Are you thinking about buying a capacitive touchscreen? When compared to resistive touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens offer several advantages. They are more responsive, longer-lasting and produce crystal-clear images. With that said, not all capacitive touchscreens are the same.
Capacitive touchscreens are available in different types. Whether you’re planning to use it for work or recreational purposes, you should consider the five following things when choosing a capacitive touchscreen.
#1) Capacitive Technology
You can’t choose a capacitive touchscreen without considering the specific type of capacitive technology it uses. All capacitive touchscreens work by measuring a uniform electrostatic field. When you touch the display interface, your finger will change the voltage of this electrostatic field. With that said, capacitive technology can be broken down into several subtypes, including surface capacitive, projected capacitive, mutual capacitive and self-capacitive.
#2) Display
What type of display does the capacitive touchscreen have? All touchscreens have some type of display. A display is necessary is to provide a visual, touch-based interface. If you’re going to choose a capacitive touchscreen, you’ll need to consider the type of display it uses. Liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are commonly used in capacitive touchscreens. They offer clear and high-resolution images.
Some of the benefits of LCDs include:
- Immune to screen burn-in
- Energy-efficient
- Low maintenance
- Supports low-profile designs
- Lightweight
#3) Backlighting
In addition to the display, you should consider the type of backlighting the capacitive touchscreen uses. Backlighting is required for all displays, including the displays in capacitive touchscreens. Even if a capacitive touchscreen has an LCD, it still needs backlighting. Backlighting options for capacitive touchscreen displays typically consist of either light-emitting diode (LED) or electroluminescent (EL), which may or may not have light guides.
#4) Size
Don’t forget to consider the size when choosing a capacitive touchscreen. Capacitive touchscreens are available in a wide range of sizes. Most smartphones, for instance, use a capacitive touchscreen. ATMs and other larger touch-controlled devices may use a capacitive touchscreen as well. If you’re going to buy a capacitive touchscreen, you’ll need to consider the size.
#5) Operating System
Capacitive touchscreens are essentially computers, so they typically run a specific operating system. Android, for instance, is commonly found on capacitive touchscreens. Capacitive smartphones can run Google’s signature operating system. But there are other operating systems available for capacitive touchscreens. If you’re going to buy a capacitive touchscreen, you should check to see what operating system it runs.
