Although manufacturers have successfully augmented the water-repellent nature of smartphones, they are still far from being “waterproof”. A water-resistant product can normally withstand water penetration to some extent, but a waterproof product is (whatever the price) completely waterproof.
Last week, Samsung Australia was fined A $ 14 million by the Australian Federal Court for making false statements in advertisements about the water resistance of its Galaxy phones. The tech giant admitted that submerging Galaxy phones in pool or sea water could corrode charging ports and prevent the phones from working, if they are charged while they are still wet.
Similarly, in 2020, Apple was fined 10 million euros (about 15.3 million Australian dollars) in Italy for misleading claims about the water resistance of iPhones.
It is very common for phones to be damaged as a result of falling into the water. In a 2018 survey in the U.S., 39% of respondents said they had dropped their phone in the water. Other surveys have had similar results.
So why in 2022, a time when technological wonders surround us, do we still not have waterproof phones?
Waterproof vs. water resistant
There is a classification system that is used to measure the resistance of devices against solids (such as dust) and liquids (i.e., water). It is called Input Protection Classification (IP).
An IP classification will have two numbers. In an IP68 rating, 6 refers to protection against solids on a scale from 0 (unprotected) to 6 (high protection) and 8 refers to protection against water on a scale of 0 (unprotected). ) to 9 (high protection). ).
The International Electrotechnical Commission is the body behind the IP classification guide. International Electrotechnical Commission
Interestingly, the benchmark for water resistance rating varies among manufacturers. For example, Samsung’s IP68-certified phones are water resistant to a maximum depth of 1.5 m in fresh water for up to 30 minutes, and the company warns against using the beach or the pool. Some of the Apple iPhones with an IP68 rating can be used at a maximum depth of 6 m for up to 30 minutes.
However, both Samsung and Apple are unlikely to consider repairing your water-damaged phone under their warranties.
In addition, IP rating tests are performed under controlled laboratory conditions. In real-life scenarios such as boating, swimming, or snorkeling, factors including speed, movement, water pressure, and alkalinity vary. Therefore, measuring the water resistance level of a phone becomes complicated.
How are waterproof phones made?
Making a phone water resistant requires several components and techniques. Usually, the first point of protection is to form a physical barrier around all entry points (entrance) where dust or water could enter. These include buttons and switches, speakers and microphone jacks, camera, flash, screen, phone case, USB port, and SIM card tray.
These points are covered and sealed with glue, strips and adhesive tapes, silicone seals, rubber rings, gaskets, plastic and metal mesh and waterproof membranes. After that, an ultra-thin polymer nano-coating is applied to the phone’s circuit board to help repel water.
However, the water resistance of a phone will still decrease over time as the components age and deteriorate. Apple admits that water and dust resistance are not permanent features of its phones.
Lots of people dropping their phone down the toilet, be careful! Shutterstock
The cameras are not completely waterproof, but some can tolerate submersion much better than smartphones. This is often because they are relatively simpler devices.
A smartphone has much more functionality, which means that internal components are more sensitive, fragile and need to be integrated into a smaller housing. All of these factors make it doubly difficult to offer phones a similar level of water resistance.
Adding water resistance to phones also increases their price for consumers (between 20% and 30%, according to Xiaomi co-founder). This is an important consideration for manufacturers, especially because even a small crack can cause any waterproofing to be empty.
Keep devices dry
Aside from nanocoating on internal circuit boards, applying a water-repellent coating to the outside of a phone could increase protection. Some companies are working on this technology for manufacturers.
Future phones may also have circuits manufactured directly on silicone material (waterproof) using laser writing techniques and coated with water-repellent technologies.
At the moment, however, there is no waterproof phone. If your phone is at the bottom of a pool or toilet and doesn’t turn on, be sure to take the best steps to make sure it dries properly (and doesn’t get damaged again).
You can also buy a waterproof case or a dry bag if you want to completely waterproof your phone for water activities.
Read more: Is the phone damp and does not turn on? Here’s how to deal with water damage (hint: soaking it in rice won’t work)