Touchscreen laptops: Everything you need to know

Touchscreen laptops combine a standard laptop’s capability with a tablet’s convenience. Users can move through applications, websites, and files on these cutting-edge gadgets with a finger. These laptops support different gestures, which invariably increases productivity during activities like drawing, taking notes, and more. If you’re in the market for a touchscreen laptop, here are some things you should keep in mind.

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6 things to know when buying a touchscreen laptop

1. Touch technology

Laptops come with different kinds of touchscreens, including hybrid, capacitive, and resistive models. Capacitive touchscreens use the electrical characteristics of the human body to detect touch, whereas resistive touchscreens detect pressure and react to touch from any object. The essential qualities of both technologies are combined in hybrid touchscreens.

2. Multitouch and gestures

Most modern touchscreen computers have multitouch capabilities, so they can respond to touch from more than one finger. This allows users to perform gestures like pinch-to-zoom, two-finger scrolling, rotation, and more.

3.Stylus support

Numerous touchscreen computers support styluses, enabling users to comment, write, and draw right on the screen. This is particularly useful for artists, graphic designers, those dealing with note taking and digital signatures. Styluses in the form of a pen are an accurate and more natural way of using touchscreens. 

4. Operating system compatibility

Regarding operating systems, touchscreen laptops work with Windows and some variations of Linux. Checking the compatibility and features unique to the operating system is crucial because the touch functionality may be optimised differently across different platforms.

5. Performance and hardware

Touchscreen laptops, especially those used for creative purposes, need more power than traditional laptops. Even the screen itself needs to be of a decent size, higher resolution, faster refresh rate and a very quick touch response rate. So keep an eye out for the specs sheet when out buying a laptop. 

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6. Battery life

Similarly, check the claimed battery life of a touchscreen laptop, since the touch interface and capabilities tend to consume more power. It is imperative to buy a laptop with a strong battery life, especially if you intend to use it frequently in tablet mode or for extended touch-based tasks.

7. Software and app support

When choosing which laptop to buy, make sure your laptop has a long list of touch-optimised software and applications. You wouldn’t want to have a laptop running an operating system that doesn’t support a lot of apps. 

8. Personal preference and use cases

The choice of a touchscreen laptop ultimately comes down to taste and specific use cases. Although it may not be necessary for everyone, touchscreen capabilities can be helpful for activities like drawing, taking notes, surfing, and light gaming. The importance of analysing your requirements and how touch interaction fits into your process cannot be emphasised.