The Guides To Touch Screen Monitors

Every computer user requires a monitor, from the savvy software engineer to the tech novice consumer. However, knowing how to pick the best touch screen monitor is no knowledge that is not readily available to everyone. This is a comprehensive touch screen monitor buying guide that will help you buy the best product that will match your needs.

Therefore, if you want to integrate a touch screen monitor into your laptop, desktop, or phone to have a new way of interacting with your gadgets, this article will help you with where to start.

Features to Consider When Buying a Touch Screen Monitor

Step 1:

• Purpose: You need to identify the purpose of buying the touch screen monitor in order to pick the right one that will match your needs. Some of the purposes include;
• General Use Monitors: This one includes general use of monitors at home or in business. Monitors used in this category perform browsing and surfing, sales applications, typing, and general productivity. Touch screen monitors for this purpose are highly affordable.
• Professional: These are monitors used in highly visual professions including video editing, digital photography, video production, and graphics design. Touch screen displays for this purpose are wider, between 27 and 32 inches, feature full HD or Quad HD, and might use in-plane switching panels that deliver richer colors than other monitors.
• Medical Monitors: Monitors in clinics, orthodontist offices, hospitals, and private practices require utmost precision and clarity. Therefore, these monitors have higher than average resolution and great brightness to apply in medical settings.
• Gaming: Monitors for this purpose are larger and feature strong image quality. Response time and refresh rate are important factors of consideration when buying them. The refresh rate should be at least 60Hz while the response time should be at least 5 milliseconds. These touch screen monitors should have adaptive syncing technology to minimize lag during visual processing.

Step 2:

• Monitor Resolution: This represents the number of pixels that the gadget can display. The 1080p touch screen monitor also known as the full HD has 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is perfect for general use computers whose primary purpose is browsing, watching, or typing. Ideally, the 1440p monitor also known as the quad HD, QHD, 2K, or WQHD has 2560 x 1440 pixels.

It is perfect for editors and content creators because it offers extra details. Lastly, the 4K resolution also known as the ultra HD, 4K UHD, 2160p, or UHD has 3840 x 2160 pixels. It is ideal for gamers and media editing. The market also offers 16K, 8K, and 5K resolutions, however, they are expensive and rare.

Step 3:

1. Ports A touch screen monitor is mainly connected to the peripheral device using cables. Therefore, you must ensure that your touch screen monitor has compatible ports with that of your peripheral device. Here are some of the ports that you might have to use with your touch screen monitor.
2. HDMI: This is a port that uses a single cable to transmit both video and audio signals. The port has a standard size and shape, therefore, it universally uses similar cables. All HDMI versions can transmit 1080p resolution at a 60Hz refresh rate. HDMI 2.0 will flawlessly transmit 1440p at 144Hz and 4K at 60Hz. However the latest HDMI version 2.1 can transmit 4K data at 144HZ.
3. VGA and DVI Ports: These are ports that only transmit video content. Therefore, it requires you to have an extra audio cable. They are slowly becoming outdated but some computers still use them.
4. USB-C Port: This is mainly the newest port version that you will find on touch screen monitors. Its connection transmits both power and data through a single cable.

Step 4: Matte or Glossy Finish

Touch screen monitors feature either a matte or glossy finish. The matte touch screen monitor protects the eyes from glare because it has a polarized coating that diffuses light. Nonetheless, it comes in the way of viewing angles and the contrast of the screen. On the other hand, their glossy counterparts give deep contrast and vibrant colors. However, you will have to deal with glare when using glossy touch screen monitors.

Touch Screen Technologies

Touch screen monitors function differently depending on the technology that each of them incorporates. Depending on the technology used to make the touch screen monitor, you can either operate it with your finger or use tools like a stylus pen. Some of these technologies include;

• Resistive: This touch screen monitor technology involves the incorporation of metallic electrically resistive and conductive layers. This layer detects pressure from a stylus pen or your finger. Such touch screen monitors are fragile, therefore sharp objects can destroy them. Nonetheless, the technology is more affordable than other touch screen technologies.
• Capacitive: This touch screen technology requires one to use bare hands for it to detect touch. It contains circuits at every corner of the display, which monitors electrical charge stored in the screen by a unique material.
• Infrared: This touch screen technology has an infrared beam matrix carried by LEDs that have a phototransistor receiving end. Whenever a finger touches the display, the touch blocks the infrared beam. The interruption directs the gadget’s input to execute the command located where the object or finger is positioned.
• Surface Acoustic Wave: This one uses ultrasonic waves to detect a finger’s touch by detecting wave changes on the screen. It is more advanced than the capacitive and resistive touch screen technologies. However, it will not work where hard materials are involved and it is subject to interruption by outside elements.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this ultimate guide directs you to buy the right touch screen monitor that will match your needs. For general users, the monitor size, connection type, and resolution might be the only major things to consider when buying one. For gamers, the refresh rate and response time, and input lag are major considerations to get a high-quality touch screen monitor. Lastly, professionals need touch screen monitors with precise color representation, high resolution, and high bit depth.