and—boom—three new scratches.
It’s iconic, though.
That mirror finish is part of the charm. It made the device feel expensive, even though the 8 GB model only cost $229. Most people ended up hiding that beautiful design in a chunky silicone case from a mall kiosk anyway.
Can You Actually Use an iPod Touch 4th Gen in 2026?
Short answer: Kinda, but don't expect much.
The software is the biggest wall. The highest OS this thing can run is iOS 6.1.6. That version of iOS is a museum piece. The App Store is basically a ghost town for this device. Almost every modern app requires iOS 12 or higher.
What still works:
- Local Music: This is the primary reason to own one. If you have a library of MP3s or AAC files, it’s a dedicated, distraction-free player.
- The Headphone Jack: No dongles. No Bluetooth pairing headaches. Just plug in and play.
- Retro Gaming: If you can find old
.ipafiles of games like Doodle Jump or the original Temple Run, it’s a fun little time capsule. - Notes and Voice Memos: It’s still a decent digital notepad if you don't need it to sync with the cloud.
What is broken:
- Web Browsing: Safari on iOS 6 can't handle modern web security protocols. Most sites will just fail to load or look completely broken.
- Streaming: Spotify and Apple Music aren't happening on this version of the OS.
- Battery Life: These batteries are 15 years old. Most of them will die in about 20 minutes if you aren't tethered to a 30-pin cable.
The "30-Pin" Struggle
We’ve moved through Lightning and now we’re all on USB-C. The iPod touch 4th gen uses that wide, chunky 30-pin dock connector. Finding a high-quality 30-pin cable is getting harder. Most of the cheap ones you find online now are flimsy and might not even sync data correctly. If you're reviving an old unit, guard your original cable like it's gold.
Battery Life and the "Sudden Death" Issue
A lot of users back in the day complained about the battery percentage jumping around. You’d be at 80%, open a game, and it would drop to 20%. Then you’d close the game and it would jump back to 50%.
This happened because the battery was tiny (about 930 mAh) and the A4 chip would draw a lot of power under load. In 2026, the lithium-ion inside these is likely chemically aged. If your iPod is bulging or the screen is popping out, stop using it. That’s a swollen battery, and it’s a fire hazard.
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Actionable Steps for iPod Owners
If you found an old iPod touch 4th gen in a drawer and want to make it useful again, here is the best way to handle it.
- Don't bother with the internet. Turn on Airplane Mode. It saves a massive amount of battery because the device won't constantly search for Wi-Fi signals it can't really use anyway.
- Use iTunes (or Retroactive). To get music onto it, you’ll need a computer. If you're on a modern Mac, you can still sync through Finder. If you're on Windows, you'll need the latest version of iTunes.
- Lower the Brightness. The Retina display is a power hog. Keeping it at 30% can double your playback time.
- Treat it as a "Dumb" Device. Use it as a dedicated car music player or a bedtime podcast machine. It's great for getting away from the notifications of your "real" phone.
The iPod touch 4th generation isn't a powerhouse anymore. It’s a relic. But as a dedicated music player that weighs next to nothing, it still has a weirdly relevant place in a world that’s way too connected. Just don't try to take a selfie with it—you'll look like a blurry ghost from 2010.