May 2010 Archives

Archive navigation
Home

Smartphones' with Resistive and Capacitive touchscreens

May 31

If you are thinking of buying a Smartphone here is a useful list of popular devices that sport either Capacitive or Resistive touch-screens.

So what does this mean? Well, Capacitive allows for light touch navigation and Resistive is as it would suggest, needs more pressure (more likely to use a stylus).

Capacitive Touchscreen (Common device - iPhone)

Pros
- Smooth and responsive interaction (Apple’s slick multi-touch gestures, such as pinching and spreading two fingers to zoom and reduce on-screen objects, are only possible on a capacitive screen).
Cons
- A bare finger is required for operation since the body’s electricity is blocked by gloves.
- Require glass screens that can shatter when dropped.

Resistive Touchscreen (Common device - Nokia N97)

Pros
Use of fingers, both bare and gloved, and non-specialised stylus
Cons
Poor responsiveness, Scratch-prone surfaces, components that wear out and break over time, less-than-perfect transparency

Continue reading
Filed under:
Mobile