Boxy Pixel iPod Mod Kit Brings the Classic Device Into Today, Adds USB-C Charging

The iPod Classic made its debut in 2001 as a sleek rectangle capable of holding a thousand songs in your pocket. Its click wheel and design were legendary, but Apple discontinued it in 2014, and we’ve been waiting for a product that revolutionized portable music. Fast forward to 2025, and a little firm called Boxy Pixel has developed a mod kit to enhance the iPod Classic for today.

Start with the star of the show: the housing. Boxy Pixel machines the front and rear enclosures from solid aluminum, in black, silver or brass. Each piece feels solid, like high end smartphones. The kit replaces the iPod’s original plastic and metal shell with these polished slabs, and front and rear glass panels that stick on via 3M adhesive. These glass inlays allow you to see into the iPod’s internals, turning the device into a show piece as well as a music player. It’s a beautiful design, like the iPhone 4’s glass and metal sandwich, and gives the iPod a premium feel without being bulky. At 103.5mm x 63.8mm x 17mm it’s thicker than the 30GB model but the added bulk fits a bigger battery and modern upgrades. Boxy Pixel will offer alternative panel materials like aluminum or carbon fiber so you can customize to make each modded iPod feel like yours.

For most users, no soldering is required. The package includes a custom circuit board with USB-C charging and Bluetooth 5.0, a power flex cable to connect to the iPod’s battery and an audio flex cable for the headphone jack. Four main fasteners and a set of smaller screws hold the aluminum housing and internal components together, making assembly easy with a small Phillips screwdriver and hex drive. Disassembling an old iPod to its motherboard sounds daunting but Boxy Pixel’s kit is designed to be serviceable. A metal pry tool (sold separately) helps pop open the original housing and the new mid-frame holds the electronics in place without fuss. If you’re comfortable with basic tools the process feels like assembling a high end model kit – satisfying and manageable.

Functionality gets a big boost, starting with the USB-C port, enabling you to charge the iPod with the same cables cluttering your desk drawer. A 3,800mAh battery (sold separately) fits in the thicker housing and promises more playtime than the original’s old cells. Bluetooth support means you can pair wireless headphones, like Sony’s WH-1000XM5, with a toggle of the Bluetooth switch and a press of the pairing button. Audio quality over Bluetooth is good, with a stable connection over 20 feet. If you prefer wired listening, the 3.5mm headphone jack is still there, but it’s finicky—standard TRS plugs work fine, but TRRS plugs with microphone support can cause audio issues. A small speaker on the custom board mimics the classic click wheel’s audible feedback, and if you’re willing to solder, an optional Taptic Engine (about $8 on eBay) adds haptic vibrations so menu navigation is tactilely satisfying.

Storage is another area where the kit shines since Boxy Pixel suggests replacing the iPod’s original hard drive with an iFlash Solo or Quad (about $37 on Amazon) which allows SD cards up to 2TB with a custom OS like Rockbox. A 128GB SD card can store hundreds of songs, and the iFlash boards are thinner than traditional spinning drives so they fit comfortably with the larger battery. If you insist on using the original hard drive, you can, but it will be tight—foam padding must be removed and the 3,800mAh battery may not fit without compromises.

Not everything is seamless; the USB-C port is only for charging so transferring music still requires the old 30-pin cable, which feels like a waste. When using USB-C, the charge status is not displayed on the iPod’s screen; instead it’s indicated by a back LED (red for charging, green for full). The main kit is $155, the buttons and switches are $13. Add the iFlash Solo, battery and optional Taptic Engine and it’s around $230 before shipping or the cost of a donor iPod.

If you’re interested in the kit, here’s a few notes: it’s a preorder with an estimated October 2025 delivery and international buyers will face shipping challenges (USPS delays or high cost with DHL).