Waterproof, splashproof, water-resistant, these are the terms we constantly read or hear when we speak about smartphones. Do they all mean the same or there are some differences that you need to be aware of?
Well, in case someone pushes you into the pool or you suddenly spill your drink over your precious iPhone or Android phone, the water resistance level will either make you cry or just smile and continue having fun.
Generally speaking, today we can see water-resistant smartphones almost everywhere. However, there are big differences between waterproof and water-resistant. The two common protection ratings in the smartphones today are IP68 and IP67. Knowing what these ratings mean is important in case you have to use your smartphone or any other IP rated device in the rain or by the pool.
Let’s take a closer look at the IP ratings and what do the IP67 and IP68 really mean.
About the IP Rating
Although it is widely known as IP rating, most people don’t know what the IP stands for. So, just to make things clearer, the IP stands for Ingress Protection Rating. The IP is then followed by two numbers, the first showing the device’s protection from solid materials, and the second one the protection from liquids. When we speak about smartphones, the most frequent IP ratings are IP67 and IP68. Now let’s see what these numbers mean.
As we have just said, the first number represents the protection of the device from solid materials. It ranges from 0 to 6, and the higher number represents a better protection.
The second number represents the protection from liquids and ranges from 0 to 9.
Please note that in case your device has an X instead of any of the numbers it means that it hasn’t been tested for either solids or liquids, depending on which number is replaced with an X. For more information about the IP rating please read the detailed guide on AudioGrounds.
Protection from Solid Materials
Since we are interested in IP67 and IP68, let’s focus on the first number now. According to the solid protection scale a 6 represents that the device is completely protected from dust. This is important for hikers, mountain bikers and generally people that come in touch with lots of dust.
Protection from Liquids
The second digit represents the protection from liquids. In our case we need to know what the 7 and 8 represent. According to the table a device having a 7 in the IP rating scale can be submerged into water at a depth of up to 1 meter, for 30 minutes. If the second number on your device is 8 it means that it will survive being submerged into water deep from 1 to 3 meters. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should swim with your smartphone, but if someone pushes you into the water, or there is some heavy rain, or you spill your drink on your phone, you can be sure there won’t be any damage.
Let’s take an iPhone X or XR as an example. They carry the IP67 rating. Based on what we have read above these phones are completely dust-resistant and you can submerge them to 1-meter deep water for half an hour.
As you can see, understanding the IP ratings is easy. However, it is not that simple. The ratings tests are conducted in controlled conditions so although there is an IP67 or IP68 rating on your smartphone the manufacturer doesn’t recommend going swimming with it or taking some underwater photos.
Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.
