Touchscreens are everywhere. Commercial touchscreens are key components of mobile devices, tablets, ATMs, POS systems, and more, and industrial touchscreens are becoming as ubiquitious as their commercial counterparts.Though touchscreens are often referred to as a single kind of product, there are two distinctly different types: resistive and capacitive.

Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens

There are two main types of touchscreens: resistive and capacitive.

Resistive touchscreens are activated by direct pressure (from a stylus, hand, etc.) Because they are affordable, durable, and reliable, resistive touchscreens are the most common form of touchscreens in an industrial setting.

Known for their high-quality imaging and instant response time, capacitive touchscreens are the most common form of touchscreens for consumer devices. Rather than relying on physical pressure as the resistive touchscreen does, capacitive touchscreens are activated by the human body’s electrical conductivity.

Both resistive and capacitive touchscreens are continually evolving as companies compete to produce the latest and greatest product versions for commercial and industrial markets alike. For the industrial market, the following 3 touchscreen monitors represent the leaders of the pack.

Best Overall: Acer T232HL Abmjjz

The Acer monitor is thin and can be easily operated with a single hand. The size is highly functional, as is the weight, offering both depths of vision and portability. The Acer is a high definition display, with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The distance between each pixel is 0.2595 millimeters, resulting in clear, sharp visuals. All of the Acer’s setting buttons are located on the side for easy, one-handed access. Touchscreens with less thoughtfully placed controls lend themselves to being inadvertently triggered, resulting in disruptions to service and workflow. The response time for this touchscreen is a mere five milliseconds: an impressive feat. Its highly accessible ports make the Acer incredible easy to connect.

Best Cost: Planar Helium PCT2235

Costing around $310, The Planar Helium PCT2485 touchscreen monitor can be tapped in 20 places simultaneously and receive a response for each touch. This touchscreen also can recline to 15 degrees or lie flat for table use. The Planar Helium has a tilt range of roughly 55 degrees. This model is heavier than the Acer. The Planar also includes a webcam, which distinguishes it from other models. The response time is 14 milliseconds. In terms of connectivity, the Planar Helium has a DisplayPort and an HMDI connection. The Planar has been praised for its customer support resources, which includes a live chat option.

Best Matte: Dell P2418HT

The Dell P2418HT resembles a traditional monitor: it has an upright stand. The matte touchscreen effectively reduces glare and has an impressive default color accuracy. Like the Acer, the Dell is HD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The Dell’s response time is definitely on the fast side at six milliseconds. The Dell P2418HT comes with an HDMI and DisplayPort. The three USB 3.0 ports can download files at high speed.

At Pivot, we’re the driving force behind some of the most innovative industrial touchscreen technology that’s been brought to market. If you’re looking to bring an industrial product or medical device to market or simply to enhance your manufacturing operations, we can help. At Pivot, we have a track record of over forty years of expert experience in partnering with businesses to help them successfully launch new products, and with manufacturers to achieve state-of-the-art operations. Contact us today and see what we can do for you.