The technology behind resistive touchscreens
Resistive touchscreens rely on the pressure of your fingertip – or any other object – to register an input. These touchscreens consist of two flexible layers with a gap of air gap in-between. In order for the touchscreen to register an input, you must press on the top layer using a small amount of pressure to depress it enough to make contact with the bottom layer. The touchscreen will then register the precise location of the touch.
The technology behind capacitive touchscreens
Rather than relying on pressure, capacitive touchscreens instead sense conductivity to register input – usually from the skin on your fingertip. Because you don’t need to apply pressure, capacitive touchscreens are more responsive than resistive touchscreens. However because they work by sensing conductivity, you can only use capacitive with objects that have conductive properties, which ideally includes your fingertip or a special stylus designed with a conductive tip.
