A touchscreen is a display that you interact with by touching it. You’ll find touchscreens in many products, including personal electronics and computers, as well as in places like subway ticket kiosks and grocery store checkouts. Here’s a look at the basics of how they work, and why you might want to choose a touchscreen device over one without one.
How do touchscreens work?
There are two types of touchscreens: resistive and capacitive. A resistive touchscreen resists the touch of your finger. This requires a stylus or electronic pen or, in some cases, some force from your finger. Swiping your hand across the screen has no effect. Resistive touchscreens are found in places like the supermarket, where you sign your electronic signature to pay your bill.
In contrast, a capacitive touchscreen is designed to work specifically with a finger touch. Capacitive touchscreens are found in smartphones and tablets, the typical display types used in consumer electronics.
A resistive touchscreen works by having the top of the screen you are touching come into contact with an electrically conductive layer underneath. That layer underneath always has an electrical current running through it. When the two layers touch, the current changes and registers your touch.
