Is touch screen necessary for laptop?

A touchscreen laptop maybe 2 in 1 convertible or non-convertible. Convertible touch screen laptops can be converted into tablets while non-convertible laptops cannot be converted into tablets. Most touchscreen laptops are generally convertible.

Touchscreen laptops have their own pros and cons and differ a lot from normal laptops. So, how do you know if a touchscreen laptop is good for you?

In this article Ill share everything you need to know about touchscreen laptops, how they work, their pros and cons and whether they are a great fit for you.

How Do Touchscreen Displays Work

Touchscreen Displays used in laptops are basically of two types RESISTIVE Touchscreen Display and CAPACITIVE Touchscreen Display.

Resistive Touchscreen Displays contain two layers that are separated from one another. One layer is called Resistive Layer and another is called Conductive Layer.

The Resistive layer remains on Top and the Conductive layer remains on the bottom. Electric current passes through both the layers when the laptop is ON.

The basic working principle of Resistive Touchscreen displays is the Pressure Difference that occurs from our Touch.

When you touch the screen you are actually touching the Resistive layer which feels hard when touched. This touch puts the Resistive layer in contact with the Conductive layer because of the difference in Pressure.

This Pressure Difference causes the intensity of electric current to change at that particular point of contact. This change in the intensity of the electric current is identified by the Touchscreen Software and performs the particular task of swiping, opening or closing of apps and other navigational tasks.

hp spectre touchscreen laptop

Since the resistive touchscreen display works with pressure difference hence they cannot identify multiple points of contact. You can only use one finger at a time to touch which is why these displays dont have Multi-Touch Support. You also cannot Zoom in and Zoom out in these displays.

Capacitive Touchscreen Displays use only a Single layer instead of two layers. This means there is no need of having two layers which makes the display thinner than resistive layers.

The basic working principle of Capacitive Touchscreen displays is the Change in Intensity of Electric Current that occurs from our Touch.

The human body is a sea of electrons and contains electrical charge. When we touch the capacitive screen then there is a change in the intensity of the electric current.

The touchscreen software identifies this change in the electric current and performs the task of swiping, navigating, opening and closing of apps.

Since these displays work on the basis of electric charge from our fingers hence it is able to support more than one finger. These displays have Multi-Touch Support and can it can support up to 10 fingers at a time. You can also Zoom in and Zoom out very easily.

Capacitive touchscreens are more responsive to touch and also register every action better than Resistive touchscreens.

Pros Of Touchscreen Laptops

Touchscreen laptops have five advantages over non-touchscreen laptops.

Better Color Accuracy, Color Saturation and Brightness

Touchscreen laptops use Glossy Displays which makes them one of the best displays to look at.

The color saturation of touchscreen laptops are outstanding. Displays with better color saturation makes the colors appear more vivid and rich. The dark colors appear much darker and the light color appears much lighter.

Color Accuracy of laptop is the ability of a laptop to display the exact color shades or tones. Touchscreen laptops have much better color accuracy and they can display a wide range of colors with great accuracy.

The display of Touchscreen laptops are much brighter to look at. These displays can reflect much more light which increases the brightness.

These touchscreen laptops make watching movies a very pleasant experience. Also, editing photos are much better because the pictures are bright and vivid. This means you wont miss a single detail for sure.

Navigation is Simpler and Faster

Navigating on a touchscreen laptop is much easier and quicker than non-touchscreen displays. You can switch between tabs and apps far more easily and quickly than using a mouse or trackpad.

You can use the touchscreen if your trackpad stops functioning for some reason. You can easily open and close applications without having to use the trackpad.

You can also use the on-screen keyboard to type like you do in your smartphone. This means you wont face any problem if your Keyboard stops functioning.

Portable

Touchscreen laptops are generally convertible into Tablets which makes them easy to carry around with you. Most touchscreen laptops are thinner and lighter than non-touchscreen laptops. This is why these laptops are more portable than non-touchscreen laptops.

Eye-Catching

Touchscreen laptops look luxurious and grab the attention of people. Most people use normal laptops or tablets but having a convertible touch screen laptop with a beautiful and crisp display makes you stand out from the crowd.

It grabs the attention of people and draws eyeballs. A touchscreen laptop can give you a feeling of luxury among others.

Easier to Draw and Take Notes

If youre a Graphic Designer, a Fashion Designer or an Artist then you should definitely get a touchscreen laptop.

These touchscreen laptops come with a Stylus Pen which you can use as a replacement for your fingers. The Stylus Pen makes it very easy to draw on the screen and you dont have to use a mouse for drawing anymore. This makes them a great fit for Artists and Designers.

touchscreen laptop with stylus pen

The Stylus pen also makes it much easier to take notes on the side when youre reading an ebook or watching a video. This makes it a great fit for working professionals who need to take notes during presentations.

If youre a writer then you can easily jot down those ideas using the stylus pen and take notes easily while reading.

Cons Of Touchscreen Laptops

Touchscreen laptops have five major disadvantages. They are:

Higher Screen Reflections and Glare

Touchscreen Laptops use Glossy Displays that reflect and scatter a lot of light from the screen. This means you will see your own and your background reflections on the screen under bright light conditions. This makes them a poor choice for outdoor use and under bright light conditions.

Glossy screen

Glossy displays on touchscreen also cause Glare. This glare is a sensation that you feel when very bright and uncontrolled light falls on your eyes. Too much glare can cause eyestrain, headaches and in severe cases Macular degeneration.

Some non-touchscreen laptops use Matte Displays to block these light reflections but these displays are dim and bland which is why they arent used in Touchscreen laptops.

Higher Blue Light Emissions

Glossy displays on touchscreen laptops dont block the blue light and UV light emissions coming from the screen appropriately.

These blue light emissions can cause serious damage to your eyes if you stare at the screen for long periods of time under high brightness.

You can use a Blue Light Screen protector to block a higher percentage of these blue light emissions.

Battery Drains Faster

Laptops with touchscreen displays consume a lot of battery charge because the screen needs a lot of power to remain functional. Also, the higher brightness and color saturation drains the battery faster than non-touchscreen laptops.

Switching to Power-saver mode can increase the battery life but this will dim the display and it isnt that effective when compared to non-touchscreen displays.

Expensive

Touchscreen laptops are costlier than non-touchscreen laptops.

The main reason for that extra money is the beautiful, touch-friendly and luxurious display you get. Also, most touchscreen laptops are convertible so you get the added benefit of using it as a tablet and some models give you a free Stylus Pen.

All these features cost money and that is why you need to shell out more cash to get hands on one of these.

Prone to Fingerprint Marks

The touchscreen displays attracts a lot of fingerprint and smudge marks. Also, the touchscreen displays are more prone to dust and dirt which sticks to the surface of these glossy touchscreen displays. This can make the display unattractive to look at.

You should clean the display using a soft cloth everyday to clean off the dust and remove these fingerprint marks.

Things You Can Only Do With a Touchscreen Laptop

There are three things you can do with a touch screen laptops.

(A) Carry around your laptop like a tablet and read ebooks in the tablet mode which makes it easier to read, increase the size of text, scroll and eliminates the need for an overpriced ebook reader like Kindle.

(B) Take Notes while reading a book or a PowerPoint presentation. You can also take notes while watching a video.

(C) Draw pictures of anything you like more accurately and in a detailed manner.

Touchscreen vs Non-Touchscreen Laptop Which is Better?

Both touchscreen and non-touchscreen laptops have their advantages and disadvantages. But picking one between them can be tough.

Non-touchscreen laptop

Touchscreen laptops are a great choice for you if

(A) You will be using your laptop to just browse the Internet, watch movies and wont perform very resource-intensive tasks. The bright and crystal clear displays will make it worth it.

(B) You are a writer who reads a lot of books and takes notes at the same time. The touchscreen makes reading more enjoyable with the ability to scroll up or down easily and take notes faster than non-touchscreen laptops.

(C) You are a student who needs to carry a laptop to class and take notes on the laptop. The touchscreen laptops are convertible which makes them easy to carry around with you.

(D) Youre a Designer or an Artist who needs to draw figures and designs accurately. The Stylus Pen makes it very easy for you to draw anything you want.

(E) Youre a working professional who needs to prepare a lot of PowerPoint and other presentations daily with the ability to edit them quickly and comfortably.

(F) If you want to increase your productivity for all the tasks mentioned in the points above.

(G) If you have a reasonable amount of money to spend on a laptop.

Non- Touchscreen laptops are better for you if

(a) Youre a medium or a heavy gamer that loves to play resource-intensive AAA title games. Touchscreen laptops just arent built for gaming.

(b) Youre a game developer running very demanding software like Unity3D or UnReal Engine.

(c) You have to run resource-intensive 3D rendering software like Autodesk Maya, 3DS, etc. These 3D rendering softwares require very good CPU and GPU that you wont find in touchscreen laptops.

(d) Youre an Artificial Intelligence(AI) designer and programmer.

(e) Youre an ethical hacker or security specialist who needs to work on Linux or Ubuntu.

Are Touchscreen Laptops Worth It The Conclusion

Touchscreen laptops are definitely worth it if youre using it for simple everyday tasks like internet browsing, watching movies, playing light games, working on presentations, designing, drawing, sketching and reading books.

The bright, color-accurate display makes it a treat to watch movies and other visually appealing tasks. Touchscreen laptops are costly so if you have the money to spend then definitely go for it.

If youre using your laptop for heavy gaming or 3D rendering and other heavy tasks then a touchscreen laptop is not worth it.