What’s the Difference Between Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens?

Projected-capacitance technology generally dominates the touchscreen universe, and is making inroads into the resistive touchscreen realm of lower-cost apps with large screens.

Smartphones and tablets have made touch-enabled interfaces an integral part of our lives, with touch rapidly becoming the user interface of choice across most applications and industries.  A simple touch-based interface is no longer a key differentiating feature for high-end applications, though, and increasing competition between OEMs is driving down prices. Touchscreen systems represent one of the more expensive modules in portable applications, and they need to be designed in at a lower cost while still providing a high level of functionality.

Most touchscreens implement either resistive or projected-capacitance touch technology. Resistive touchscreens, which allow both finger and non-finger input (e.g., glove, stylus), are used in feature phones, global positioning systems (GPS), printers, digital cameras, and larger displays. They generally support single-finger touch and basic gestures, and cost less to produce.

On the other hand, projected-capacitance touchscreens, having superior multi-touch performance, durability, and optical clarity, are usually adopted into smartphones and tablets. However, projected-capacitance touchscsreens are now displacing resistive touch in most small- and medium-sized touchscreen devices, too. Moreover, increasing innovation in projected-capacitance touch, such as integrated stack-ups, has allowed it to be more price-competitive while surpassing resistive touch in performance.

Market Value

The primary value proposition of resistive touchscreens is that they are low cost to manufacture. Although resistive-touch performance is usually limited to basic single-finger touches and gestures, it still serves a wide user base. Resistive touchscreens can be found in automotive, medical, and industrial equipment, and of course, point-of-sale (POS) terminals.

Resistive touchscreens also continue to dominate applications that require touchscreens greater than 10 inches, since costs for projected-capacitance technologies rise exponentially with screen size. Furthermore, some original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) continue to employ resistive touchscreens in feature phones, GPS, digital still cameras, and printers with the aim to keep costs low in markets experiencing severe price competition.

In contrast, projected-capacitance touchscreens offer high performance in accuracy, power consumption, and refresh rate. They also feature excellent optical transmissivity (greater than 90%), resulting in brighter, clearer displays. Unlike resistive touchscreens, projected capacitance is durable, scratch-resistant, free of aging symptoms, and needs no calibration.

Projected capacitance can also support multi-finger touch input and gestures, enabling significant improvements to the user interface. Popular gestures such as two-finger pinch and zoom let users zoom in or out on an image. With multi-touch, OEMs are able to develop custom gestures, which add value for end users and can be promoted as product differentiators.