How to Choose the Right Touchscreen

When choosing the right touchscreen, it is necessary to start from the application scenario and comprehensively consider core factors such as the

environment, technology, and human-computer interaction. The following are the key points in brief: 

1. Clearly define the usage scenarios and environment. 

· Indoor/Outdoor: For outdoor or high-light environments, high brightness (≥1000 nits) and anti-glare treatment are required; in industrial

environments with large temperature differences, dust, and humidity, wide temperature range (-20℃ to 70℃) and high protection grade (IP65 or above)

are necessary.

· Public Use: For self-service terminals and similar applications, capacitive screens with high hardness and explosion-proof features are preferred, and

they should be equipped with anti-fingerprint coatings. 

2. Determine the size and precision requirements 

· Size: Less than 10 inches is suitable for portable devices; 15-24 inches is common in industrial control and retail; large sizes are mostly used in digital

signage and teaching.

· Precision and number of touch points: High precision is required for drawing and signing; multi-touch (more than ten points) is suitable for complex

interactions. 

3. Select Core Touch Technology 

· Capacitive screens: The mainstream choice. They respond quickly, support multi-touch, and are highly durable. The surface glass is hard, but they

cannot be operated with thick gloves and are relatively expensive.

· Resistive screens: Triggered by pressure, they can be operated with any object (including gloves and styluses) and are low-cost. However, they have

slightly poor light transmission, a relatively soft surface that is prone to scratches, and do not support true multi-touch. They are suitable for industrial

control, medical and other scenarios where gloves or special styluses are needed.

· Infrared screens: No physical contact, extremely durable. However, they may be disturbed by strong light and dust, and the frame is usually thick. 

They are suitable for large-scale displays, outdoor environments, etc.

· Surface acoustic wave screens: High clarity, durable, but afraid of oil and water droplet interference. They are suitable for clean environments such

as indoor information inquiries. 

4. Focus on Reliability and Installation 

· Industrial scenarios: Focus on Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), and require tempered glass surface and scratch resistance.

· Installation methods: Include flush-mounted, panel-mounted, wall-mounted, etc., and need to match the equipment design. 

5. Key Purchase Steps

① Define Requirements: List core uses, environment, and budget.

② Technical Screening: Lock in the type of technology based on the environment and usage (whether gloves are worn, whether multi-touch is needed).

③ Brand and Testing: Choose a reliable brand and be sure to test in person to experience smoothness, accuracy, and menu response.

④ Confirm Details: Verify interface compatibility (such as USB, serial port), driver support, and warranty terms. 

Summary and Suggestions 

· Public information kiosks / commercial displays: Surface capacitive screens are preferred for a balance of experience and durability.

· Industrial control: For users who often wear gloves, resistive screens or infrared screens are recommended; for harsh environments, industrial-grade

capacitive screens are the best choice.

· Education and training / creative design: High-precision, multi-touch projective capacitive screens are selected.

· Outdoor / extreme environments: High-brightness, high-protection-grade infrared screens or industrial capacitive screens are preferred. 

By adhering to the principle that "the environment determines the technology and the scenario determines the parameters", and in combination with

actual testing, the most suitable touch screen can be selected.