Ever since Microsoft released their featured MP3 player, the Zune HD in 2009 it has always been compared to its biggest competitor, the iPod touch. While the two devices are designed differently and use different operating systems, they each offer much of the same functionality and purpose as each other. The primary purpose of both the iPod and the Zune HD is to play music, games and browse the web when you’re out and about. We will compare the iPod vs. Zune HD with four categories: capacity, battery life, screen size and quality, and finally the price.

Capacity

The Zune HD is available in either 16, 32 or 64 GB flash memory configurations. The iPod Touch can be purchased with either 32 GB or 64 GB of flash memory. This makes both devices tied in the category of storage space. Unless you have a library with millions of songs both the Zune HD and the iPod touch have more than enough storage capacity for your music.

Battery Life

A very important aspect for MP3 player owners is how much battery life they can get out of their devices. Please note that battery life is measured only as the amount of time the device can play music with the screen off, not browse the web or play games. The iPod Touch is rated at 40 hours of continual audio playing on a single battery charge, while the Zune HD is rated at 33 hours of audio playback. The iPod Touch is the winner here, but only by a small margin.

Screen Size and Quality

The screen quality and size is important if you plan on playing apps or browsing the internet on your device. The Zune HD incorporates a 3.3 inch OLED display that features a resolution of 480×272. The iPod touch on the other hand features a 4 inch screen with an amazing 1136×640 resolution and a pixels per inch rating of 326, which qualifies it as having a retina display. The iPod touch is the clear winner when it comes to display quality.

Price

Perhaps the most important category, and the one everybody looks at when making a purchasing decision, is the price of the devices. The low-end model of the Zune HD comes in at roughly $250 for the 16 GB model on Amazon.com. The iPod Touch fifth generation with 32 GB of storage is only $25 more, priced at $275.

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