Understanding the differences between the two touchscreen technologies is vital when selecting the most suitable solution for your application.

The drop down menus below covers the key differences between the touchscreen technologies – if you’ve any questions, one of our team will be pleased to help.

Technology Overview

P-CAP

Smartphones, tablets, laptops and pretty much any other consumer device that has a touchscreen, plus some industrial panel PCs and HMIs.

Resistive

Industrial HMIs and panel PCs, primarily.

P-CAP

Fingers, gloved hand (surgical gloves or special touchscreen-compatible gloves only) or capacitive stylus.

Resistive

Finger, gloved hand, stylus, pen – basically anything will work, as it operates on pressure.

P-CAP

Yes, up to 10 touch points supported.

Resistive

No, only a single touch point (no pinch and zoom etc).

Cost & Reliability

P-CAP

P-CAP is usually a little more than resistive, but the gap is closing.

Resistive

Generally slightly cheaper than P-CAP, as it is a simpler technology.

P-CAP

As there are no moving parts on a P-CAP screen, it would usually last significantly longer than a resistive touchscreen in the same usage scenario.

Resistive

The mechanical nature of a resistive touch overlay means that it will eventually wear out, especially if the same point is touched over and over again. However, they are still usually rated for around 1 million touches across the entire screen area.

P-CAP

Most P-CAP screens have a toughened glass overlay to protect the sensor, which makes them very robust. However, it is still possible to smash the glass overlay.

Resistive

The resistive touch overlay is exposed and is susceptible to damage from heavy-handedness.

Pros & Cons

P-CAP

When your finger touches the screen, it interferes with the electrostatic field that the screen generates. The T/S controller then calculates the X, Y coordinates of each touch.

Resistive

It is essentially a pressure sensor. When you touch the screen, the two layers make contact and the X, Y coordinate at that point is fed back to the PC.

P-CAP

· Multi-touch

· More robust

· Familiar ‘feel’ to users

· Brighter image

Resistive

· Cheaper

· Can be touched by anything

· Mature technology

· No O/S compatibility issues

P-CAP

· Works with finger only

· More costly

· Risk of glass overlay breaking

· Moisture can reduce accuracy

· Potential issues with legacy O/S

Resistive

· Single touch only

· Not as robust

· Less sensitive

· Duller image

Find Out More

To learn more about the differences between P-CAP and Resistive touch, give one of our team a call on 01527 512 400, or drop us an email at computers@steatite.co.uk