MP3 players: How to choose the best iPod Apple iPod Classic

The 160GB iPod Classic has the largest memory in the iPod range

6th generation iPod Classic - 160GB

The iPod Classic is all about capacity. It has the largest memory of the iPod range, enabling music lovers to carry a staggering 40,000 songs with them wherever they go. 

Apple's 2009 upgrade to the iPod Classic increased its hard disk capacity from 120GB to 160GB, but otherwise its design has been left untouched, retaining its polished stainless steel rear and silver or black anodised aluminium front panel.

Read the Which? iPod Classic review.

The Classic's massive capacity is a result of having a 160GB hard drive, rather than the smaller-capacity flash memory found in the Shuffle, Nano and Touch. This means that it’s slightly more vulnerable to damage if dropped, as hard drives have moving parts, and it’s also the heaviest iPod at 137g.

The iPod Classic features Apple's Genius function, which finds songs in your MP3 library that complement each other to create a Genius Playlist.

The Classic lets you flip through album art with the coverflow feature, using Apple's tried-and-tested clickwheel, which is really intuitive.

The Classic also lets you play games downloaded from iTunes. However, it lacks a touchscreen or accelerometer (a feature that rotates the screen as you turn the device), so is less suited to game playing than the iPod Touch.