Capacitive or resistive which is better

Resistive touchscreens, on the other hand, are made with a synthetic plastic material. Resistive touchscreen devices are more resistant to water, dust and debris than capacitive. Method of Input One striking difference between resistive and capacitive touchscreen devices involves their method of input.

Gesture Although it requires direct touch to function, capacitive touchscreen devices support multi-touch controls. Production Cost It typically costs more to produce a capacitive touchscreen device than a resistive device. Surface Material While there are always exceptions to this rule, most capacitive touchscreen devices are made with a glass surface. Water Resistance Resistive touchscreen devices are more resistant to water, dust and debris than capacitive.

In a device that uses a projected capacitive setup, transparent electrodes are placed along the protective glass coating in a matrix formation. One line of electrodes vertical maintain a constant level of current when the screen isn't in use. Another line horizontal are triggered when your finger touches the screen and initiates current flow in that area of the screen. The matrix formation creates an electrostatic field where the two lines intersect. This is one of the most sensitive types of touchscreens, and is how some phones can sense a finger touch even before you make contact with the screen itself.

Projected capacitive technology also allows you to use the touchscreen even when you're wearing thin gloves. The choice to use a capacitive or resistive touchscreen depends largely on the application for the device.

Most devices with resistive screens are used in manufacturing, ATMs and kiosks, and medical devices. This is because in most industries the users need to wear gloves when using the touchscreens.

Capacitive screens are typically used in most consumer products like tablets, laptops, and smartphones. If it weren't for cutting edge touchscreen technologies, we could never enjoy cool new applications like Opera's one-handed browsing for Android.

The applications are only going to expand as the technology continues to be refined. Ryan has a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering. He's worked 13 years in automation engineering, 5 years in IT, and now is an Apps Engineer. How Resistive Touchscreens Work The resistive touchscreen has always been the most common type used in industrial electronics. Try these local server management tools instead. Share Share Tweet Email. Related Topics Technology Explained Touchscreen.

Ryan Dube Articles Published. Subscribe to our newsletter Join our newsletter for tech tips, reviews, free ebooks, and exclusive deals! Click here to subscribe. The Best Black Friday Deals Is Your Android Device Certified? View our privacy notice and cookie notice to learn more about how we use cookies and how to manage your settings. By proceeding on our website you consent to the use of cookies. Resistive touch screens consists of several very thin layers. When someone presses the touch panel, the top layer bends to make contact with the bottom layer, closing a circuit and causing a current loop.