What is the difference between resistive and capacitive touch screen technology? Both types of touch screen technologies that use a display to detect user pressure, much in the same way resistive and capacitive technologies do. In order to understand what the difference is, you first need to understand how they work. Capacitive screens work under a “pressure” type of scenario: they detect when a finger is placed on the screen and react by either boosting the current for the finger or lowering it so that the finger is not detected again.
Capacitive touch screen technology works differently. Instead of detecting the pressure, it detects the movement of the finger. If you have ever used a phone with a resistive screen, you will notice that the phone works perfectly fine most of the time – until you actually put your finger on the screen to use the phone. This is because assistive technology was designed to better detect finger motion, but the problem is that your finger gets tired of detecting all the different motions the phone performs all the time.
For this reason, resistive technology was developed as an alternative to the capacitive screen. It uses electrical charges to detect finger motion. As the finger moves across the screen, the electrical charge on the screen automatically increases or decreases depending upon the movement of the finger. Thus, you basically get a constant “boost” of power for your finger! This makes the screen much more responsive, while at the same time keeping the cost down due to the need to make fewer devices.
One of the main differences between the two types of screen technology is that resistive screen technology is far more durable than Capacitive. For this reason, it’s generally preferred for electronic equipment such as TV’s and computer monitors. It is also generally preferred for use in phones, since it is generally believed to be less prone to damage than capacitive. Thus, if you plan to purchase a phone that will be frequently used, resistive screen technology may be a good choice.
Capacitive technology is, at best, only slightly less expensive than resistive. However, it does have the advantage of being far less prone to damage, making it far more affordable. Plus, the screen can also be made thicker using Capacitive technology, thus providing users with a higher quality experience. On the downside, it generally doesn’t last as long as resistive, so you’ll generally have to replace it much sooner. Some people also report experiencing screen burn when using resistive touch screen technology, although this generally improves with continued use.
In the end, the answer to the question – What is the difference between capacitive and resistive screen technology? depends upon your usage of electronic equipment, and how expensive or cheap your equipment is. If you are just beginning to learn about electronics, you may prefer to purchase a more affordable piece of equipment with the same capabilities – in order to minimize your cost of ownership. However, if you are an experienced computer user, you may want to purchase one with the higher performance capabilities, in order to get the most value out of your dollar.