Not all touchscreens are powered by the same technology. While capacitive is the most common and widely used touchscreen technology, there are alternative technologies used to power touchscreen devices, one of which is surface acoustic wave (SAW). Using ultrasonic sound waves, SAW touchscreens are able to detect touch commands. In this post, we’re going to explore five surprising facts about SAW touchscreens.
#1) Highly Sensitive to Touch Commands
You don’t have to tap or touch the display interface with very much pressure to register a command. On the contrary, SAW touchscreens are highly sensitive to touch commands. They are designed to register touch commands by identifying blockages in ultrasonic sound waves. Hovering your finger just slightly over the SAW touchscreen’s display interface is typically enough to disturb the ultrasonic sound waves in that area, thereby allowing the device to detect your touch command.
#2) 50 Million Plus Touches
In addition to being sensitive to touch commands, SAW touchscreens are long-lasting. In fact, it’s not uncommon for SAW touchscreens to last for up to 50 million touches — sometimes even more. Unlike other touchscreens, such as resistive, SAW touchscreens don’t rely on moving parts to detect touch commands. Instead, they use ultrasonic sound waves. This makes SAW touchscreens less susceptible to premature wear and tear, resulting in a longer lifespan than that of other touchscreens.
#3) Works With a Stylus
You can rest assured knowing that SAW touchscreens support the use of a stylus. It’s frustrating when you try to control a touchscreen device with a stylus, only to discover that it doesn’t work. Most capacitive touchscreens only work with a bare finger. You can’t control them using a stylus or while wearing gloves. SAW touchscreens, on the other hand, support all types of touch commands, including those performed with a bare finger, a gloved finger or a stylus.
#4) Exceptional Image Clarity
Because the top panel is made entirely of glass, SAW touchscreens offer exceptional image clarity. The glass panel offers crystal-clear images to achieve a stunning display. If you’re looking for a touchscreen that’s capable of producing high-resolution, detailed images, you should consider a SAW touchscreen.
#5) Exceptional Brightness
Finally, SAW touchscreens have an exceptionally bright display interface. With their glass panel, most of the light produced by the underlying backlighting system is emitted through the top. Therefore, SAW touchscreens offer an exceptional level of brightness.
