Multi-touch test
Most phones follow 5 to 10 fingers at once. Here each finger gets its own coloured dot. Dots that jump, flicker or vanish while your fingers stay still point to a failing touch layer.
Open this page on the phone you want to test. Press Back or the close button to stop at any time.
How to do it
- Tap Start.
- Put one finger down, then add more, up to all ten.
- Hold still for a few seconds and watch the dots, then slide your fingers around.
What the result means
- Every finger has a steady dot: multi-touch works.
- Dots jump or vanish while you hold still: the touch layer is failing or the screen was badly replaced.
- Two fingers close together merge into one: normal on many phones when fingers touch each other.
What a browser cannot see: whether the phone is really the model it claims (copies run on a different processor), how worn the battery is, whether the storage is as big as it says, and whether the system was modified. The free Knowfone app for Android checks all of that and every part above in about 7 minutes, then answers: good to buy, buy only at a lower price, or don't buy.
Questions
How many touch points should a phone have?
Most Android phones and iPhones follow at least 5 fingers, and many follow 10. A browser can report fewer than the phone supports, so a count of 5 here is fine.
Why do I need multi-touch?
Zooming with two fingers, many games and some keyboards need it. A phone that loses a second finger often has a damaged touch layer.
More phone tests
Buying a used phone? Read the 14-step checklist or look up the real specs of popular models.