A resistive touchscreen is composed of multiple layers, which are separated by thin spaces. A resistive touchscreen responds when pressure is applied to its surface, causing the layers to touch. This means that a resistive touchscreen requires more pressure than a capacitive touchscreen, so users may feel as though they have to press much harder on the screen to get the phone to recognize their input. Resistive touchscreens also cannot support multi-touch technology, which allows touchscreens to recognize more than one point of contact. The benefit of a resistive touchscreen, though, is that the screen can be controlled by an input device such as a stylus.
The HTC Touch Diamond, LG Dare, and Samsung Instinct are examples of phones that use a resistive touchscreen.