It’s 2026. You’re looking at a device that hasn't seen a shelf in a retail store for nearly four years. The iPod touch 7th gen is, for all intents and purposes, a ghost. A tiny, 88-gram aluminum ghost that Apple officially laid to rest in May 2022.
But here’s the thing. People are still buying them.
Honestly, if you go on eBay or specialized sites like Elite Obsolete right now, you’ll see these things moving for $150, sometimes $200 for a clean 256GB model. Why? In a world where the iPhone 17 is the current standard, why is anyone messing with a 4-inch screen and a home button that doesn't even have Touch ID?
Basically, it’s the last of its kind. The final "pure" music player Apple ever made.
The A10 Fusion: Enough Pep or Just a Paperweight?
Inside this sliver of metal sits the A10 Fusion chip. That’s the same silicon that powered the iPhone 7 back in 2016. By the time the iPod touch 7th gen launched in May 2019, that chip was already three years old. Apple underclocked it too—running it at roughly 1.64 GHz instead of the 2.3 GHz you’d find in a phone.
They did it for the battery. Or lack thereof.
The battery in this thing is a measly 1043 mAh. To put that in perspective, a modern smartphone battery is usually 4 to 5 times larger. If you try to play a heavy AR game or stream 1080p video over Wi-Fi, you can practically watch the percentage drop like a countdown timer.
Yet, for music? It still works.
iOS 15.8.5 is the end of the road for this device. Apple pushed that update as recently as late 2025 to keep things secure. You aren't getting iOS 16, 17, or 18. You’re stuck in the past, but the past is surprisingly functional if all you want to do is hit play on a Spotify playlist or an old-school library of MP3s.
Why the "Digital Distraction" Crowd is Obsessed
I’ve talked to a few "dumbphone" enthusiasts who swear by the 7th gen. They use a basic Nokia for calls and this iPod for everything else. It’s a way to stay in the Apple ecosystem—iMessage, Apple Music, maybe a few podcasts—without the constant tether of a cellular data plan.
- The Weight: 3.1 ounces. You forget it's in your pocket.
- The Jack: It has a 3.5mm headphone jack. No dongles. No Bluetooth latency. Just plug in and go.
- The Form Factor: It is incredibly thin. 6.1mm. It makes an iPhone Pro look like a brick.
Most people assume the 7th gen is just a 6th gen with a better chip. They’re mostly right. The chassis is identical. The cameras are the same—an 8MP rear and a grainy 1.2MP FaceTime camera that looks like it’s filming through a screen door. But that 2GB of RAM in the 7th gen is the secret sauce. The 6th gen only had 1GB, which makes it virtually unusable for modern apps. That extra gigabyte is the only reason the 7th gen is still breathing in 2026.
The 256GB Whale
One detail most folks overlook is the storage. This was the first and only iPod touch to hit 256GB. For the hardcore local-file collectors, this was the holy grail.
If you’re an audiophile with a massive FLAC or ALAC library, this is the most portable way to carry it all. You don't need a signal. You don't need a subscription. Just you and a quarter-terabyte of music.
But be careful.
These screens are tiny. 1136 x 640 resolution. If you’re used to an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, looking at the iPod touch 7th gen feels like stepping back into 2012. The contrast is lower, the colors are more muted, and there is a lot of chin and forehead bezel around that display.
Real Talk: The Battery is a Problem
We have to be real about the hardware longevity. Because the device is so thin, the batteries tend to wear out fast.
I’ve seen dozens of reports on Reddit and Apple Communities about "expanded" batteries. That’s where the battery swells and starts pushing the screen out of the frame. It’s a common end-of-life issue for these units. If you're buying one second-hand today, you’re almost certainly getting a battery that has lost 30% of its original capacity.
"It’s a great device for kids," people say.
Is it? It doesn't have GPS. It doesn't have Touch ID. If your kid loses it, "Find My" only works if the device is connected to a known Wi-Fi network. It’s more of a "couch device" for gaming or a dedicated car music player than a true mobile companion.
What to check before you buy one in 2026
If you’re scouring marketplaces for an iPod touch 7th gen, don't just look at the price. You need to be tactical.
- Check the Serial Number: You want to ensure it’s actually a 7th gen (Model A2178). Scammers often list 6th gens as 7ths because they look identical.
- Inspect the Screen Seams: Look for any lifting on the left side of the screen. That’s a sign of a swelling battery.
- Storage Tiers: Skip the 32GB model. Between the OS and system files, you’ll have almost no room left for modern apps or high-quality music.
- App Compatibility: Check if your "must-have" apps still support iOS 15. Many banking and high-security apps have already moved to a minimum requirement of iOS 16 or 17.
The iPod touch 7th gen isn't a smart investment for most people. It’s a hobbyist tool. It’s for the person who wants to "unplug" but still keep their music library in their pocket. It’s for the collector who wants a piece of history.
If you want a small Apple device that actually works as a phone and has a better battery, just buy a refurbished iPhone SE 3. But if you want that specific, lightweight, headphone-jack-having nostalgia? There’s only one place to find it.
Next Steps for You
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If you have an old iPod touch 7th gen sitting in a drawer, check the battery health immediately. If the screen looks like it's bulging, stop charging it. For those looking to buy, head to a reputable refurbished site rather than a random marketplace seller to ensure you're getting a unit with a tested battery.