Water resistant smartphones

[2airishuman]

Samsung, Apple, and probably others have IP68 smartphones that are purportedly water resistant for immersion to a depth of 1.5 meters. That's not enough to take one along while diving, but it could -- potentially -- be useful for snorkeling or for use while topside in the wet environment on a boat deck.

Presently I use a vinyl waterproof phone case that we have started calling a "phone condom" because it's about as much fun to use.

It's time for me to replace my older phone and I'm wondering what experience people have with the water resistance of these products -- and the manufacturer and carrier warranty support for any problems that result from exposure to water.

 

[Storker]

That IP rating may be a little shady: Don't take your waterproof Xperia Z5 underwater, says Sony | TechRadar

 

[The Chairman]

I love my Samsung 7. It's great, but now that I've gone and cracked the screen, it's no longer waterproof. Connects to my CooTwo easily, flies my drone and even more. I've heard of instructors using it in the pool but no horror stories.

 

[RayfromTX]

There is a youtube video out there that shows an iphone taken on scuba dives. As I recall, it survived the 20 foot dive but not the 30 foot dive.

 

[KeithG]

The problems come when you "swoosh" the device around underwater. This greatly increases the water pressure (apparent depth) and seals get deformed and things get wet. I learned this the hard way.

In a prior life I was involved in a project that required electronics installed on the exterior of garbage trucks. We did our research and selected a suitable "waterproof" NEMA enclosure. The enclosure and liquidtite conduit and fittings passed all of our immersion lab tests.

Within a week of vehicle installation we discovered all of our electronic boxes were half full of water. Even stranger, it had not rained very much. It took a while to realize that all of the vehicles received a regular cleaning via a high pressure wash service. The stream of water coming out of the high pressure washer nozzle simply pushed the NEMA box seal aside and filled the box with water. The box seal was designed for immersion, not high pressure spray.

The IP code system is quite interesting.

IP Code - Wikipedia

 

[Akimbo]

I have an old friend with a USCG Master's license who must have drown 6-8 phones over the years from falling in bilges. I know of another phone that died when sneaker swell broke over the bow. You can sometimes save a phone from a brief freshwater bath but I have yet to hear from one that survived saltwater.

 

[RainPilot]

I use my iPhone 7 for filming students in the pool and all good.

So far....

 

[Storker]

I use my iPhone 7 for filming students in the pool and all good.

So far....

So far.

My GPSr is ip67 rated. The other year I forgot to take it out of my DS pocket before splashing. 45 minutes at ~20m was too much for it.

 

[MelasLithos]

I own a Sony Xperia Z5 Compact. I have no problem with rinsing it under water, dropping it in my bath, or taking it in the pool with me. Another friend confirms having no issues either taking it snorkeling with him.

 

[DiveNav]

.... Presently I use a vinyl waterproof phone case that we have started calling a "phone condom" because it's about as much fun to use.

It's time for me to replace my older phone and I'm wondering what experience people have with the water resistance of these products -- and the manufacturer and carrier warranty support for any problems that result from exposure to water.

Get a better waterproof housing? Several vendors have housings rated more than 140ft.
Then you can use your smartphone as a dive computer.