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InuNacho

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 24, 2008
1,998
1,248
In that one place
As my ole' 80 gig Classic is on it's last legs with a half hour battery life, failing hard drive, and random pauses when playing through the headphone port so I'm starting to look at other options for on the go music.

Anyhow I'm looking at getting a 16GB 5th gen Nano and am just wondering how reliable those things are. Whats the average video and radio life on them? Any stories of them being dropped or in someone's pocket during a marathon? How scratch resistant is the screen?

Thanks.
 

dXTC

macrumors 68020
Oct 30, 2006
2,033
50
Up, up in my studio, studio
My two nanos (both 16Gb 5th gen) have been quite reliable. Video life now is about 4 - 4.5 hours, down from 5.5 after two years; this is definitely long enough for any movie, probably two unless it's "Avatar" and "Titanic" back-to-back, and the 5th gen's built-in speaker allows you to share the fun. I've been saved multiple times on long car trips by having a couple of children's programs "in reserve" and letting my daughter hold it.

Music playback is easily the better part of a day on continuous playback.

I can't say definitively about radio battery life, as I seldom listen to radio. I would assume, though, that since the backlight turns off during radio play (as per the normal backlight settings), many hours of radio enjoyment can be had. NOTE: The radio function uses headphones as the antenna and thus will not work through the built-in speaker. This and the click wheel, which some view as uncomfortably small, are IMHO the only "flaws" exhibited by this generation.

The screen can be somewhat prone to scratches. Most cases for the 5th gen come with a screen film, but if you buy a case that protects the rest of the machine, it will prevent most nicks and scrapes on the screen itself by preventing surfaces from contacting the glass during drops. I highly recommend the Scosche Kickback n5, with a combination of clear plastic back and rubber edge bumpers, and a built-in kickstand for propping it on a table.

In summation: The 5th gen is easily the most feature-rich of the entire nano line (video camera, anyone?), and I can think of no better replacement for your ailing classic, beside another classic of course. The trick nowadays is finding one in decent condition without paying out the wazoo.
 

skelo

macrumors newbie
Jun 4, 2012
1
0
I got a 4gen model since it was out
the only difference is the screen is slightly bigger, added radio and camera for the 5th gen

and my nano still works great, so 5th gen should be good too.
 

InuNacho

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 24, 2008
1,998
1,248
In that one place
Thank you both for your responses, I always liked the 4th and especially 5th gen Nanos and really regret not getting one of them new when they came out.

Good to hear that theres a 4 an a half hour battery life for video thats more than enough for me.

Thanks again, time to start my quest for a nice orange Nano.
 
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