Practical guide to avoid damaging your smartphone on vacation
Luca Viscardi Technology divulger and blogger
Radio host, blogger and writer. For years engaged in the dissemination of digital culture, he is founder and chief editor of MisterGadget.Tech
Today we propose a practical guide to check if your smartphone is water resistant, can withstand occasional splashes, or even can survive more or less accidental immersions in the sea or pool. Many of the smartphones in circulation today are built with a certification that guarantees me the ability to withstand different types of mistreatment including being reached by water splashes or even submerged in liquids.
It is not difficult to know how to check if your smartphone is water resistant, but it is good to know some important details related to the type of protection that is guaranteed to these certified smartphones.
What is meant by water-resistant smartphone
First of all, having a water-resistant smartphone does not mean that you can submerge it and use it in underwater mode, because there are some technical aspects to consider about what happens when water comes into contact with electronic devices. Smartphones, tablets, cameras, which have a certification to resist water splashes or accidental immersion, are equipped with some small gaskets that protect exposed parts such as microphones, Sim card drawers and connectors for charging.
The tests that are conducted, however, are static, to understand a smartphone is immersed in a bowl and left in the water for several minutes. However, if we take that electronic device, such as the smartphone, and move it in the water, the pressure that is exerted changes significantly and this means that even a smartphone guaranteed for immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes could be damaged if it is transported in underwater mode perhaps to take pictures.
The meaning of the IP certification of the smartphone
The code you need to look for is "IP", this is the abbreviation that anticipates the certification: after the first two letters there are an X and a number or two numbers. If there is an X, it means that the smartphone is protected only from water splashes and not from dust. If, on the other hand, there are two numbers after the letters IP, then there is a level of protection against dust and dirt in general as well as against water, with the resistance changing according to the numbers shown.
The IPX4 code, for example, means that our smartphone has no protection from dust, but it can withstand water splashes coming from some directions, in this case the protection is guaranteed when the splashes hit the back of the phone.
If instead we have the IPX5 code then the smartphone is not protected from dust but from water splashes coming from all directions, thus protecting both the front and back of the phone.
When we find the IP67 code, we go to a higher level, so protection from small particles in dust is guaranteed, especially useful when using the phone with sand nearby, but also from immersion in water up to 100 cm for 10 minutes.
Today, the most effective protection on smartphones is the one marked with IP68 code, which guarantees the well-known protection from sand and dust, in addition to the possibility to submerge your smartphone over 1 m in water for a period of up to 30 minutes.
Smartphone resistant to water at sea and in the pool
But you have to pay attention to an important detail: fresh water and salt water have completely different effects on our devices. Even certified smartphones, if exposed to salt water should be gently rinsed with fresh water, but avoid the direct jet of the tap that can be particularly harmful and can violate even certified products, because the water pressure is too strong.
If your phone does not have a certification for protection from water and dust and is exposed to liquid accidentally, beware that every smartphone contains some small indicators that immediately reveal to service centers if the phone has come into contact with water.It is therefore necessary to pay particular attention to the use of smartphones and electronic devices in general that do not have a certification because even a small exposure to liquids can be fatal, when the opposite happens it is simply a stroke of luck.
To use your cell phone without risk and without problems during the summer, by the side of a pool or by the sea, it is always advisable to have a guaranteed and certified waterproof case that can withstand any kind of risk.