What are all the differences between the iPod touch 6th Generation (A1574) and iPod touch 7th Generation (A2178)?
Please note that all iPod touch models have been discontinued. However, this Q&A has been updated subsequently and can be quite helpful for anyone buying or selling one of these models on the used market.
With even a detailed inspection of the iPod touch 6th Generation introduced in 2015 and iPod touch 7th Generation introduced in 2019 (or the iPod touch 6 and iPod touch 7, if you prefer), it is difficult to tell them apart.
The iPod touch 6th Gen and iPod touch 7th Gen even have the same colored cases. Although they effectively look the same, there are critical internal differences and iOS support differences. It is worthwhile to understand the similarities, as well.
PhotoCredit: Apple, Inc. (iPod touch 6th Gen & iPod touch 7th Gen)
External Differences (or Lack Thereof)
The iPod touch 6th Gen and iPod touch 7th Gen models use identical anodized aluminum "unibody" cases of the same dimensions with the same gently rounded edges in the same six colors.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPod touch 6th & 7th Gen Color Options - Fronts)
These color options include a dark "space gray" -- which has a black glass front -- and gold, silver, hot pink, royal blue, and (PRODUCT) RED -- which have white glass fronts.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPod touch 6th & 7th Gen Color Options - Backs)
Both lines have the same 4" (diagonal) widescreen "Retina" display with a 1136x640 native resolution, bottom mounted "Lightning" port, front-mounted 720p 1.2 megapixel "FaceTime HD" camera and rear-mounted 1080p 8 megapixel "iSight" camera. This "iSight" camera also provides autofocus, backside illumination, a hybrid HR filter, a five-element lens, and an LED flash as well as Panorama and HDR support. Neither line has "Touch ID" or "Face ID" for authentication.
Identification Differences
The iPod touch 6th Gen and iPod touch 7th Gen models cannot be differentiated by appearance even when side-by-side. However, it is possible to externally identify the iPod touch 6th Gen and 7th Gen models by the Model Number in small type on the back of each device toward the bottom.
The iPod touch 6th Gen models are model number A1574 whereas the iPod touch 7th Gen models are A2178.
Everyi.com's Ultimate iLookup feature also can identify these iPod models by Order Number (launch the Settings app and then select General > About and finally scroll down to what is referred to as "Model" in the iOS). For example, the 256 GB configuration of the iPod touch 7th Gen in hot pink is MVJ82LL/A.
Both the site and EveryMac app additionally can identify these devices by their Serial Numbers, as well.
Internal Differences
Internally, the iPod touch 7th Gen is a substantial upgrade to the iPod touch 6th Gen that it replaced. Both lines have 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 and provide the same 40 hours of music playback and 8 hours of video playback, but the iPhone 7th Gen has much faster guts otherwise.
The iPod touch 6th Gen models, have a dual-core 64-bit 1.1 GHz A8 processor as well as an M8 motion coprocessor and 1 GB of RAM. Storage options originally were 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB, but later were pared to 32 GB and 128 GB.
The iPod touch 7th Gen models, on the other hand, have a much faster dual-core 64-bit 1.6 GHz A10 Fusion processor and 2 GB of RAM. They were offered with 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB of storage.
iOS Support & Software Differences
The iPod touch 6th Gen models, are fully supported by iOS 8 and iOS 9 as well as iOS 10 and iOS 11 except for minor features. They also are supported by iOS 12, except for Memoji, Camera Effects, ARKit 2, and Siri Suggestions. However, they are not supported by iOS 13 or later versions of the iOS at all.
The iPod touch 7th Gen models are fully supported by iOS 12 as well as iOS 13 and add Group FaceTime and AR (Augmented Reality) support, as well. The iPod touch 7th Gen models support iOS 14 and iOS 15, too, but a wide variety of more advanced featuers are not supported.
Running iOS 14, the iPod touch 7th Gen does not support Car Keys, Spatial Audio via Airpods, App Clips, AR Location Anchors, Exposure Compensation Control, Burst Photos/QuickTake Video using the Volume Down button, and On-Device Dictation. Running iOS 15, the iPod touch 7th Gen does not support Spatial Audio, Portrait Mode, Immersive Walking Instructions, Live Text in Photos, Live Text Translation, Visual Look Up, 3D Landmarks, Home Keys, and Animated Weather Backgrounds.
Although the iPod touch 6th and iPod touch 7th Gen models do not require a "host" computer for synchronization of music and other files, if you would like to do so, the iPod touch 6th Gen models, support OS X 10.7.5 (Lion) or newer or Windows 7 or newer, whereas the iPod touch 7th Gen models only support OS X 10.11.4 (El Capitan) or newer or Windows 7 or newer.
Comparison Chart
For your convenience, the primary differences between the iPod touch 6th Gen and the iPod touch 7th Gen are summarized below:
 iPod touch 6th Gen (2015) |  iPod touch 7th Gen (2019) | |
|---|---|---|
| Processor Type: | Apple A8 | Apple A10 Fusion |
| Motion Coprocessor: | M8 | None |
| RAM: | 1 GB | 2 GB |
| Original Storage: | 16, 32, 64, 128 GB | 32, 128, 256 GB |
| Current Storage: | Used Market Only | 32, 128, 256 GB |
| Cameras: | 720p (1.2 MP) 1080p (8 MP) | 720p (1.2 MP) 1080p (8 MP) |
| Wi-Fi: | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth: | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Earliest iOS: | iOS 8.4 | iOS 12.x |
| Latest iOS: | iOS 12.x | iOS 15.x |
| Mac Support: | OS X 10.7.5+ | OS X 10.11.4 |
| Windows Support: | Windows 7+ | Windows 7+ |
| Group FaceTime: | No | Yes |
| Augmented Reality: | No | Yes |
| Color Options: | Gray, Silver, Gold, Hot Pink, Blue, Red | Gray, Silver, Gold, Hot Pink, Blue, Red |
| Model Number: | A1574 | A2178 |
| Original Price (US): | US$199, US$249, US$299, US$399 | US$199, US$299, US$399 |
So, should I buy an iPod touch 6th Gen or 7th Gen?
Ultimately, just compared to one another and ignoring later iOS devices, the majority of users should buy an iPod touch 7th Gen. It is around twice as fast and has twice as much RAM, and provides support for later versions of the iOS.
However, the older iPod touch 6th Gen has the same screen, cameras, battery life, and Wi-Fi, and can be configured with the same amount of storage, as well. Although it does not support the current version of the iOS, and app support has started to wane accordingly, it still has plenty of life left and remains well worth consideration given even lower prices on the used market.
To dynamically compare any iPod touch model to all other iPod, iPhone, and iPad models -- new and old alike -- please see Everyi.com's Ultimate iComparison feature.
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