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Full Touch Screen vs. Full Qwerty

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If I asked this question 3 years ago, I’m sure I’d get a majority of responses in favor of the full qwerty on mobile phones. But since the iPhone and the Android smartphones came to the scene, using full touchscreen doesn’t seem to as bad as before.


In fact, full touchscreen has a few advantages over full qwerty phones in some areas:

  • Full touchscreen phones enjoy bigger real estate screen since the virtual keyboard is included into the screen. Bigger screens are always better.
  • Web browsing on touchscreen phones feels more interactive and engaging with navigational features like swipe, pinch and other multi-touch gestures. Even the Swype technology was invented specifically for touchscreen.
  • Changes the way we see and enjoy gaming on the mobile phone.

Of course, full qwerty phones will always have the “physical” advantage over touchscreen phones.

Given all the smartphone options we have this year, would you still go for a full qwerty or a full touchscreen?

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Written by
Abe Olandres

Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

View all posts by Abe Olandres →

92 Comments

JU
junco · 16 years ago

well i suggest that all of you pips try the bb torch coz it has a physical qwerty keypad slider and is also a full touch screen…need i say more?


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JO
John Lacson · 16 years ago

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro.

I love the full qwerty. I do like the sleek appearance of pure touchscreen phones, I’ve used them exclusively since 2003 with the P800, but when optional qwerty was available on the P910 and P1, I was thankful for the addition.

The problem with pure touchscreen vs qwerty thumb boards is that touch screens require you to look at where you’re typing. Thumbboards remove some (not all) visual interaction since your fingers can feel their positions. Less errors on a full qwerty, less need for spell check that automatically replaces words that wouldn’t have been misspelled in the first place.

I’m currently on my iPad, and I still type faster on my X10 mini pro. I don’t type particularly fast, but bypassing the spellcheck really slows me down.

I tried living with an iPhone… Couldn’t stand it. I had to look at my phone just to text, incredibly inefficient way to text, not to mention always having to watch out for the spell check and bypass it.

T9 touch on the android phones is great as well, a pseudo compromise. Having only 10 keys makes typing a lot easier on a touchscreen. Less looking at the phone vs virtual qwerty. Allows for one handed use of your smartphone.


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JE
jezerg · 16 years ago

ive been using my iphone 3g for a year, and shift to BB curve for 8 months… but this two dont like me… so i downgrade to the traditional keypad…

but i cant wait for the nokia x3 with traditional keypad and a large capacitive touch screen…


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VI
Ving · 16 years ago

For me personally, I prefer full qwerty and I like the feel of a physical keyboard rather than a virtual one. I always make mistakes when using touch screen keyboards when composing emails or texts.


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BB
BB Fan · 16 years ago

BB Storm 2 – best of both worlds except for the touch typing. but hey, you don’t do touch typing every time you create a message right?


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OT
otrebzki · 16 years ago

get a Desire and an E72 para wala problema hehehe…


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WH
Whatif · 16 years ago

Yung mga naka full qwerty ngayon pag may offer sa inyo ng swap with iphone or galaxy s kunwari, tatanggi kayo? eh yung mga naka touch din ngayon pag ma offer ng qwerty? Hahaha yun lang! Pag nangyari yan lahat naka touch! Lol


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LI
limuelG · 16 years ago

with my e63 and bold 9700 syempre full qwerty keypad ako….


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KE
Kevin · 16 years ago

My phones:
E71 (keypad) – Unlimited texting, calling on sun. Type without looking. Lots of buttons that can serve as shortcuts. Nothing beats buttons with nearly definite commands. However, smaller screen to fit content.

Galaxy S (touch) – everything else on globe with unlimited internet. Need to look while typing. Quite intuitive. Points for overall style. Swype roooocks.

Verdict: each phone is maximized for what they’re best at. Keys for texting, touch for media.

As a note of interest, i was on wifi with my e71 to comment here.


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MR
mr.bogusmobile · 16 years ago

question: full touchscreen o full qwerty?

My answer is: full touchscreen kht na may kalakihan thumb ko bibili na lng ako ng stylus haha

but for me both, im a web addict kya importante sa akin ang malaking screen. pero pag mag type na ako gusto nakatingin n lng ako sa screen “they called it TOUCH TYPIST” Kasi mas mabilis mag type. Sbhn na nating sanayan lng ang paggamit importante ay kung san k komportable. kaya i love nokia n900…


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MI
Mike · 16 years ago

Full touch screen is for early adapters who are more advanced users than others IMO.


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G-
G-Man · 16 years ago

Well for the past week since I got my Galaxy S (jumped from nokia 6300 :p)and comparing it with my brother’s phone (Nokia E72),I would like to point out 3 things about this:
1. Physical vs. Virtual – As of now the physical keyboard is still king as compared to the virtual keypad, but with the rise of Swype it virtually removes the boundary of typing with big fingers (I too have big fingers)the only qualm in Swype is that pagtagalog ang gusto ko sabihin kelangan ko pa imanually type it for the first time so that maadd sa swype database ang tagalog word (hope some dev there who would like to incorporate Taglish as a Swype language :D).

2. Interactivity – In this department, for me the Touchscreen phones rule here because of the gestures, and multitouch features, etc. opens up new things to experiment on the capabilities of touchscreen phones.

3. “Full touchscreen phones enjoy bigger real estate screen since the virtual keyboard is included into the screen. Bigger screens are always better.” – it is true that touchscreen phones have bigger real estate, this statement should not be taken from the virtual keyboard itself but instead look at the other features it would provide (Increased viewing screen when watching movies, viewing websites and blogs are also a breeze since it also increases viewing size), another point is that touchscreens are also attract (brings the naiigno factor since people are curious to try it for the first time)

But in the end it all comes down to preference, even though my brother likes my phone, he still prefers the BlackBerry Bold instead.


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MA
manong · 16 years ago

“Full touchscreen phones enjoy bigger real estate screen since the virtual keyboard is included into the screen. Bigger screens are always better.”

How can it have bigger real estate if the virtual keyboard almost occupy 3/4 of the screen? Kailangan mo pa i-hide ung virtual keyboard para mabasa mo ung buong tinetext mo…


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LE
Leo · 16 years ago

parehas may advantage and disadvantage pra saken. s qwerty, ms mbilis mgtype, kc nkakapa mu yun mga letters,at malaki p ang screen, yun lng maliit ang keypad, mabigat pa ang phone, s touch nman, hndi pwde kapain mga letters, kya minsan sumasablay s pagta-type,lumiliit p ang screen, pero magaan at manipis ang phone. samsung wave phone ko, hanggang ngaun nahihirapan p dn ako mgtxt, nagkakamali kc ng letters. anyways, sanayan lng nman dn cguro…


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CI
cindy · 16 years ago

seems like there’s a major major vote for qwerty than full touch screen…LOL

as for myself,at first i want to have a touchscreen phone,but realizing that it is expensive for repair rather than qwerty, so i prefer qwerty phone,plus i find it more elegant compared to touchscreen…NOKIA E72, onti ipon pa,im going to own you soon!!!!


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JA
jay · 16 years ago

For better results, I’d get a Motorola Droid nlng. You can either go full touch or full qwerty depending on your mood.


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WA
Wakocoke · 16 years ago

you can type faster in touchscreen phones compared to physical qwerty when using SWYPE :)


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KA
Karl · 16 years ago

@wavy it doesn’t really matter if Qwerty is last decade’s technology. It’s like Mouse vs. Touchpad. The mouse has been the technology for like four decades, and yet it’s more ergonomic.

The disadvantage of a touchscreen phone for me is that you can’t type when you’re not looking at the screen. It’s ironic that you can do “touch” typing on a qwerty rather than a touch phone, if you know what I mean.

Nonetheless, I adore the screen of a touchscreen. The input interface only appears when you have the need for it.

But that’s just me.


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TJ
tj_mangki · 16 years ago

try composing a message using just one hand w/o looking at the screen of a full touch phone and you get the idea why i prefer physical QWERTY keypad :)


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IG
igoydude · 16 years ago

lagi akong nagkakawrong send sa full touch, minsan confidential message nasend ko sa ibang tao hehe… and sometimes nag-lalag ung full touch,experience ko lang ha ewan ko sa iba, and nagpalit narin ako ng lcd screen protector kasi gasgas na sa kalyo kung daliri hehe.


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CL
Cloud · 16 years ago

I prefer full QWERTY because it is more it last than a full touchscreen phone. The LCD of the full touchscreen is more expensive that is why I’d rather use the QWERTY one kasi mas matibay.


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KI
kidd · 16 years ago

ako i would go for full touch… i get used with iphone’s full touch and besides hanap ko talaga yung multimedia functionality ng fulltouch


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MA
Mac vs PC · 16 years ago

Querty and Touch screen combo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNcTE5WJGdw&feature=youtu.be


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KI
Kinny · 16 years ago

If you asked me this a few months ago I would say QWERTY all the way! Now though, I am itching to buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab or an iPhone 4. Qwerty for work and avid texters BUT Touch Screen for enjoying life.


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BU
bursky · 16 years ago

@Fleeb: +1 :D hehehe…

i have an E63 and my big hands and fingers keep me from owning a touchscreen phone. also, i’d like to rest my thumbs and relax them on the keys rather than arching them like a snake darting at a mouse. but browsing (esp. on an iPod Touch) is easier with touchscreen gadgets. :(


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NE
nero · 16 years ago

touch nalang nu. :)


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JE
Jeric · 16 years ago

full querty touch screen enabled phone. Get the best of both worlds. It need not be an either or situation but i prefer full querty


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WH
Whatif · 16 years ago

swype FTW!


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PA
paul e. · 16 years ago

i’m old school. i still use a phone with a normal keypad. can’t see the logic with qwerty keypads… they’re too small to touch-type with. ;-)


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WH
wh@ · 16 years ago

been using my 1st touchscreen phone 4 almost a year and 3 mos. and got im used typing to it.


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WA
wavy · 16 years ago

Qwerty is like last decade’s technology.


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TA
tantra2gadget · 16 years ago

ok ang qwerty keyboard than full touchscreen,mas relax mag type
also you can type easily kahit ilang page pa na di mangangawit ang fingers mo


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FL
Fleeb · 16 years ago

I just love my Alcatel. (Kidding, this statement does not contribute anything to the discussion on its own).

I’d like to have a full physical QWERTY keyboard. However, there are instances that a touchscreen keyboard would work well – especially if you can change layouts. It would be nice if you can toggle (I do not own such phone but maybe there is one already) the use of physical keyboard and a virtual one, that would even be better.


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LA
lawreas · 16 years ago

touch with full qwerty.. the main disadvantage ng touch, pag nasira, wala kanang means of interaction sa phone mo.. lalo na pag sa occasional lags.. but touch opens many opportunities sa user interaction eh, like gesture controls, games, browsing etc


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AN
Andre Marcelo-Tanner · 16 years ago

have you ever tried to type something long and fast on a touch screen

not possible even with apples error correction

black berry torch ftw


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WI
Winner · 16 years ago

iPhone touchscreen for me. i use it since it was first generation. I just have to adapt and get used to it and now enjoying the advantage of a large screen. Looking forward to acquire the iPhone 4 via globe loyalty program.


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DE
deuts · 16 years ago

I think I’d still go for a Full Qwerty. Nothing still beats a ‘physical’ keyboard IMO.


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PA
pabs · 16 years ago

After using 2 touchscreen phones, the nokia 5800 and later iphone 3g, I now prefer touchscreen phones.


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MA
manaka_junpei · 16 years ago

hindi pa ako sanay sa Touch this day, 1st time kong na-try yung Touch sa iPOD Touch, ok sana, pero wala pa ring tatalo sa Full QWERTY para mas-convenient kaysa touch dahil kapag malaki ang daliri mo, hindi mo ma-control ang touch


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JI
Jiro Yan · 16 years ago

I just love my iPhone.


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TE
Teknisyan · 16 years ago

I’ll go for the full screen with a full qwerty keyboard, like the samsung corby pro or the new BB Torch (9800).


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JH
Jhay · 16 years ago

My hands are sweaty so I prefer to have a physical QWERTY than a full touch screen, it saves the device from smudges. :P


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RE
Rem · 16 years ago

I’d love to have a physical keyboard and a big touchscreen at the same time. Since I find it easier to type characters using a QWERTY keyboard or the Alphanumeric type. The downside is adding a keyboard means the phone will be heavier and fatter. For me, Big Capacitive Screen + QWERTY Keyboard = Convenience. :D


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WA
warfab · 16 years ago
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RO
roca · 16 years ago

id get both.

where im coming from, i use my galaxy as a “play phone” eye candy and such, something sleek, sexy and playful. but for quick replies and business i use a bold 9700. its snappy, utilitarian, and smart.


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CH
chasingrach · 16 years ago

For someone who owns a Nokia 5800 — a touchscreen that has already changed its expensive LCD screen and is on the brink for another LCD repair in a span of a year and 3 months — I’m already having second thoughts on getting a new full touchscreen.

But to be fair, touch phones have more features and boast of bigger memory compared to most qwerty phones. And I’m not discounting the fact that Nokia 5800 really isn’t a top choice for a touch


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