Water and electronics don’t mix, right? – Wrong. Some smartphones can handle rain while others can even take a fall into a puddle. If you are accident-prone (like me) or are generally careless about your phone, you should check out what we have in store for you.
We picked out phones that are not too tubby or covered with thick plastic layers. We tried to create a list that includes everyday phones that are suitable for everyone. Nowadays, some of the best phones, most stylish phones are waterproof.
Phones with high IP ratings get amazing results if they fall into the water. The IP rating is called “Ingress Protection” – it means the sealing capacity of an electronic device against any kind of liquid or moisture.
The IP rating does not only consider water, it also considers dust. But since we are discussing waterproof phones today, we will deal with resistance to water only.
Here is a quick measurement guide for waterproofing.
(Again, please note that the dustproofing also has a separate rating system and the following is not it).
- 0 – No protection.
- 1 – Dripping water shall have no harmful effect.
- 2 – Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect with the enclosure tilted at 15°.
- 3 – Water falling as a spray at any angle up to 60° from the vertical.
- 4 – Water splashing against the enclosure from any direction.
- 5 – Water projected by a nozzle (6.3mm) against the enclosure from any direction.
- 6 – Water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) from any direction.
- 6K – Powerful water jets with increased pressure.
- 7 – Immersion, up to 1m depth for up to 30 minutes.
- 8 – Immersion, 1m or more depth (exact details vary).
- 9K – Powerful high-temperature water jets.
5 best waterproof phones you can buy
So here are the five best waterproof phones that are recommended based on the features and the IP rating of the phones.
CAT S41
CAT S41 is by far the sturdiest smartphone in the world. It has strange hardware with buttons on the front when having a button-less screen is the norm these days. S41 is in a class of its own when it comes to waterproofing. It has an IP rating of 70 which means it can last in 2 meters of water for more than one hour. This is quite amazing.
Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
The S8 is Samsung Galaxy’s flagship phone. It has a waterproof variant called Active. The specs are the same. Active is slightly more expensive and makes all the difference if you drop it into water. It has an IP68 rating for both dust and water which is quite solid.
Apple iPhone X
The iPhone X is the weakest link in our article. Admittedly it is not a very strong phone. But since it is so popular and quite water-resistant we decided to include it anyway. It has a water-resistant capability of IP67 – which means it can stay in water for about 30 minutes.
Google Pixel 2
Google Pixel 2 is created by HTC. It is a magnificent phone. The water-resistant capabilities are close to the iPhone at IP67 but the rest of the features make it an immensely better choice than the iPhone X. It seems Google is watching the market very closely and making improvements on the go.
LG V30
You cannot keep LG out of anything these days. The V30 is a beauty with excellent specs and a water-resistant capability of IP68. The price tag may be a bit high when compared to previous LG phones, but it is worth it.
