Go To Latest Video ReviewsRefine search for MP3
Apple iPod nano 5th Gen 8GB Review
| Author | Hugo Jobling |
| Published | 16th Sep 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Apple |
| Price | £100.00 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £115.00 (Inc VAT) |
| Latest Price | Click here |
| Design & Features |  |
| Sound Quality |  |
| Usability | |
| Value |  |
| Overall | |
44 comments
Email
TrustedReviews NewslettersApple's domination of the MP3 player market is conclusive. Ever since the first iPod launched, rivals have pretty much continuously been playing catch-up. Sure, there have been stumbling points - the 3rd gen nano and latest shuffle have their (entirely justified) detractors - but, for the most part, it's a safe bet that you can't go wrong with an iPod.
Certainly, there's no denying that the 4th gen iPod nano was a fantastic portable media player. It was thinner, lighter and just plain prettier than its predecessors, while still managing to be a lovely device to use. You might think there was little Apple could do to improve on what it created, therefore.
You'd almost be right. The 5th gen iPod nano is, at first glance, barely distinguishable from its predecessor. The screen is slightly bigger, up from 2in to 2.2in, giving it a wider profile, although the resolution isn't 16:9 which is a bit odd. It's around the rear of the nano that this range's party trick becomes exposed.
Down in the bottom left corner (with the nano held upright) it's impossible to miss the camera and microphone where before there was just aluminium. It's probably worth pointing out that the nano is only able to record video - there's no option to take stills. I don't think that's an issue though, given the low resolution of the sensor and how rubbish any photos would look taken with it.
Video at that resolution, conversely, can be excused. As long as you're recording something interesting the action in a clip should more than make up for the lack of detail compared to a photo. Besides which, if you're happy to use a video camera built into your MP3 player, you probably aren't too fussed about absolute quality anyway, or you 'd have bought a compact HD camcorder already, surely?
Newsletters
Register to receive the latest Reviews and News Headlines directly to your Inbox every day, and enter our regular competitions. More Info.
Latest 4 of 44 Comments
Have your say: Leave a comment below about this article.
Ed said on 18th September 2009
MrGodfrey said on 18th September 2009
Jay: You're not actually helping your own argument there. When walking down the street, I don't notice traffice noise and I do notice sound quality - because the bundled earphones ... more
Jay said on 18th September 2009
I wasn't trying to argue the point to buy the new nano just that as a sole mp3 player it's ok but as a package as a whole it's quite good, yes there are alternatives to itunes but ... more
Zero said on 22nd September 2009
I have to say Apple do have some sexy mp3 player with some cool features BUT!!! You have to sacrifice, things like sound quality. SONY & Creative own sound quality. And as for ... more
See all 44 comments on this article.
Add your comment
You must be logged in to comment. Login or register here.
@Bobafett: I may try and do a video review of the nano for next week (no guarantees but I'll see what I can do) but even then the video samples will have to be reencoded. There's n... more