When you’re searching for a new laptop , there are plenty of factors you need to consider. Not only do you need to assess the laptop’s specs, memory, and hardware, but you also have to determine whether you require a regular non-touchscreen laptop, a high-performance gaming model, or a newer model with a touchscreen. Touchscreen laptops have their advantages and disadvantages, just like any other laptop feature, so it’s important to weigh them carefully.
In this article, we’ll explore the advantages and disadvantages of touchscreen laptops and provide some recommendations for both touchscreen and non-touchscreen laptops.
Touchscreen laptops can offer many key benefits. Let’s explore what makes touchscreen laptops stand out from the rest.
The main goal of having a laptop with a touchscreen is to streamline navigation. Compared to trackpads and mouse devices, users can accomplish tasks on their laptops with more efficiency, and it’s simpler to launch and shift between applications. Additionally, you can also use the touchscreen feature to get your work done if the trackpad or keyboard stops working.
Graphic designers and artists often prefer a touchscreen feature. Many touchscreen laptops also come equipped with stylus options, so creative users can draw and paint on their device and get closer to that pen-to-paper feeling. A touchscreen and stylus display combo can be a highly convenient feature package for students, as it eliminates the need to have to carry around several heavy notebooks for classes. It also enables artists to work on the go, whenever and wherever inspiration strikes next.
Touchscreen laptops tend to come with fantastic brightness and superior color vibrancy, accuracy, and reproduction compared to non-touchscreen displays. The majority of touchscreen models feature displays with higher resolution. Pro tip: Glossy touchscreen displays respond better to touch than matte ones. Whether you’re an artist creating vibrant paintings or a project manager building slide decks, with a touchscreen laptop you can find the color brightness and accuracy you need to stun your audience.
While there are many benefits to having a touchscreen laptop, it’s not always a smooth experience. Technology advances quickly, but there are still some faults with the systems that we use. Here are some cons about having a touchscreen laptop that you should be aware of.
Touchscreen features require a touch panel–which means that the computer’s hardware has another set of processing tasks to take care of. If you’re planning on frequently using the touchscreen feature, you may need a spare battery or have to charge your device more often.
Having a touchscreen feature will add to the price of the laptop. Some manufacturers offer higher-resolution touchscreen displays, which can elevate the cost further.
Adding extra technology to the computer means it takes up more bulk and space, making the laptop heavier. Even though the difference is in grams, a small amount of weight can be noticeable in laptops.
Laptops with touchscreen displays are great for dimly lit areas but can be difficult to use in direct lighting. The glossy finishes on touchscreen models respond faster to touch, but this kind of finish also easily attracts fingerprints, smudges, and the like.
This 2-in-1 laptop is one of the best gaming laptops on the market today, with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU, 16 GB of RAM, and 1-TB SSD for short load times, ample storage, and stunning visuals. This laptop’s powerful processor and 360-degree hinge make it an easy favorite to work hard and play hard.
Size: 13.4 inch touchscreen display
Reference Price: $1,599.99
This HP laptop is back with more powerful components like built-in Amazon Alexa, 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, and Intel Iris Xe Graphics. It also comes equipped with new security features, including a camera shutter and an IR camera for facial recognition. With a 360-hinge and a 3:2 aspect ratio for a taller screen, this touchscreen laptop is for those who care about aesthetics as much as overall quality and performance.
Size: 13.5 inch touchscreen display
Reference Price: $1,749.99
The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the next generation of the well-loved Dell XPS 13, and an overall fantastic tool for productivity. With a precise glass haptic touchpad and stunning 3.5K OLED display, this laptop is great for creative work—and a TV break. This laptop is known for its fast and reliable speeds as well as its minimalist and streamlined design.
Size: 13.4 inch touchscreen
Reference Price: $1,249
The C434 might be the best touchscreen laptop that you can get on a limited budget. Don’t expect it to do everything, but this portable and compact laptop can get quite a lot done. This Chromebook features Asus’ new NanoEdge 14-inch display, full G Suite and Google Play Store access, and a 10-hour battery life, so it’s perfect for projects big and small.
Size: 14 inch touchscreen
Reference Price: $519
The number of people working from home increases every single day. Remote workers need a laptop with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, a powerful processor, and solid battery life—and since touchscreens eat up battery rapidly, going with a non-touchscreen display may be the better choice for working and teaching remotely .
Let’s check out your best options.
MacBook Air
We’re big fans of Apple’s 2022 MacBook Air, built with the new M2 chip and packed with 512GB SSD Storage. The laptop features a fantastic 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone, a built-in HD camera, and—finally—the return of the MagSafe connector , so you can move around without worry about damaging your charging cord. However, as it goes with most Apple products, this laptop’s flashy features and sleek design come at a hefty price.
Size: 13.6 inch screen
Reference Price: $1,499
Asus Zephyrus G14
Engineered for both work and games, the Asus Zephyrus G14 offers a robust structure and build. If you’re looking for a powerful laptop, this laptop comes with an AMD Ryzen™ 7 processor with 8 cores and 16 threads for optimal speeds and performance.This laptop also offers a luxurious 512GB SSD that provides storage for all your files and works great in a dual-monitor set up.
Size: 14 inch screen
Reference Price: $1,149
For touchscreen laptop users, the majority report that the touchscreen feature assists with productivity since it helps them work more fluidly and streamline tasks. Touchscreen models also help you think more creatively and work more naturally. Suddenly, taking meeting notes and sketching feels more like drawing on a whiteboard and less like fighting with a lagging trackpad or clanky keyboard. Using your fingers to navigate the display is intuitive and interactive. Moreover, touchscreen models are aesthetically pleasing and offer exceptional color brightness and accuracy, which is excellent for all kinds of users.
As we discussed above, these models also offer certain disadvantages. They are heavier, more expensive, and use more battery power than regular laptops. When it comes to buying a new laptop, you should consider your personal needs and priorities in a workspace to ensure a touchscreen laptop meets those needs.
A laptop with a touchscreen is precisely that. It refers to a computer with a keyboard, mouse settings, and portslike a standard laptop, as well as a touch-sensitive screen.
In contrast, a 2-in-1 or hybrid laptop is more similar to a standard tablet. Many of these will also feature standard ports like USB, but the device is more interactive and compact for easy portability. Often the keyboard is hinged or detachable for ultimate versatility.
Related: The Best Time to Buy a Laptop and Other Office Essentials
[Editor’s note: this post was originally published on January 26, 2021 and updated on March 7, 2023.]
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You interact with a touch screen monitor constantly throughout your daily life. You will see them in cell phones, ATM’s, kiosks, ticket vending machines, manufacturing plants and more. All of these use touch panels to enable the user to interact with a computer or device without the use of a keyboard or mouse. But did you know there are several uniquely different types of Touch Screens? The five most common types of touch screen are: 5-Wire Resistive, Surface Capacitive touch, Projected Capacitive (P-Cap), SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave), and IR (Infrared).
We are often asked “How does a touch screen monitor work?” A touch screen basically replaces the functionality of a keyboard and mouse. Below is a basic description of 5 types of touch screen monitor technology.
The advantages and disadvantages of type of touch screen will help you decide which type touchscreen is most appropriate for your needs:
5-Wire Resistive Touch is the most widely touch technology in use today. A resistive touch screen monitor is composed of a glass panel and a film screen, each covered with a thin metallic layer, separated by a narrow gap. For instance, when a user touches the screen, the two metallic layers make contact, resulting in electrical flow. The point of contact is detected by this change in voltage.
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Surface Capacitive touch screen is the second most popular type of touch screens on the market. In a surface capacitive touch screen monitor, a transparent electrode layer is placed on top of a glass panel. This is then covered by a protective cover. When an exposed finger touches the monitor screen, it reacts to the static electrical capacity of the human body. Consequently, some of the electrical charge transfers from the screen to the user. This decrease in capacitance is detected by sensors located at the four corners of the screen, allowing the controller to determine the touch point. Surface capacitive touch screens can only be activated by the touch of human skin or a stylus holding an electrical charge.
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Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) is similar to Surface Capacitive, but it offers two primary advantages. First, in addition to a bare finger, it can also be activated with surgical gloves or thin cotton gloves. Secondly, P-Cap enables multi-touch activation (simultaneous input from two or more fingers). A projected capacitive touch screen is composed of a sheet of glass with embedded transparent electrode films and an IC chip. This creates a three dimensional electrostatic field. Therefore, when a finger comes into contact with the screen, the ratios of the electrical currents change and the computer is able to detect the touch points. All our P-Cap touch screens feature a Zero-Bezel enclosure.
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SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) touch screen monitors utilize a series of piezoelectric transducers and receivers. These are positioned along the sides of the monitor’s glass plate to create an invisible grid of ultrasonic waves on the surface. When the panel is touched, a portion of the wave is absorbed. This allows the receiving transducer to locate the touch point and send this data to the computer. SAW monitors can be activated by a finger, gloved hand, or soft-tip stylus. SAW monitors offer easy use and high visibility.
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IR (Infrared) type touch screen monitors do not overlay the display with an additional screen or screen sandwich. Instead, infrared monitors use IR emitters and receivers to create an invisible grid of light beams across the screen. This ensures the best possible image quality. When an object interrupts the invisible infrared light beam, the sensors are able to locate the touch point. The X and Y coordinates are then sent to the controller.
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We hope you found these touch screen basics useful. TRU-Vu provides industrial touch screen monitors in a wide range of sizes and configurations. This includes UL60601-1 Medical touch screens, Sunlight Readable touch screens, Open Frame touch screens, Waterproof touch screens and many custom touch screen designs. You can learn more by viewing TRU-Vu Touchscreens or call us at 847-259-2344. To address safety and hygiene concerns, see our article on “Touch Screen Cleaning and Disinfecting“.
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