Apple has released the new iPod touch this month, boasting a faster processor and better camera than its predecessor. It comes in more colors including gold, a hue that was previously only available in the iPhone line.

iPod sales have significantly dropped in the previous years thanks to the iPhone and iPad, which cannibalized the iPod’s market share. Some might be questioning why Apple released new iPods when the iPhones and iPads perform the same tasks as the iPod touch, and then some.

But the reason behind Apple’s newest upgrade might be related to the iPod maker’s new music subscription service, Apple Music. After all, what better way to consume music than with a dedicated music player, right?

Enough about the baffling reason as to why Apple refreshed its iPod offerings; let’s go into why consumers would want to purchase a dedicated music player when they have the option of purchasing, say, an iPad mini 3? What differentiates the two devices?

iPod touch vs iPad mini 3

Design and measurement

iPod touch: The back side is made of aluminum and comes in space gray, gold, silver, pink, blue and red; height 123.4 mm x width 58.6 mm x depth 6.1 mm, weight 88 grams.

iPad mini 3: The back side is made of aluminum and comes in space gray, gold and silver; height 200 mm x width 134.7 mm x depth 7.5 mm. The Wi-Fi only model weighs 331 grams, while the Wi-Fi+cellular model comes in at 341 grams.

Display

iPod touch: 4-inch (diagonal) widescreen display with Multi-Touch IPS technology, Retina display, 1136×640-pixel resolution at 326 ppi, 800:1 contrast ratio (typical), 500 cd/m2 max brightness (typical), fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

iPad mini 3: 7.9-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit Multi-Touch display with IPS technology, Retina display, 2048×1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating.

Chip and OS

iPod touch: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, M8 chip motion coprocessor, iOS 8.

iPad mini 3: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, M7 chip motion coprocessor, iOS 8.

Cameras, photos and video recording

iPod touch: 8MP iSight camera: autofocus, ƒ/2.4 aperture, five-element lens, hybrid IR filter, backside illumination, improved face detection, exposure control, panorama (up to 43MP), burst mode, tap to focus, photo geotagging over Wi-Fi, timer mode. 1080p HD video recording (30 fps): tap to focus while recording, slo-mo video (120 fps), time-lapse video, cinematic video stabilization, improved face detection, 3x zoom, video geotagging over Wi-Fi. 1.2MP. FaceTime camera: ƒ/2.2 aperture, 720p HD video recording, backside illumination sensor, auto HDR for photos and videos, improved face detection, burst mode, exposure control, timer mode.

iPad mini 3: 5MP iSight camera, autofocus, face detection, backside illumination, five-element lens, hybrid IR filter, ƒ/2.4 aperture, tap to focus video or still images, tap to control exposure for video or still images, photo and video geotagging, HDR photos, timer mode, panorama. 1080p HD video recording: Video stabilization, face detection, tap to focus while recording, 3x video zoom, time-lapse video. 1.2MP FaceTime camera: 720p HD video recording capabilities, face detection, tap to control exposure for video or still images, photo and video tagging, panorama, timer mode.

Battery

iPod touch: Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery, music playback up to 40 hours, video playback up to 8 hours.

iPad mini 3: Built-in 23.8-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery, up to 10 hours of surfing the web on Wi‑Fi watching video or listening to music, up to 9 hours of surfing the web using cellular data network, charging via power adapter or USB to computer system.

Sensors

iPod touch: Three-axis gyro, accelerometer.

iPad mini 3: Touch ID, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light sensor.

Storage option and price

iPod touch: 16GB $199, 32GB $249, 64GB $299, 128GB $399.

iPad mini 3: Wi-Fi – 16GB $399, 64GB $499, 128GB $599; Wi-Fi + cellular – 16GB $529, 64GB $629, 128GB $729.

More bang for your buck

You can get an iPod touch for less than $200, and it has a better camera and processor than the iPad mini 3. If you’re always on the go and need the improved camera for taking better photos, then an iPod touch will likely fit your lifestyle. The only downside to the iPod touch is that it doesn’t have the Touch ID sensor, which can be used, aside from added security, to authorize one-touch payments.

If you’re more into devices with larger screens but are not willing to commit to a full-fledged tablet, then the iPad mini 3 may be the device for you. It has a bigger screen than the iPod touch but smaller than the iPad, which makes it more portable and comfortable to hold.

In the end, the consumer will still be the one to decide whether an iPod touch or iPad mini 3 will be the best device to suit their lifestyle, even if one device has better specs than the other.

Image source: SiliconANGLE