{"id":116089,"date":"2017-03-14T10:00:58","date_gmt":"2017-03-14T08:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=116089"},"modified":"2017-03-13T19:12:21","modified_gmt":"2017-03-13T17:12:21","slug":"smartphone-waterproof-ratings-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/mobile\/116089-smartphone-waterproof-ratings-explained","title":{"rendered":"Smartphone waterproof ratings explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most modern smartphones feature water and dust protection, although the extent of a phone\u2019s resistance is not always clear.<\/p>\n

In order to classify smartphones as water and dust resistant, manufacturers must pass tests as defined by International Electrotechnical Commission standards.<\/p>\n

Devices must\u00a0obtain an Ingress Protection Code, which defines the water and particle resistance of an enclosure.<\/p>\n

A device\u2019s IP Code consists of two digits, which define the enclosure\u2019s solid particle protection and liquid ingress protection.<\/p>\n

For example, the Samsung Galaxy S7 has an IP rating of IP68 \u2013 with the first digit referring to dust protection and the second digit referring to liquid protection.<\/p>\n

The device\u2019s solid particle protection rating of 6 means it is completely dust-tight, and its liquid ingress protection rating of 8 means it can remain submerged at a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes (as defined by Samsung).<\/p>\n

IP Ratings<\/h3>\n

Below is an outline of IP ratings, as defined by IEC standard 60529<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Solid Particle Protection<\/div>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Level<\/strong><\/td>\nObject Size<\/strong><\/td>\nProtection against<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
0<\/strong><\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\nNo protection against object contact or ingress.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\n>50mm<\/td>\nAny large surface of the body, no protection against deliberate contact with body part.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\n>12.5mm<\/td>\nFingers or similar objects.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\n>2.5mm<\/td>\nTools, thick wires.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\n>1mm<\/td>\nMost wires, large ants, small screws.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\nDust protected<\/td>\nDust ingress is not fully prevented, but does not interfere with equipment operation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\nDust Tight<\/td>\nNo ingress of dust.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Liquid Protection<\/div>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Level<\/strong><\/td>\nProtection<\/strong><\/td>\nDetails<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
0<\/strong><\/td>\nNone<\/td>\nNo protection against liquid ingress.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/strong><\/td>\nDripping water<\/td>\nDripping water has no harmful effect when device is mounted upright.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/strong><\/td>\nDripping water when tilted<\/td>\nDripping water has no harmful effect when device is tilted at an angle of 15 degrees from normal position.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/strong><\/td>\nSpraying water<\/td>\nWater spraying at an angle of up to 60 degrees from vertical has no harmful effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/strong><\/td>\nSplashing water<\/td>\nWater splashing against device from any direction has no harmful effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/strong><\/td>\nWater jets<\/td>\nWater projected by a nozzle onto device from any direction has no harmful effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/strong><\/td>\nPowerful water jets<\/td>\nWater projected in powerful jets against the device from any direction has no harmful effect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/strong><\/td>\nImmersion up to 1m<\/td>\nThe device can be submerged up to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes with no harmful effects.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/strong><\/td>\nImmersion >1m<\/td>\nThe device can be submerged to a greater depth, specified by manufacturer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Manufacturer specifications<\/h3>\n

Modern \u201cwaterproof\u201d smartphones usually feature an Ingress Protection Code of IP68, but the extent of the smartphone\u2019s resistance varies according to manufacturer specifications.<\/p>\n

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and CAT S60 both feature a rating of IP68, with\u00a0the S7 Edge certified to be submerged at a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes, while the Cat S60 can remain at a depth of 5m for one hour.<\/p>\n

Sony previously encountered problems<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>with the classification of its Z1 smartphone as \u201cwaterproof\u201d in South Africa, as it did not submit reports detailing its Ingress Protection Code when a user lodged a complaint with the ASA.<\/p>\n

The ASA\u00a0later ruled<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>that Sony could call the Xperia Z1 waterproof after it submitted evidence which upheld\u00a0its Ingress Protection rating.<\/p>\n

Consumers must keep in mind that not all IPX8-rated devices have equal levels of water resistance, and you should consult the manufacturer\u2019s specifications per device.<\/p>\n

This article first appeared on MyBroadband <\/a><\/strong>and is republished with permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

Now read:\u00a0New water-resistant Samsung smartphones \u2013 South African pricing<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most modern smartphones feature water and dust protection, although the extent of a phone\u2019s resistance is not always clear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232,"featured_media":90987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"idle","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"","_sma_facebook_post_id":"","_sma_instagram_post_id":"","_sma_x_attempts":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2226],"tags":[3281,22063],"class_list":["post-116089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobile","tag-smartphone","tag-waterproof"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}