Apple iPod Nano review

The latest version of the iPod Nano looks very different to its predecessor. The long, lean shape has been replaced by a shorter, wider design that houses a 2in screen with a 320x240 resolution for video playback.

The looks may take some getting used to, but we found the new Nano easy to hold and very comfortable to use. Build quality is up to the usual sturdy and durable level we've come to expect, although the shiny back picked up fingerprints and scratches too easily.

The interface has changed slightly, but will be familiar to anyone who's used previous versions. The menu occupies half the screen, and an image of the selected video or album fills the remainder. Menus are easy to navigate and can be modified to show only the options you want. A Podcasts menu makes it easy to keep track of downloaded files, and the Cover Flow option allows you to browse your music collection by scrolling through album covers.

The Nano has clean treble tones and a rich sound. There's no custom EQ mixer, though, and the EQ options are the same as those on the old Nano. In fact, previous iPods and Nanos suffered from a problem that led to some tracks sounding distorted if a bass-boosted EQ setting was selected. Fortunately, this has been fixed now and bass tones are clear and powerful.

The standard iPod headphones haven't changed, and they detracted from the comfort and clarity of the listening experience. They leak sound badly, and sound rather dull and murky. Like the iPod Shuffle, the Nano now helpfully pauses itself if the headphones are unplugged.

For many, it's the ability to play videos that makes the new Nano so compelling. Unlike other video players, there's no need to turn the Nano on its side to watch videos thanks to the wider body that accommodates the screen longways. Video looked great, with bright, realistic colours and wide viewing angles. There were no unwanted colour tints or visible pixels and even shadowy areas retained detail.

The Nano can handle MPEG4 and H.264 files, but these won't play correctly unless they're already the correct resolution. You can use iTunes to convert some incompatible video files into the appropriate format and resolution, but this was time consuming and many of our converted videos had no sound. Fortunately, there are several free third-party video converters available that are more effective.

We were impressed by the Nano's improved audio quality and excellent performance as a video player, although we would have liked better headphones. It did well in our battery life tests, playing audio for 30 hours and 44 minutes and video for five hours and 14 minutes. In spite of problems converting video with iTunes, this is one of the best pocket players available and at £99 for 4GB and £129 for 8GB it's great value.

Author: Kat Orphanides