Which Size iPod Touch Should You Buy?

Apple released a new iPod Touch, and introduced a new 128GB storage option for the device. If you’re not sure how much storage to get, here are some things to keep in mind that may help with your decision.

With the new storage option, the iPod Touch now comes in either 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB, and the price spread between the 16GB and the 64GB options is only $100, so it can be incredible tough to figure out which size iPhone Touch to buy, especially with the prices being so close together.

Storage size can ultimately be the toughest decision, no doubt, as you never really know exactly how much space you’ll end up using once you have the device, especially if you’ve never owned an iPod Touch before.

Usually, though, the longer you own the device, the more apps and games that will pile on over time, so it’s important to choose the right storage size when you buy a new iPod Touch.

However, there’s no need to worry, as we can help you decide which storage size to get for your iPod Touch, and we’ll give you some suggestions as far as what storage size would be best for you and your needs.

What Takes Up Space?

First off, before we can decide which size iPod Touch you’ll need, we first need to look at what takes up space in iOS in the first place.

In a lot of Android devices, you can add a microSD card to add more storage, so thinking about storage size when you buy an Android smartphone or tablet isn’t really a huge deal, but with Apple products, you don’t have that luxury (and many new Android devices are starting to go this route as well).

With that said, we need to figure out what you’ll use your iPod Touch for and then find a storage size that would work well for those needs.

• iOS: The operating system itself takes up some space on the iPod Touch — usually around a few gigabytes, so if you get a 16GB iPod Touch, expect around 20% of the storage to be already used up by iOS itself.

• Apps: Apps are the one thing that don’t take up a lot of space individually. Most apps are under 100MB a piece, with even some apps being as large as a few hundred megabytes, with GarageBand taking up almost a gigabyte by itself. Plus, each app has its own cache data that it stores, so that’s more megabytes to account for.

• Games: Games are the biggest things to look out for, as they can take up the most space. Most casual games aren’t super storage hoggers, but 3D-intensive games like Modern Combat and such can take up a couple of gigabytes each.

• Music: Music MP3 files are usually only around 5-8MB a piece, but if you have a large music collection, that can quickly add up. I’ve met people with easily 25GB of music alone. There are streaming options like Spotify and Apple Music, but they can use up your data plan if you’re not careful.

• Movies & TV Shows: Movies can be huge storage hogs. HD movies can easily take up a gigabyte a piece, and while you could go with standard definition to save on space, the iPod Touch’s Retina display would benefit more from an HD movie, even with its 1136×640 resolution.

• Photos & Videos: Many users like to take photos and videos with their devices, since it’s their main camera of sorts, and all of that media can add up. I took about 200 photos and recorded a short video during a trip to the zoo and it took up about 1.5GB of space on my iPhone 6. Be aware of that when deciding what storage size to get for your iPod Touch.

Which Size iPod Touch to Get?

When deciding which size iPod Touch to buy, you have four options: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. If you’re unsure which one you should get, here are some things to keep in mind about each storage option.

• 16GB: We wouldn’t recommend anyone getting a 16GB iPod Touch, mostly because it’s not enough storage for a majority of users’ needs. Of course, it can perfect for those who only plan to use their iPod Touch for casual web browsing and checking email, but you’re probably not buying the iPod Touch for that purpose.

• 32GB: This is probably the best option that most users will be happy with. If you plan on storing a handful of apps, as well as a few games and some music, 32GB should do well. It’s still not enough for most media junkies, but casual users will probably do well with the 32GB option.

• 64GB: This is probably the best bet for iPod Touch users. 64GB can store a lot of games, as well as a lot of music and still leave room for all of your apps and such. With 64GB, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about running out of storage.

• 128GB: 128GB is a lot of storage space, and it’s probably overkill for most users. However, if you have a 25GB music library and enjoy playing a lot of different games, then you might actually put 128GB to good use, but for most users, 64GB and lower should be just fine.