Touchscreen laptop Refurbished, control on the screen
A touchscreen laptop can also be controlled with your fingers: tapping, scrolling and dragging straight on the screen.
Working with your fingers on the screen.
How to spot a touch screen, when it is worth it and which ThinkPads have one.
In the specifications it is listed as touch or multi-touch. You can also see it on the screen itself: a touch screen sits behind one flat sheet of glass and more often has a glossy layer, while an ordinary screen is usually matt.
Nearly all business touch screens work with several fingers at once, so pinching to zoom works. Whether a pen also fits is a separate question; that varies per model and is listed in the device specifications.
If you read, present or point a lot. Scrolling through a long page, pointing at something on screen during a conversation, ticking off a list: your finger is quicker than a touchpad. It is also pleasant on the sofa or on the train, where there is nowhere to put a mouse.
If you mainly type long documents at a desk with a mouse beside you, you will hardly use it. Also expect fingerprints on the glass and a little more reflection in sunlight or with a lamp behind you.
This collection currently holds Lenovo ThinkPads only. Most often the X1 series, so the X1 Carbon and the X1 Yoga, plus compact models such as the X13 and the X390 and part of the T series.
At Lenovo, touch was an option the first owner chose per device. Two laptops of the same model can therefore differ, and everything above has it.
A touchscreen only means you can touch the screen. On a 2-in-1 the screen folds all the way round, so you can also hold the laptop like a tablet or stand it up like a tent.
So every 2-in-1 has a touchscreen, but not every touchscreen laptop is a 2-in-1. If you really want to write or draw on the screen, have a look at 2-in-1 laptops.
Questions? Answers.
A touchscreen makes navigating direct, especially for scrolling, zooming and tapping items. Handy for presentations, creative work and apps built for touch. Together with a stylus it adds handwritten notes and digital drawing.
In Windows go to Settings, System, About. Under Pen and touch it says whether the device recognises touch and with how many points at once. In Device Manager you will find it under Human Interface Devices as a HID-compliant touch screen.
Without Windows you can often tell from the screen: a touch screen sits behind a flat sheet of glass that runs into the bezel and is glossier than a matt screen.
No. Touching with your finger and writing with a pen are two different things. A pen that recognises pressure needs a separate layer in the screen, a digitiser. Without it, only a simple pen with a rubber tip works, much like your finger.
At Lenovo that layer is mainly in the Yoga versions. If you really want to write or draw, look at 2-in-1 laptops and check on the device whether pen support is listed.
Students who take notes, creative professionals who sketch, people who present and point straight at their screen, and anyone used to tablets or smartphones who wants to carry that way of working over to a laptop.
If you do not yet know which feature suits your work, have a look at choosing a laptop by feature.
Yes, a touchscreen is a pleasant extra for office work, although it is not necessary for most daily tasks. A mouse and keyboard remain more efficient for long typing sessions and for working in complex documents. The touchscreen adds comfort.
Usually not. This kind of screen responds to the touch of your skin, not to pressure. Ordinary gloves insulate and then nothing happens.
Gloves made for a phone often do work, because they have conductive thread in the fingertips. If you work in the cold or in a chilled store, count on the keyboard rather than the touch screen.
Many touchscreens have a glossy finish, which can cause reflections in bright surroundings. There are also models with a matt or anti-glare finish that reduce this. Check the screen specification if you often work in bright light.
With a dry microfibre cloth, or one slightly dampened with water. Switch the laptop off and wipe in straight lines, not in circles.
Do not use glass cleaner, alcohol or kitchen roll. They attack the top layer and actually leave streaks. Marks and fingerprints come with touching the screen; that is the price of this way of working.
A touchscreen uses slightly more energy because of the extra touch layer. In practice the difference in battery life is limited. On business laptops the effect is usually well offset by efficient hardware and power management.
Yes. In Device Manager open Human Interface Devices, right-click the HID-compliant touch screen and choose Disable device. You switch it back on in the same place.
Handy if you do not use the screen and touch it by accident, or if you are having the screen replaced and touch gets in the way for a while.
Start with a restart; that fixes it most often. If nothing happens, check in Device Manager whether the touch screen is still listed and has not been disabled. Disable it and enable it again, or remove the device and restart, and Windows will reinstall it itself.
If it still does not work after that, it can be the cable to the screen or the screen itself. That is a job for the workshop rather than a setting.
No, a touchscreen is built into the screen itself and cannot be added to an ordinary laptop afterwards. If you want touch, choose a model that already has it.
Touchscreen laptops are usually a little more expensive. As a refurbished device the price difference is considerably smaller, so you get the extra feature for a fraction of the new price.
Compare the difference with all refurbished laptops.
At Hej Refurbished, touchscreens are tested for response speed, sensitivity and image quality before they go on sale. The technical check makes sure there are no dead zones or irregularities in the touch area.